The First Part of the Eleven Plus Journey
The first part of the journey is to get to know the schools and whittle them down to a set of the most suitable ones.
We thought it best to involve our sons in the process. Part of the reasoning was that it would make it easier for them to acclimatise to the school but also it would mean that they would be more dedicated to the work needed to make the cut. So we did the research, explained our thoughts to our sons and then took onboard their feedback.
There will be opportunities to visit all of the schools. When you go try to talk to the Deputy Head – they do most of the day to day running of the school and will give the best insight.
Research
- Start looking into this at least a year before exams (exams usually start in January of year 6) – it will give you plenty of time to get a feel for the schools.
- Be honest with yourself as to whether your child is super smart, a late developer or middle of the road. Additionally, are they competitive – a top academic school can crush a non-competitive child.
- Ask parents at your school gate – many will have gone through this process with older siblings. They can help you to get a feel for the ethos at various schools. Do they focus on pastoral care or just academics or do they simply hot house? Do they suit your kid – not your aspirations.
- Are there reports of bullying – how did they cope with it?
- How practical is the journey to the school. We applied to a school which was an hour away on public transport (just inside our threshold) only to realise that the hour journey would involve 2 different Tube lines and a bus at either end. Sitting on a bus for an hour reading you book or phone is very different to a 4 stage journey.
- Remember to include grammar schools and good state schools in your search.
- Oxbridge entry stats are a good indicator of realistic academic achievement and are readily available from schools. But bear in mind that other universities are better places to study certain courses.
- Mixed or single sex. This will probably be driven by your own experiences as a child but it can also affect academic results. Mixed schools and girls schools tend to get better grades because girls perform better at this age range. But mixed schools this may hide a more pronounced under performance by boys – so see if it is possible to get the results stats for you child’s gender from the school.
Pick a range of Schools
Received wisdom suggests you apply to 3 levels of school…
- An aspirational school: one where they would be stretched but not out of their depth. You would feel lucky to get in.
- An acceptable school: one they should be able to get into and be comfortable with.
- A fallback: one they would definitely get into. If this is how things play out then you and your child may end up loving the place. If not then it could be a holding position until churn frees up a place at a preferred school later on.
Grammar, State or Independent
There are some pretty obvious differences here. It usually boils down to location. If there is a grammar school or a good state school close enough for your child to commute to then you get to keep the school fees (£6-7k per term for non-boarders). If that sort of money is not a big deal to you then it is an even playing field. It is worth noting that there are some more subtle forces at play too. For example – if a parent is willing to pay for their child’s education then it is an indication that they will be engaged and encouraging – keeping an eye on their child’s education; their children may make a good peer group for your child.
Eleven or Thirteen
Many independent schools take children at aged 11 (called the 11 plus) and 13 (called the common entrance). For each school you can only apply for either but not both. We have a whole topic on this but for now the relevant parts are…
- Do the maths: are the odds better at 13. There will be less (probably zero) applications from kids in state primary schools, so fewer applicants but also be fewer places available. There is a tipping point and you will have to ask some probing question during the school visits to get the information for this calculation.
- The Common Entrance pre-test: this single test is the first hurdle and is shared between many schools for entry at age 13. If you only apply to common entrance schools and your child has a bad day on the pre-test day then they wont get into any of them.
Spread the risk
We all have bad days. There is a chance that your child would just have a bad day on the exam day so it is worth having a couple of different acceptable schools – just in case.
Many schools use a shared pre-test for entry at 13. This means that School A and School B both use a single test to filter applicants before giving them their own tests. You need to check if this is the case – obviously if you think you are spreading the risk by applying to two schools but your child has a bad day on the shared pre-test then they wont get through to the next round at either.
Summary
We ended up doing a mix of tests for a mix of school. But remember – if things don’t work out as you expect all is not lost – there is churn as people move around so you may end up with unexpected offers.