The 11 plus exam is a standardised examination which is taken by certain students during their final year of primary education in order to identify academic potential which can enable your child to attend selective grammar schools.
Not all children take the 11+ as it is not compulsory, therefore additional 11 plus tuition may be required outside of school if you wish for your child to take the exam. The test focuses on four main subjects, maths, English and both verbal and non-verbal reasoning.
There are multiple papers across multiple exam boards meaning your child may take a mixture of exams from different boards, or they could all be from the same one.
When registering for these exams, it is important that you cover all bases and ensure you have done all you need to in preparation.
Firstly, you will need to consider which school or schools you wish for your child to attend. This includes collecting school prospectuses, visiting open days and researching the schools online.
This should all be done well ahead of time and you may also wish to include your child in the decision-making process. It is, afterall, their education and it is important that they feel included as part of the discussion.
As admission into your chosen grammar schools is not guaranteed, it is also vital that you reassure your child that the schools in the local area are just as good. Positivity around education should be encouraged regardless of where your child ends up attending secondary school.
Something key to remember when deciding upon a school is the catchment area of the institution. While grammar schools usually don’t have the same catchment criteria as other schools, occasionally there will still be certain criteria which must be met so asking ahead of time is vital.
Once you have decided upon a few schools which fit with your needs, wants and expectations you will want to plan to visit the open days that are held at each school.
It is advised that you start this well in advance as open days and registration deadlines don’t always match up. Visiting open days well in advance gives you enough time to see everywhere you wish to and also think over your choices before applying, rather than rushing.
Open days allow you to gain firsthand experience of the school and also give your child the opportunity to visit their potential educational institution and get a feel for the place.
These open days are great for collecting information and asking questions as well as getting a good visual of the school. Not all organised open days are for children, so if you attend one without your child present it’s important that you ask for a separate appointment to allow your child the opportunity to see the school as well.
This is key in maintaining inclusion in the decision-making process and ensuring your child does not get overwhelmed or worried about potentially attending a school they have never seen before.
Once you have a good idea of the schools you wish to apply for, you can then begin the actual registration process. The deadlines can vary depending on your location. Deadlines usually range from July to October.
Contacting any prospective schools about their application deadlines and registration dates can help ensure you do not miss any deadlines and that you have a clear idea of when they need to be done by.
If applying for multiple schools you may have to register separately for each exam unless it is a set of schools that are joint and use the same examinations.
There are several other forms you will need to fill out as well as your 11+ registration, such as a supplementary information form if the prospective school is a religious institution and local authority preference forms.
You will also want to check there are no other additional forms or applications that need to be filled out, contacting the schools directly is a good way to ensure you are fully filled out and that there are no other documents needed.
Once registration is complete, you can now focus on preparing your child for the exams. Ensure they are happy, confident and comfortable sitting the exams and reassure them that even if they do not pass, everything will still be okay!