Dates and Times are going out

If you haven't heard from me regarding a slot for next year, then please, be patient, they will all be out by Friday. Some have gone out today and more will go out tomorrow, but today I have run out of available time, sorry.

Almost the end of the year and time to sort the timetable...

I think this is the most topsy turvy time of year; at one end there is the exhilaration of the successes I am watching around me as students pass into the zone of success and reaching their potential and the worry of getting the new timetable to suit as many parents and children as possible for next year...... and it's never easy. Bear with me, the constraints this year are greater than ever, especially as so many students wished to stay with me as they go into their secondary school, or are embarking upon their GCSE courses and want that extra bit of something as they work through.
So the tests you all did are in and the results will be sent out to you asap, but what I can give you is the averages in all four areas so when you get the results for your child you can review it against something.
As you will see, the range is wide and for those of you whose scores have come in low, it could mean many things (not being familiar with the question types, having a melt down at the tests themselves, or just not really able to do them because they were 'hard'). I will use the scores and any of you who have CATs scores (most recent if possible) to balance up the pairs.
As a warning, there could be some of you who will not get onto the timetable unless I can persuade you to take times later than requested. It is VERY tight this year.

		Maths	VR	nonVR	English
	highest score	76%	83%	78%	90%
	lowest score	26%	19%	23%	26%
	median average	48%	53%	52%	56%
	To pass the 11+	78% in all areas
	levels required	5c or above by end of year 6*
	* expect to see students at level 5c in time for the 11+ exam at start of their Year 6 and then progress on from there as the year progresses

Baking

Another example of what a year 5 student can produce by themselves. This was edited and re-drafted by the girl herself and you can see , very well structured and written.

BAKING!!!!!!

            My favourite hobby is baking. I have been doing it since a very young age. I especially enjoy licking the bowl at the end!

          I love baking cakes, because I love stirring the mixture together, decorating and of course eating them! There is a large variety of cakes. Large cakes, small cakes, and lots more. My favourite cake is the Victoria sponge, which I make from my favourite recipe book – Mary Berry. I make it every two to three weeks!  I think I like this type of cake the most because it is a plain sponge, with nice jam and is just so nice!!!!

          The second thing I love making is bread. My favourite part in the process of bread making is making and then rolling the dough out.  Bread smells so yummy when cooking and makes me feel quite hungry!

          Now weighing the ingredients is fun, but the best part about it is that it can help with your maths as you can soon learn how many ml in a litre and so on.

          Another thing I enjoy when baking is the mixing stage.  I enjoy this part because it makes me feel relaxed and calm.  It can also be exciting as, as you mix different ingredients together, the mixture can change and after a while it can get incredible hard or soft, depending what you add! 

I cannot resist the temptation of a cheesecake with a raspberry on the top.  Cheesecakes are really the only desserts I make, but I love the whole process- especially when I crush all the biscuits to make the base.

          Baking for Children in Need has got to be one thing I am extremely proud of. This is because, firstly I really enjoy making the biscuits and secondly because I really love to see the faces of people when they try my biscuits!

Another time when I was proud was when I make biscuits and cakes for the teachers at Christmas as their presents.  I made cup cakes and lovely  crystallized stem ginger biscuits.  I felt very happy, as the teachers liked them so much.

Lastly, I recently did some baking for Comic Relief.   My mum took the cookies I made to work and sold them to raise some money .  In total I raised £32.00 !

So baking is lots of fun, you can make so many different nice things and also you can raise money for Charity.

By Sasha ******

 

I am now full for September 2013

I just want to thank everyone for their prompt returns with regards the 11+ practice papers for next year's intake and I am delighted to be able to say all who have submitted their papers have a place with me and I will begin to sort the timetable out over the next two weeks.

If you haven't finished or haven't sent the papers back I have to say I am now full and can offer no more spaces.

I will be setting up elearning classes this year and will notify people about the connection via this blog so if people are interested in gaining help and support via the internet then there will be classes made available. These will be pre-recorded with information on how to do various skills in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and maths specifically.
If you didn't make the cut then I am very sorry but there has been an unprecedented demand this year and I am unable to cater for all inquiries.
To those who didn't make it may I suggest you take a look at the website 11+ swot which I have a very great regard for. It will support your child in much of what is likely to come up in the exam and maybe another route worth exploring.

To those already registered with me, I would suggest this is a good support to the work you will do with me as they give plenty of opportunity to explore and develop the various skills demanded in verbal and non-verbal reasoning as well as some of the maths skills which often catch them out.

Next year's 11+ students

I am awarding places this year on whether you have initially responded by email, have completed the test papers and returned them to me. 

They will be allocated on a first come first served basis as there have been more people requesting 11 plus tuition than spaces.

If you wish to work with me next year and have not returned the test papers to me, may I suggest you do as a matter of urgency as I wish to complete next years timetable as soon as possible.
To those who have already returned your papers, thank you and I will be in touch within the next couple of weeks. I haven't forgotten or ignored your returns but have been establishing a new rota with this year's intake and now they are settled can concentrate upon the new intake of 2013.

Have a great few weeks and will email shortly.

A boy and a computer

Once upon a time there were children whose favourite thing was a doll, a toy gun or a space-ship, but no more; now it is a Blackberry, a computer and perhaps a bike, skates or scooter.
Here, we have an example of a young man in year 5, given the opportunity to write about anything he enjoyed and the computer gaming section came to the fore immediately. The work was written by hand and corrections to punctuation have come from the computer itself; one day he will do more on the computer and type all his work too. When that day comes his true writing ability will leap even further forward than it is now. He has already improved his skills and as many of you will be aware, a boy writing anything at this age is unusual...... this is a good piece of writing and gives an insight into the mind of a boy of this age.

What I like doing most by Daniel *****

My favourite pastime is playing on a computer, its really fun and exciting there’s always more things to do. One of my favourite games is Minecraft, a game about survival. I often find myself playing on a website called **** which lets you play loads of different games such as Alter, Super Mario Bros Crossover 3, Pacman and more.

The way I found out about these websites is because my friends talked non-stop about them so I gave them arty. My friends are the ones who often give me ideas of what to do or play but some games are too violent and age restricted to 16+.  My friends are nice people not perfect but amazing, but their ideas can be a bit extreme.

My sister doesn’t use the computer that much so that gives me a fair amount of time to play. I am very interested in how a computer works and would some day like to be a mechanic learning how to turn the screen off and on without normal buttons, how future computers will work, and the amount of electricity is needed to power on and the sites people use for curiosity.

I am going to explain how Minecraft works. Survival mode is the mode where you have every item you can ever have. Hardcore mode is where if you die you can’t be reborn. In multi-player you can play with other people.

Now I am going to explain how you play Mario Cross Over. You can play as Zelda, Mario and some other people whose names I don’t remember and other than that it is pretty much like Mario.

I also enjoy the computer because it is a way to read and find the latest information.

Over all a computer is fun, exciting and has other useful features.

Levels of English

As a country the style of teaching, learning and absorbing has changed considerably, if for no other reason than the wealth of interaction available on our phones via the internet. It is more common to see a child clutching a phone than it is a hand, and their relationships are now governed by Facebook and other social media sites.
But we still expect standards. We still expect them to be able to write well and to write fluently, to spell effectively and to create interesting pieces of written work. So what does the role of the computer and all its peculiarities have to offer?
The spell check program and the grammar checker are a great help and they don't take away the skill of either; to be able to choose the correct word they have to have a recognition of the word shape and letter organisation, and as for the grammar checker, unless you know grammar well it can cause more problems than is realised. To be told the sentence is passive means nothing unless you have grasped the concept of passivity in the first place.
Being able to edit the work on screen is always a great bonus because the changes are made easier by cut and paste and children can make the change instantly rather than making a mess of their page of writing with all the crossings out and re-wording over the top. Little wonder few like to edit work on paper, by the tine they have finished it can look like the proverbial 'dog's dinner'.
As you can probably tell I am all for the idea of creating literacy using computers and for reasons more than I have listed here. The very action of striking the keys in a specific order teaches you how to spell a word without realising and often I have seen children striking imagined keys so as to transfer the spelling onto paper using a pen. Mild dyslexia is supported by various specialised programs which learns the child's own peculiarities in repeated spelling errors and flags it up for them. They have the choice then of changing it or not.
This piece of work was created by a girl in Year 5 using a computer. She has edited and considered not only what she is writing but the vocabulary and the flow. She was able to 'beautify' the work in her style and the pride with which she gave me a copy revealed how much time and consideration she had paid to completing it. The language is hers.

What I like doing most

by Nicola ******

Have you ever been fighting along side warrior cats or flown on the back of magical horses?  Well I have, in wonderful, fantastic books I have read and you could too. Reading, as you can guess, is my hobby.  I love books so much that without them I would be a lostperson.

Throughout the years I have grown to love books more and more and now I have reached a stage where books are one of the only things I ask for on my birthday and at Christmas. I find books very interesting because they can tell you facts and how to do things which is one of the reasons I like them.

I have listed some of the books that I have read before: rainbow magic, fire and ice, the 39 clues series, the omen of the stars series and into the wild. The omen of the stars series I have read most of the series but I just need to read the book sign of

The moon.

Another reason I like books is because it is a way to entertain your self and learn at the same time. Books have inspired me to write great stories at school and at home.

One of the series of books I have been reading is called Warriors, I have really enjoyed this series and I am on the fourth book in the series, which is called dangerous path, which I love. Books I think are brilliant and I would recommend reading to anyone who doesn’t read.

As I said I love books and I want others to read to because it is a great thing to do when you have spare time, the reason I like reading is because you can find out about the character and their life. Another reason I like reading is because I am good at it, my usual speed is one chapter book a day but sometimes it takes two days.

The books I like to read most are cat books some of my favourite are Thomasine, the omen of the stars series and white chin. The reason I like cat books is because it’s from the cat’s point of view which is different from the adults and children’s point of view.

Well that basically sums up why I like reading books.

Thanks for reading