Good news! It seems KCC have decided to leave the format for this year, so we will have the three areas as expected with a story of some kind rather than the possible change to grammar and punctuation. This does mean if your son or daughter still resists story writing, or has problems getting something down on paper to a level 4a standard and he/she is borderline, this will go against them.
Regardless of whether KCC had changed or not, the level of English is important and all grammars like their students to be at level 4a/5c so there is a building block on which they can hang their expectations, not only in English lessons, but also in all the other subjects where writing is a component part.
If you feel you need to address their level of English and would like to know a good book to work from, then I would suggest you look at CGP books where you will find the range of 11 plus support materials they have produced.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
September 2013 11 plus intake
To those of you who have already responded to m y letter with an email, thank you very much and I will be getting back to you shortly.
I have had a question about the completion of the tests;
When do you want these sent back to you by, because they are doing SATs at the moment?
If you could get them back to me by the end of this month that would be great. I can then look at them and pair students together with similar strengths and weaknesses.
I will contact all those of you who have responded over the next couple of weeks and give you details of the course costs, contents and frequency of classes. Until then, I do hope the weather holds and the wind subsides and they all do well in their end of year exams.
I have had a question about the completion of the tests;
When do you want these sent back to you by, because they are doing SATs at the moment?
If you could get them back to me by the end of this month that would be great. I can then look at them and pair students together with similar strengths and weaknesses.
I will contact all those of you who have responded over the next couple of weeks and give you details of the course costs, contents and frequency of classes. Until then, I do hope the weather holds and the wind subsides and they all do well in their end of year exams.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The downloaded test for Year 4
In one of the confirmation emails I received a question which I thought was a good one to be answered for you all;
I have downloaded the test papers and will post them as soon as ****** has finished them. I do have one question about the papers.
It does give you a set amount of time do do the test. Do I have to time ****** for this amount of time or can he carry on until he is finished?
The answer to this is, allow him or her the 50 minutes [they don't have to do this all in one sitting] and if they haven't finished place a mark at the point they reach and then let them finish. At the moment it really doesn't matter how long it takes, just what they can and cannot do. We will work on exam techniques later but at the moment these tests are daunting enough!!
Yes, to another question I received, you can mark them which is why I enclosed the answers for you to go through once they have done the work. You don't have to go through the papers with them afterwards or worry, you really should clear up the areas he/she didn't get right, this will happen automatically throughout the course with me.
Any other questions please come back to me and I wil do my best to answer them, but in the meantime,
Watch this space
and more articles will be posted.
I have downloaded the test papers and will post them as soon as ****** has finished them. I do have one question about the papers.
It does give you a set amount of time do do the test. Do I have to time ****** for this amount of time or can he carry on until he is finished?
The answer to this is, allow him or her the 50 minutes [they don't have to do this all in one sitting] and if they haven't finished place a mark at the point they reach and then let them finish. At the moment it really doesn't matter how long it takes, just what they can and cannot do. We will work on exam techniques later but at the moment these tests are daunting enough!!
Yes, to another question I received, you can mark them which is why I enclosed the answers for you to go through once they have done the work. You don't have to go through the papers with them afterwards or worry, you really should clear up the areas he/she didn't get right, this will happen automatically throughout the course with me.
Any other questions please come back to me and I wil do my best to answer them, but in the meantime,
Watch this space
and more articles will be posted.
Monday, April 22, 2013
This year's 11+ students
As yet they have not made it clear what they are going to do with the English component of the tests; up until now it has been a story which has only been marked if the child was borderline.
Now, with the feeling that standards in English is falling, there is a push to bring those who will be going to grammar schools to be at a similar standard to those who will have had the advantage of a private primary education.
I have a feeling they will replace the story with a comprehension and that it WILL count. I cannot prove my statement but I do believe it is the only way they can move forward and satisfy the DfES.
As a consequence I am going to recommend a comprehension book which is quite cheap to buy and freely available in most bookshops and internet providers; Schofield and Sims: KS2 Comprehension 3 which is currently available on Amazon at less than £3. It is an excellent book and will give them plenty of practice at the level they require.
It will also stand them in good stead for next year when they do their end of KS2 exams ready for the secondary school; for grammar school they need to be comfortably working at level 5 or above for them to be able to keep up with the pace expected of them when they get there.
Now, with the feeling that standards in English is falling, there is a push to bring those who will be going to grammar schools to be at a similar standard to those who will have had the advantage of a private primary education.
I have a feeling they will replace the story with a comprehension and that it WILL count. I cannot prove my statement but I do believe it is the only way they can move forward and satisfy the DfES.
As a consequence I am going to recommend a comprehension book which is quite cheap to buy and freely available in most bookshops and internet providers; Schofield and Sims: KS2 Comprehension 3 which is currently available on Amazon at less than £3. It is an excellent book and will give them plenty of practice at the level they require.
It will also stand them in good stead for next year when they do their end of KS2 exams ready for the secondary school; for grammar school they need to be comfortably working at level 5 or above for them to be able to keep up with the pace expected of them when they get there.
11plus students beginning September 2013
We are almost at that time of the year when I will be contacting you to ask for the best dates and times so I can start putting the timetable together for this coming academic year. It may seem strange to be thinking about September when we have only just got back after Easter, but you will be surprised just how quickly the next six months will flash past. Ask any of the parents already on the countdown and they will tell you how quickly time passes.
The first communication you will receive will be to suggest if you are not already reading the blog then to begin, because I will be placing downloads and items of news which will be of relevance to you directly. To start me off getting to know your child, I am going to ask you all to get them to complete four different tests, English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, so I can see what they have already developed and what still requires developing. I will ask you all to NOT help your child even if they tell you they can't do it;NO reading it to them, explaining how to do the first one, NO help what's so ever, otherwise I will be finding out what they can do with support, not what they can do on their own and for me its important to know if they freeze. Often a child left to its own devices will find a way in the end and that is something else I want to see.
Freezing in a test can be attributed to many things but fear of the whole situation is one of them and the way it affects a child is not always what one would expect. I have known children to almost go blind, unable to read, whilst others just cry and don't want to face it. Each way they react to a situation requires different support and this is something I will teach them when I get to know them and support them with exam practice.
The following website has a perfect set of free tests to use, please use the link below and download a copy of each for yourself. Once your child has completed them can you please forward them to me; you will have received a copy of my address via email.
http://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/pages/books_11_Plus_free_tests.asp
The reason I use CGP as opposed to any other is because I have a great deal of time for their products and their standards. I have used them extensively in schools since they first started publishing and have found them excellent at keeping tabs with current requirements and syllabii.
If your child scores low on any of these tests, that is less than 60%, I would suggest you buy a copy of the relevant Study Book. The following link will take you to the page where they link you to all their products for 11+
http://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/pages/books_11_Plus_explained.asp
I would suggest you do not buy their test papers as I have plenty of test paper practice here on site and more may 'muddy the water' with too much testing - it can make the child stale and not perform in the test.
The first communication you will receive will be to suggest if you are not already reading the blog then to begin, because I will be placing downloads and items of news which will be of relevance to you directly. To start me off getting to know your child, I am going to ask you all to get them to complete four different tests, English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, so I can see what they have already developed and what still requires developing. I will ask you all to NOT help your child even if they tell you they can't do it;NO reading it to them, explaining how to do the first one, NO help what's so ever, otherwise I will be finding out what they can do with support, not what they can do on their own and for me its important to know if they freeze. Often a child left to its own devices will find a way in the end and that is something else I want to see.
Freezing in a test can be attributed to many things but fear of the whole situation is one of them and the way it affects a child is not always what one would expect. I have known children to almost go blind, unable to read, whilst others just cry and don't want to face it. Each way they react to a situation requires different support and this is something I will teach them when I get to know them and support them with exam practice.
The following website has a perfect set of free tests to use, please use the link below and download a copy of each for yourself. Once your child has completed them can you please forward them to me; you will have received a copy of my address via email.
http://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/pages/books_11_Plus_free_tests.asp
The reason I use CGP as opposed to any other is because I have a great deal of time for their products and their standards. I have used them extensively in schools since they first started publishing and have found them excellent at keeping tabs with current requirements and syllabii.
If your child scores low on any of these tests, that is less than 60%, I would suggest you buy a copy of the relevant Study Book. The following link will take you to the page where they link you to all their products for 11+
http://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/pages/books_11_Plus_explained.asp
I would suggest you do not buy their test papers as I have plenty of test paper practice here on site and more may 'muddy the water' with too much testing - it can make the child stale and not perform in the test.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Prizes for "Tempting Fate"
The following students have won themselves and Easter Egg for their stories using the title "Tempting Fate". Not only have they created excellent stories, all are demonstrating grammar and sentence structure to very high levels. I was also delighted with the humour some of them used as well as character development; with a couple of the stories I began to feel as if I was seeing through the writer's eyes. This is indeed a great skill to have and in people still in Year 5, this is talent shining through.
Sasha:
What I really wanted for Christmas was a sledge! In the past years it has snowed. I had seen children playing in the snow on their sledges and so that was why I wanted one for Christmas.......
Ollie:
It was Christmas Eve. I bounced upstairs because I was so excited. I started sorting out my presents. A wave of dread loomed over me like a dark cloud; a burden hung heavy on my shoulders........
Nicola:
It was the 5th January when Megan and Kate were out for a ramble with their dog, Rover. However, they had chosen the wrong day, there was a blizzard warning saying there would be snow covering half the country as deep as I am thick (tall)............
Isabel:
It was a horrible, rainy morning and we were either going to go for a walk or, if it was raining, we were going swimming .
"Mum, I'm sure we are going to go swimming today," I said.
"That's tempting fate, the sun may come out," she replied..............
One person, outside of the year 5 group deserves a special mention, and that is Lucy in year 4. The quality of literacy is exceptional and she will also receive an egg for the stories she has be producing; here is the opening few lines of her latest story on the day after a party;
It was nine o'clock in the morning and I had only just woken up.I staggered downstairs and heard mum in the kitchen.
"There's quite a lot of mess in the living room Lucy, start clearing up will you and I will come and help in a while."
I started hoovering up some of the mess, which had engulfed the vast landscape, until I saw and vigorously shook a raggedy, dirty tea-towel and started to remember what we had done with it.
The story developed into a remembering of the night's highlights and the fun they had all had, finishing with the line;
"Mum, what should I do with this old tea-towel?" I groaned.
Clever, Lucy, clever.
Sasha:
What I really wanted for Christmas was a sledge! In the past years it has snowed. I had seen children playing in the snow on their sledges and so that was why I wanted one for Christmas.......
Ollie:
It was Christmas Eve. I bounced upstairs because I was so excited. I started sorting out my presents. A wave of dread loomed over me like a dark cloud; a burden hung heavy on my shoulders........
Nicola:
It was the 5th January when Megan and Kate were out for a ramble with their dog, Rover. However, they had chosen the wrong day, there was a blizzard warning saying there would be snow covering half the country as deep as I am thick (tall)............
Isabel:
It was a horrible, rainy morning and we were either going to go for a walk or, if it was raining, we were going swimming .
"Mum, I'm sure we are going to go swimming today," I said.
"That's tempting fate, the sun may come out," she replied..............
One person, outside of the year 5 group deserves a special mention, and that is Lucy in year 4. The quality of literacy is exceptional and she will also receive an egg for the stories she has be producing; here is the opening few lines of her latest story on the day after a party;
It was nine o'clock in the morning and I had only just woken up.I staggered downstairs and heard mum in the kitchen.
"There's quite a lot of mess in the living room Lucy, start clearing up will you and I will come and help in a while."
I started hoovering up some of the mess, which had engulfed the vast landscape, until I saw and vigorously shook a raggedy, dirty tea-towel and started to remember what we had done with it.
The story developed into a remembering of the night's highlights and the fun they had all had, finishing with the line;
"Mum, what should I do with this old tea-towel?" I groaned.
Clever, Lucy, clever.
Easter Holiday Dates
The timetable is now up for people to fill in if they want
to take advantage of an extra lesson during the holidays. I will be open on the
following dates between 4pm and 8pm. If you would like to attend, please fill
in the timetable which is available in the waiting room area, within the dates
pouch on the noticeboard.
The session will concentrate on Problem Solving style questions and how to answer them.
The session will concentrate on Problem Solving style questions and how to answer them.
Please Note:
if you sign up for a time slot and fail to come, you will be charged for the
session.
Prices will be at the new rates.
Tuesday
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2nd
April
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9th
April
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4pm
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5pm
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6pm
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7pm
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Wednesday
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3rd
April
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10th
April
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4pm
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5pm
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6pm
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7pm
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Thursday
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4th
April
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4pm
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5pm
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not available
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6pm
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7pm
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