Supporting Your Child Through The 11+ Process
The stress of the 11+ exam is intense. Not just for the children having to sit the exam, but for the parents too. Our Educational Consultant, Jess talks through some top tips to support your child through these difficult times.
Your kids deserve the best education
The fact that secondary choices come down to this exam process can be hard for many families.
One positive thing about Covid restrictions last year was that the 11+ exam run by independent secondary schools cut the exam down to around 20 minutes and interviewed every single child that applied. Much less stress for teachers, and for children too.
It is the responsibility of the secondary school holding the 11+ to make sure these exams do not rule the lives of year 6 children. You would hope that they are able to find excitement in learning and become inspired by teachers in topics other than 11+ past papers.
There isn’t a right or a wrong way to approach an exam that will essentially map out your children’s education, career, friendships etc. but everyone can play a part in exacerbating, or de escalating the stress. Some parents hand hold their children the whole way through the process even prompting them at online interviews. Some children put the pressure on themselves and this can lead to persistent anxiety now and later on in life.
Parents have coped remarkably well at adapting throughout the Covid pandemic. It hasn’t been easy. Homeschooling is not what we envisioned our lives with children to be, we almost know too much now! Children need a bit of separation for learning because, as we know too well from having them at home for an extended period of time; learning takes time, patience, practice and a skilled teacher.
Learning takes time, patience and a skilled teacher.
In the hope that children will go back to school on 8th March and remain there until the end of the summer term, I would remind parents that although children adapted, they now need to get back to learning how to learn in a classroom.
Their working memory (the ability to hold onto information temporarily) may have been overloaded in lockdown, with the expectation of doing all their work at home with sometimes limited support compared to what may have occurred in the classroom. Getting back into a school routine, and having teachers who are able to sense the atmosphere in the classroom and approach a child who may be struggling will help. Teachers are exceptional at chunking information (breaking it down) and making sure that the children are able to remember and use that information at a later date.
The 11+ exams of course want good academic results (depending on the school you have selected) but the interview process and being able to have a conversation with an adult without someone prompting you is just as important. Schools are searching for a right fit to their personality. The people you can rely on to support and advise you are your current primary school. They will know exactly what your child will excel at and in what environment. Speak to them about your choices for 11+ and go from there.
Learning to learn and showing thought process is key to 11+, schools do not want a child who nails all the answers because they have been rote learnt. They want children to fit into their ethos and their work ethic and also be able to show a level of imagination, independent thought and confidence.
What is the appropriate level of tutoring?
You know your child best, and perhaps a tutor will help them really concentrate on something they find difficult, but will this take the fun out of learning? Consider personalised tutoring carefully and whether this could be contributing to higher levels of anxiety than is necessary. The best kind of learning is the spontaneous self driven learning - some kids forced to learn piano hate it, while that same child might be given a ukulele and teach themselves following you tube channels. Find out about your children’s interests and make sure that is included in an hour session of a deep dive into all the information you can find. This will support your children’s idea of themselves, their self confidence and they might even teach you something!