dusty wrote:


I think this is too much and that may be why your daughter is objecting. It also sounds counter productive if her scores have gone down. I did nothing with my 2 the first 4 weeks of the holidays, 10 mins each day the 5th week and 2 timed practice papers the week before going back to school. Neither did I employ a tutor. I did nothing at all with the eldest.

Is it worth the arguments?

Yep, you have to make sure your child feels like they've had some time off over the summer holidays. Regularly doing 80 questions as quickly as possible can get pretty intense so make sure there is a true break from 11+ at some point during the holidays.

There is no 'correct' way to prepare your child psychologically for the test. The process is very specific to each child. Try to get them to realise that although the test is important and they should try their hardest, they will still be loved no matter what the end result. Also, I do think grammar schools are way better for academically minded children, but it doesn't mean that they can't be successful at an ordinary comprehensive school. It might be a bit harder, that's all.

Thanku everyone for your advice it has given me food for thought , and have implemented some of the advice, and it has worked, she has calmed down now, we are talking more and less shouting, her scores have improved.