What to do in situations where chances of success are low.

Parents in very competitive areas or parents who have children who are marginally bright enough to go to Grammar School often wonder what to do.

“ Is there any point in doing preparation work if my child only has a small chance of success ?”

This is a common question. The answer is slightly complicated.

If all you were going to do was a few familiarisation papers before the test then this work is likely to have no long term benefit for your child.

If however you were going to embark on a programme of work that aimed to improve your child’s core Maths and English skills then this will have long term benefits.

Very many parents enter into the process not knowing how their children will react to the work and how good they will become. They do it knowing that even if their child does not go to a Grammar School then improving their core English and Maths skills will still have been incredibly beneficial.

Children who perform to their ability will get more out of school and when they go to their secondary school are likely to get into better sets for Maths and English than they would have done otherwise. This will improve their educational prospects.

In some cases your chances of success do vary by area because some areas have greater provision of places than others. This detail is in each Grammar School Test Area.

So we’d suggest that if your child has a marginal chance of success in a well provided area or is in a lottery situation in a heavily oversubscribed area that it is still worthwhile preparing simply because improving a child’s core Maths and English skills will help them for the rest of their educational career.

Which 11 Plus Exam Preparation Options Are Right For You ?