How To Secure your Place in Top Grammar Schools of Slough
Towards the completion of Key Stage 2, most children and parents in the UK wish to land the top grammar schools in town. However, secondary education comes with its own set of challenges. Getting into a good grammar school of Slough has become more challenging than ever in recent years. Each year, the bar of eligibility rises higher and higher. Students must live up to the highest standards as the competition increases. There are currently 164 grammar schools in the UK, out of which many are located in Slough. While every parent wishes their child to get admission into the leading grammar schools, not every child prepares well enough to secure a place in those schools.
If you are a parent to a child who is about to finish Key Stage 2, you might be thinking about what you can do to help your child get into the top grammar schools of Slough. However it would help if you considered enrolling your child for online tuition in Slough.
If you are concerned about something like this, we are here to help you pick the right grammar school for your child, along with how your child can get admission into that school.
How to pick the right Grammar school for your child?
What makes a grammar school good is not its social status but how well it teaches, grooms and nourishes its pupils. While selecting from the top grammar schools, make sure to go for the one that meets the following criteria:
- Not too far from your home
- Located in a safe neighbourhood
- Has supportive management staff
- Cooperative teachers
- Friendly environment
- Focuses on extracurricular activities
- Has technology-based learning
- Help students become free-thinkers
- Focus on character building
- A place where your child can freely grow and express themself.
How to get into a Grammar school?
The only way your child can get into any top Grammar school is by sitting and passing the 11 Plus exam; while it may sound like just one exam, passing it can often become a challenge for many students.
Everything about the 11 Plus exam
The 11 Plus exam is used to examine if a student is suitable for grammar school and, in some cases, for independent schools. Children commonly take the exam in the first term of the last year of primary school. Different schools have different criteria. Some select their students based only on the 11 Plus exam results, while others may look into various factors, such as how far you live from the school or if any of your other children are currently studying in the same school.
- Content of the 11 Plus exam
The exam structure varies upon the area of the country you’re in; however, the main contents remain unchanged. The exam comprises four major subjects: English, Maths, Verbal reasoning, and Non-verbal reasoning.
- How to get into the top Grammar schools of Slough by acing the 11 Plus exam?
A child’s admission into any Grammar school is directly related to how well they perform on their 11 Plus exam. Therefore, excellent preparation is the key to success.
Preparing for the 11 Plus exam For Top Grammar School in Slough
Preparing for the 11 Plus exam should not be too difficult if you start smart. Often, parents overburden their children with unnecessary amounts of reading and preparatory material. This causes children to get tired and lose interest at the very beginning stage.
To avoid such problems, here are seven ways to get into the best Grammar school in town by effectively preparing your child for the 11 Plus exam.
- Hire a tutor
A personal tutor can significantly increase your child’s chances of passing the exam. There are often things and concepts that children do not entirely understand in school. They need extra assistance and support to uncover their potential and perform well in exams. Therefore, a smart move would be to hire an online tutor for your child.
With the rapid increase in Elearning, more parents are choosing online teachers for their children. Similarly, many online tutoring companies in Slough are now providing one-to-one tutoring services for the 11 Plus exam preparation. Therefore, you can also sign your child up for online tuition so that they can prepare better.
- CEM or GL Assessment?
If you are thinking of preparing your child for the exam yourself, do not just jump into forcing your child to memorise every bit of knowledge out there. Instead, focus on what is important. For instance, the first thing you should pay attention to is the board through which your child will be taking their 11 Plus exam. Make sure to confirm the board from the school you wish to enrol into. This is because each panel has some variations in their exam. So, knowing the board will help you prepare your child better.
There are currently two main exam boards in the UK that conduct the 11 plus exams each year, namely the CEM and the GL Assessment. Depending on the school of your choice, your child will have to sit the exam through one of these two boards. However, in rare scenarios, the exam may be written by the school or any consortium of schools in that locality.
The 11 Plus exam by GL Assessment may include different combinations of the four subjects. Conventionally, there is a separate test paper for each subject. However, some GL areas have now introduced mixed papers. This means that a student can be presented with two papers containing two subject exams.
On the other hand, CEM usually has mixed, covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Maths. The exam is typically either multiple-choice questions (MCQs) or standard answer (SA) format.
- Keep it relevant
The 11 Plus exam includes Maths, English, Verbal reasoning and Non-verbal reasoning questions. It means that these four subjects should remain the centre of your attention while preparing your child. Some parents spend unnecessary time focusing on other things which may not be relevant to the exam. Therefore, make sure you confine your child’s study and learning material, particularly these four subjects.
- Make a timetable
Make a study timetable and help your child form a learning routine. Students who study at the same time every day have an easier time learning and paying attention to the lesson. Furthermore, dedicate hours of the day to each subject separately. For instance, if you plan on practising Maths with your child in the morning, consider teaching them verbal and non-verbal reasoning in the evening or afternoon. This way, having a solid schedule will save you more time and make things convenient for you and your child.
- Work smarter, not harder.
One of the most effective tips for passing the 11 Plus exam with flying colours is to utilise the practice papers. The 11 Plus past papers can help you better understand the patterns, contents and techniques to answer the reasoning questions. So, try not to obsess over covering everything; instead, focus on the most repeated questions. Such questions have a higher chance of recurring. Familiarising your child with those questions will help them perform better in the exam.
In a nutshell, getting into any of the top grammar schools depends on your child’s 11 Plus exam’s results. Therefore, you can use these tips and make the 11 Plus exam easier for your child. Rest assured, your child will pass their exam with ease and secure their position in one of the top grammar schools.
