What’s the difference between Private, Independent and Public schools?
It’s often difficult to pick apart the differences between private, independent and public schools – they overlap and terms are used interchangeably by parents and teachers on a regular basis. Private schools are any schools that are financed independently (as opposed to those which are funded by the state). For this reason, both independent and public schools are in fact private schools – however, there are subtle differences.
What are Grammar Schools?
Grammar schools are academically-oriented and selective state-run schools. They remain a popular choice for secondary education and the 164 Grammar Schools in England are heavily applied to for Year 7 entry. Your child is required to pass a series of entrance examinations (known as the 11 Plus) if they are to attend one of these schools. Entry criteria is governed by the School Admissions code and from this criteria, individual grammar schools set their own policies of admission.
Selective Eligibility Test
The Selective eligibility test consists of two multiple choice test papers; a Maths paper and an English paper. Each paper will be about 45 minutes long. The tests do not include verbal reasoning or non verbal reasoning. Students will need to record their answers on a separate multiple choice answer sheet.
The 11plus Test
The eleven plus exams are constantly evolving but usually consist of two test papers. Common subjects tested are maths and English and some verbal and non verbal. Our 11 plus course is based on the exams used by the schools in Bexley, Kent & Medway.
Current Exam Format
The current exam format is split evenly between English and maths therefore we spend an hour on each subject. We also spend some time practising verbal and non verbal tests. During each lesson their work is marked and feedback given on progress.
How do we prepare your child?
Generally, we advise that you start planning for tutoring by the autumn term of year 5, especially as all exams now happen early in the autumn term of year 6. This allows plenty of time to prepare, to secure knowledge and skills as well as perfect exam techniques.