MESSAGE TO PARENTS AND CHILDREN- Don’t worry if it all feels a bit alien! Welcome…

Welcome to Week 1!

We are really delighted that you are here.Â

Now we know that everything in the first few weeks will feel a little alien, so here are a few things to remember:

1.Â WEEKLY WORKING PATTERNSÂ – Get into the swing of it all and try and establish a working pattern which works for your child, your family and your commitments. We suggest about 2 – 3 hours per week (the online course and the work from the books). You can structure this in any way you want – ie: everything done in one sitting (with a number of breaks). However, ideally you would do something a 2-3 times per week.

2.Â IF YOUR CHILD CAN’T BE BOTHERED THIS WEEK / TOO MANY OTHER COMMITMENTS Â – We know that sometimes your child won’t be bothered / won’t have enough time. The key to passing is covering as much of this course and additional books. If your child doesn’t put in the work, then they really are potentially at a disadvantage. So keep going and your child should catch up when they can if one week they do not complete either a complete lesson or part of a lesson.

3.Â IS MY CHILD DOING ENOUGH WORK? – You may worry that your child is doing enough. This is the purpose of this course. Complete this course as a minimum and try to work through as many books as well.

4.Â HOW CAN I TELL IF MY CHILD IS GOING TO PASS NOW AND THROUGH THE COURSE? You may also be wondering how your child is doing and whether they are going to pass the 11 +. You can’t worry about this. All you have to do is work through this course and the books we recommend.

The key is to get to a point where your child is consistently achieving at least 85% in all tests and in additional books. (If your child is not achieving these high scores at the start of the course, don’t worry! The more your child practises, the more likely it is that they will get better.Â

5.Â DON’T FORGET TO REMIND YOUR CHILD TO KEEP PRACTICING WORKING QUICKLY AND PRECISELY – Remember that a key element to passing the 11 + is speed. Some children can work quickly naturally, while some manage to work more quickly with practice and others really just cannot get to grips with working at speed. Your child need to just do their best, and practise!

6.Â PRACTISE ALL THE CORE AREAS OF ENGLISH, MATHS AND NVR EVERY WEEK– We know that it is important to be able to perform well in all of the above areas. It is too easy to want to avoid the areas which you are weaker it (because it is uncomfortable to do the things that we are not naturally good at). It feels much more natural to concentrate on the areas which we excel in. Really, your child should be working through all the areas with the aim of improving any weaker areas, and to keep excelling in the areas which are your strengths- Don’t ignore any area!

Thanks for reading.

Now, let’s get on with helping you find your feet with this course!

TOP TIP SUGGESTION: WRITE OUT / PRINT POINTS 1-6 AND PUT IT UP ON A WALL OR STICK IN A BOOK- JUST SO YOU CAN REMEMBER THESE IMPORTANT POINTS!