The Bucks Secondary Transfer Test

What you need to know about the 11 plus exam in Buckinghamshire

In Buckinghamshire, the 11+ Exam is big business. The Grammar school system is still going strong here and, with many Bucks Grammars (including Dr Challoners) being seen as more prestigious than even the private school alternatives, competition is fierce to say the least. Many parents in Buckinghamshire choose to get their children tutored towards the 11+ exam from an early age, but it’s important to honestly consider whether your child would be well-suited to an academically-pressured Grammar school environment, and whether intensive 11+ preparation fits in with your child’s and your family’s life.

If you and your child’s teachers believe that your child would be well-suited to Grammar school, the first step is to ensure their general maths and English skills are as strong as possible. Year 4 is a good time to iron out any weaknesses or sloppy habits in either subject, before more intensive 11+ preparation starts. Every child is different, but we don’t generally recommend any form of tuition before Year 4, as at this stage your child is very much still in the early stages of their academic development, and too much pressure too soon could do more harm than good.

Some parents start earlier, but we believe that Year 5 is the best time to start properly preparing for the Eleven-plus exam. We start our face-to-face courses in the January, with a little bit of warming up in the months beforehand, and that has provided us with enough time to have our students ready for the exam without over doing it and losing focus.

By starting in the January of Year 5, your child will have eight full months to prepare. There is a lot of material to be covered in 11+ exam prep, some of which might not have been well practised in school at that stage. We always recommend a strategy of little and often when it comes to learning, as this is proven to aid memory and understanding of different topics. There is a delicate balance between starting too early and starting too late; too early and your child may become bored and resistant, but if you leave preparation to the last minute then your child is likely to feel panicked.

It can be easy to get caught up in 11+ fever in Buckinghamshire, but you know your child better than anyone else. Make sure you consider what is right for them rather than simply following the advice or actions of others. Some people will tell you that your child absolutely NEEDS extensive tuition to pass the exam, but – and this is coming from an 11+ tuition company! – that may not always be the case if your child is already very academically strong.