The Study rooms' working with 11 plus swot to provide the complete 11 plus Service to your child offering a fresh, modern approach to education, which in turn maximises students' potential and builds confidence.

Open to anyone who would like to sit 11+ mock test papers in exam conditions. The test papers are ordered from Established 11 Plus Publishers.

Subjects: Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and English 

Receive feedback on how your child's results compare to results from students locally.

Test papers will be marked and available to review within 3 days.

Mock exams days are run the last Sunday of every Month at the Study Rooms in Rayleigh, Essex. 9 am -12 noon.

Additional sessions will be available from June - September

More info

If you are looking to apply for a place at an Essex Grammar School then you MUST register by the close of business (4.30PM) on FRIDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2012. There is no flexibility in this date, so if you are planning on your child taking the 11 plus exam for an Essex grammar school then head over to the link below and register. The Consortium of Selective Schools in Essex. 

Here at 11 Plus HQ we have devised 3 great new bundles for our learners. Head over to our shop page and check them out!

Cake and presents graced the swot worm last week. As you may have heard we are celebrating our 8th birthday this month. Our on-line tests have helped tens of thousands of pupils practise and prepare for their 11 plus over the years and we hope this can continue!

This month marks the 8th year the 11 Plus Swot team have been providing 11 plus help and support to hopeful pupils. During this time we have helped thousands of young and ambitious pupils gain entry into some of the countries top grammar schools. We would like to thank you all for letting us help your child at this important time in their lives.

In recent weeks the local secretary of the Teachers Union has called for a review of the 11 Plus system in Guernsey. Her concerns are that there was a worrying perception that children "fail" when they don't get into the grammar schools. This feeling of "failure" may hold some children back and restrict them from achieving all they could. Guernsey is quite unique in that 40% of children are educated in a grammar school so you can see how there is quite a noticeable divide.

Here at 11 Plus Swot we are committed to ensuring your child gets the best possible chance at passing the 11 Plus. Although its easy to forget that not everyone is born to be super intelligent and that success or failure is in no way judged on exam results alone. Maybe the people of Guernsey need to be reminded of this....

Children and parents alike were left shocked and confused when a recent change to the exam period was announced. Many parents start to prepare their child months in advance before sitting an eleven plus exam. To be told that they will potentially lose 3 months preparation time was not welcomed across the board.

But is it all doom and gloom I hear you ask? Well no actually, there is method to their madness.

Currently the 11 plus exam is held towards the end of November. By this time parents must choose which secondary schools to apply for. This may not seem like a problem but what if your child doesn’t pass the 11 plus exam? Frantic applications to the best state schools in the area will follow... Followed by a swift rejection letter saying they are already oversubscribed. Every parent’s worst nightmare!

Let’s re-wind the clock and take the 11 plus exam in September. Your child passes and it’s all smiles and cheers. Your child fails and... No problem. You haven’t had to choose which schools to apply for yet! Now you can apply for the best state schools in the area safe in the knowledge that your child has a good a chance as any into getting into a good school.

Here at 11plus swot we are behind the proposed changes and hope you, as parents, can see the benefits too.  For help with revising check out our easy to use online testing service. 

Since launching the page on May 5th 2011 we have used facebook as a tool to promote our blogs & create a number of discussions around the eleven plus exam. The growth of the page has been largely organic and our hearts have been warmed by many of the kind words that our fans have blessed us with.

To celebrate this milestone we have created a timeline:

May 5th: Our fan page was born

 May 9th: We reached 25 fans & received our vanity url

June 13th: Our 11+ revision mascot is unveiled for the first time

July 18th: Photos from the 52 mile bike ride in aid of Farleigh Hospice were published

July 26th: The worm is named "Zoltan" after a facebook poll

August 1st: We reached 50 fans!!

August 11th: We share 5 amazing things to do this summer holiday

September 15th: We reach 100 fans!!

Follow us on facebook & twitter & join the conversation.

You may remember a blog that I wrote a month or so ago, Can a 26 Year Old Pass The 11+ Exam? I certainly do. Having passed with flying colours, I now saw myself as the "don" of the grammar school entry test. Filled with this euphoric feeling, I'm sure you can understand my confidence when I stumbled across an article on the BBC news website asking - "Could you pass the 11-plus?"

The article was similar to the 11+ sample exam I took. With 10 minutes to answer 15 questions, I started the timer. A combination of verbal & non verbal reasoning questions with a little maths thrown in for good measure.

On completing the test, I checked my score. 10/15. That's 67%! I immediately began to doubt my 11+ credentials & thought it might be time to invest in some revision resources from the 11+ Swot shop.

Pushy parents are often lambasted by both traditional and social media channels. This post will offer kudos to those parents who will stop at nothing to get the best for their children.

The majority of people who oppose pushy parents would agree that it is the notion of making a child do something that they don't like doing that they disagree with. It's the belief that if a child is unhappy doing something, then they shouldn't be doing it. I disagree, below I list 5 reasons why a pushy parent is a good parent.

• "I don't want to...". In life we all have to do things that we oppose. Whether it's taking out the bins or worse, going to work every day. I don't believe that not wanting to, is good enough reason not to do something. The benefits of taking the bins out are that your house will stay clean & odour free. The plus side to not enjoying work is at least being in employment and it's financial compensation.
• Give it a try. I don't do heights, but I will always try my hardest to conquer this fear in the name of being able to say, I did it. Whether I enjoyed the experience or not, I can say take pride in saying, "I gave it a try and I did/ didn't like it."
• A sense of achievement. Although naysayers will argue that children will simply rebel, being introduced to a subject and guided through how it works, eventually leaves a child feeling a sense of fulfilment. Often in life the biggest hurdle is making a start. Breaking down a task into bite-sized chunks will make a task more manageable and easier to achieve.
• Become a success. Look at the Williams sisters. Their father installed a tough work ethic into them, with many citing that they were "bred to play tennis". Whether you agree or disagree with their fathers tactics, it is certainly reaping it's reward now.
• Nature needs to be nurtured. Ok, so raw talent is something that can't be bought, but it needs to be nurtured. In my opinion, it's worse to waste talent than to have never had it in the first place. Without desire to succeed, even the most gifted child will end up lost amongst the crowd.

In conclusion, it is imperative that our children are encouraged to succeed. Whether your child needs a little more help with their verbal reasoning skills or numeracy ability, it must be noted that we are not being pushy parents, we are simply guiding them towards a grammar school education and a ultimately better life.

Do you agree with this post? Or do you take a more laissez faire approach to parenting, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Photo courtesy of bsmith101.wordpress.com