Good afternoon, everyone!
I hope you all had a lovely weekend and enjoyed a bonfire nights and firework displays if you went to them!
Important Update: 11+ Preparation for September 2028 Entry
We wanted to provide an update regarding the West Midlands Grammar Schools Consortium 11+ entrance examination for children applying for September 2028 entry. Traditionally, the West Midlands 11+ examination has taken place in September. However, some other grammar school consortiums have recently announced changes to their examination schedules, moving their tests forward to July. For example, Gloucestershire has announced a July 2027 examination date for September 2028 entry.
At present, the West Midlands Grammar Schools Consortium has not officially announced a move to July 2027. Queen Mary's High School in Walsall has published Saturday 11 September 2027 as its examination date, which is encouraging. However, we are still awaiting confirmation of the full examination timetable from the consortium.
When can we expect confirmation?
We anticipate that the consortium may confirm its examination timetable between January and April 2027 (probably round February), although no official announcement date has been provided. We would expect the arrangements to become clearer before registration opens, which is anticipated around May 2027.
Importantly, the West Midlands Consortium will continue to use GL Assessment for the 2028 entry examination. This means that, although there is some uncertainty surrounding the examination date, our preparation will remain focused on the GL Assessment format and the skills required for the test.
What does this mean for our preparation?
As a precaution, we will be continuing on planning our 11+ preparation timetable around a potential July 2027 examination date, while remaining hopeful that the exam will take place in September as usual.
This approach ensures that children are fully prepared should the examination be brought forward, rather than finding ourselves with almost three months less preparation time than anticipated. Our aim will be to ensure that all key topics, exam techniques and timed practice are covered by the end of June 2027.
Please be reassured that this does not mean we will be rushing the children or placing unnecessary pressure on them. We will continue to focus on steady progress, confidence-building and thorough preparation, while adjusting our teaching schedule appropriately. Once the West Midlands Grammar Schools Consortium makes an official announcement confirming the examination dates, we will review our timetable and make any necessary adjustments to our preparation plans.
If the examination remains in September, we will have the additional summer weeks available for consolidation, further practice and strengthening any remaining areas of weakness. Our priority is to ensure that every child feels confident, well-prepared and supported, regardless of when the examination ultimately takes place.
Important Updates & Reminders
Home Practice: Little and often really does make a difference! Please encourage regular homework, Kahoot quizzes and 10-minute tests. We'll be monitoring completion more closely this block.
New Vocabulary Quizzes: Please complete these before each lesson, ideally together, to help children become familiar with upcoming vocabulary.
Focus Sessions: Three-week sessions covering English, Maths and Spatial Reasoning, helping children build confidence, understanding and independence. Mondays 4:30PM or Saturdays 2:30PM Find out more
Reading Assessment: Please complete the attached assessment with your child and return it to Nic, Sarah or me. We'll provide individual recommendations to support reading at home. Reading guidance
Possible 11+ Test Date Changes: There has been discussion about tests moving to July of Year 5, but nothing has been confirmed locally. We'll keep you updated. Read more
Missed Our Parent Workshop? Catch up on the key information here. The video will follow once technical issues are resolved.
Lessons & Attendance: Lessons run Monday to Saturday. If your child cannot attend, please let us know early so we can try to offer an alternative.
Finally, thank you for your continued support! Regular practice, alongside lessons, makes such a difference. As always, please get in touch if you have any questions.
BLOCK TWO
Week 1: week commencing 19th October
OCTOBER HALF TERM 26th October - no weekly lessons
Week 2: week commencing 2nd November
Week 3: week commencing 9th November
Week 4: week commencing 16th November
Week 5: week commencing 23rd November
Week 6: week commencing 30th November
THINGS TO BOOK
NON-VERBAL REASONING FOCUS SESSIONS BOOK HERE
Mondays 4:30pm or Saturdays 2:30pm
Help your child build confidence and excel in their GL 11+ Non-Verbal Reasoning with our focused NVR sessions. Designed to break down the more complex elements, each session is paced carefully to ensure your child fully understands and develops key skills in areas such as coding, sequences, matrices, and analogies, along with other challenging NVR topics. By mastering these essential techniques, your child will feel more prepared and self-assured for the 11+ exam.
Week 4: week commencing 16th November
Week 5: week commencing 23rd November
Week 6: week commencing 30th November
👉ALL SESSIONS BOOK HERE
Want to book a future mock, workshop, 1-1 or something else. Try this link. If you are unsure please let me know!
********************************************************************
VOCABULARY
WORD OF THE WEEK: Gregarious (Find a synonym, antonym and put it into a sentence)
********************************************************************
This week’s KAHOOT quiz pin: (09010503 Vocabulary Quiz - Block 2 Week 3)
Please remember the Kahoot quiz will expire this Sunday 8pm
Remember to play through Kahoot.it using name1, name2 etc. (Eg ChrisM1, ChrisM2 etc.)
CONGRATULATIONS TO ERIN as this week’s winner! You receive 10 raffle tickets each!
DOWNLOAD THE VOCABULARY LIST HERE
Kahoot have reduced the number of quiz plays from 2,000 to just 100. To give everyone a chance, please limit your child to one play per day (maximum 7 plays per week).
If we reach the limit, I'll send out a new code later in the week Thanks for your understanding!
********************************************************************
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
********************************************************************
HOMEWORK
Unsure how to do homework or independent study - watch this link
Finish the booklet from the lesson and return in the following week. Remember to complete the vocab in context.
Homework is in the 8-9 CGP Practice Books ORDER HERE
VR P14-19. English P22
REMEMBER: to mark the homework with your child and bring it to next lesson.
Complete at least 3 tests from each of the 10min test books. REMEMBER to mark this with your child daily & go through mistakes. Suggested time table is available in our 11+ guide. https://www.elevenplussuccess.com/11-useful-documents
