Y5 11+ Week Commencing 12th October (Block 1, Week 6)
I hope you had a lovely weekend!
As we approach the end of our first block, it has been wonderful to see the children settling into their lessons, growing in confidence and making progress.
There are a few important updates and reminders for the weeks ahead.
Block Bookings – Payment Reminder
A quick reminder that payment for the next block of lessons is now due, please. Details of dates are below. BOOK HERE.
Thank you to everyone who has already paid.
Year 5 – Important Update and Additional Sessions
With the increasing likelihood of the 11+ test moving to July, and the possibility of an even earlier date of 3rd July if arrangements follow those in Gloucestershire, we could potentially lose up to three months of valuable teaching and preparation time. Information about these possible changes was sent home last week. To help us prepare for every eventuality, we have put together a comprehensive Year 5 schedule outlining the additional sessions we are currently able to offer.
View the schedule here: https://www.elevenplussuccess.com/y5-schedule
I would strongly encourage Year 5 parents to consider booking Focus Sessions, which are now available on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. These provide valuable opportunities to cover key topics in greater depth and strengthen understanding, confidence and independence. One-to-one sessions will also be available and can be booked on an ad hoc basis upon request, providing more personalised support where needed.
Although nothing has been officially confirmed, we feel it is important to plan ahead and make the most of the time available, ensuring children are as well prepared as possible without creating unnecessary pressure.
Home Practice – Little and Often Makes the Difference
As we move into our next block, we will be monitoring homework and Kahoot quiz completion more closely. These activities are an important part of reinforcing what children learn in lessons.
Alongside these, regular 10-minute tests are essential for developing accuracy, speed and confidence.
We would really encourage parents to spend those 10 minutes alongside their child whenever possible, even if they are confident working independently. A little encouragement and support can make a significant difference.
The key to success is consistency: short, regular practice rather than trying to do everything at once.
New Vocabulary Quizzes
We have introduced new vocabulary quizzes featuring words linked to upcoming lessons.
Please encourage your child to complete these before their lesson, ideally with you. Becoming familiar with new vocabulary in advance will help them understand and apply it more confidently during sessions.
Focus Sessions – Building Confidence and Independence
Tuesdays 4:30pm, Thursdays 5:30pm and Saturdays 11am.
Our Focus Sessions provide a three-week deep dive into specific areas, helping children strengthen their understanding, practise different question types and develop independent problem-solving strategies.
Our upcoming sessions include:
English: Vocabulary, inference and literary techniques – areas that often receive less attention in school.
Spatial Reasoning: An essential area that we cannot explore in sufficient depth during regular lessons.
Maths: Problem-solving and new topics including ratio, probability and algebra, which we will revisit after Christmas.
For Year 5 pupils especially, these sessions help develop the independence and confidence needed to tackle increasingly challenging questions.
There is no expectation to attend every session. We encourage families to choose what works best for their child, and we may recommend specific sessions where additional support would be beneficial.
Three weeks. One focus. Deeper understanding. Greater confidence. Greater independence.
Find out more: https://www.elevenplussuccess.com/focus-sessions
Reading at Home – Assessment Attached
Reading regularly is one of the most valuable ways to improve vocabulary, comprehension, accuracy and reading speed, all essential skills for the 11+.
Please complete the attached reading assessment with your child and return it to Nic, Sarah or myself.
We will review their accuracy, fluency and understanding and provide individual recommendations to help support their reading at home.
Further guidance: https://www.elevenplussuccess.com/reading
Year 5 – Looking Ahead to the 11+
For families considering grammar school entry in the West Midlands, preparation covers English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, using GL Assessment-style materials.
Throughout Year 5, we gradually build children's knowledge, accuracy, speed and confidence, introducing more challenging content and strategies without unnecessary pressure.
Potential changes to testing dates
There has been discussion about some 11+ entrance tests potentially moving from September of Year 6 to July of Year 5.
No changes have been officially confirmed for our area, so there is no need for concern at this stage. However, we feel it is sensible to continue preparing steadily so children are well placed whatever the eventual arrangements.
We will monitor official announcements and keep you informed.
Read more: https://www.elevenplussuccess.com/weekly-updates/potential-changes-to-11-testing-dates
Lessons and Attendance
Lessons run Monday to Saturday. If your child cannot attend their usual session, please let us know as early as possible. Where we can, we will offer an alternative session.
Finally...
Thank you for your continued support. The greatest progress comes when lessons are supported by regular, manageable practice at home. Working together, we can help children develop the skills, confidence and independence they need to succeed.
As always, if you have any questions about your child's progress, lessons or the 11+ process, please get in touch.
We are looking forward to another positive and productive block!
BLOCK ONE
Week 1: Week commencing 7th September
Week 2: Week commencing 14th September
Week 3: Week commencing 21st September
Week 4: Week commencing 28th September
Week 5: Week commencing 5th October
Week 6: Week commencing 12th October
********************************************************************
👉👉THINGS TO BOOK
BLOCK TWO WEEKLY LESSONS
Is now bookable - BOOK HERE
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
👉WEEKLY ENGLISH LESSONS ( FOLLOW THE SAME DATES AS ABOVE) BOOK HERE
👉ENGLISH COMPREHENSION AND VOCABULARY FOCUS LESSONS
BOOK HERE
Cost £60 (£20/week)
Tuesdays 4:30pm, Thursdays 5:30pm and Saturdays 11am.
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
Our English Focus Sessions are a three-week deep dive into comprehension, literary techniques and vocabulary. We explicitly teach children how to read between the lines, make inferences, understand an author’s choices and recognise literary techniques, as well as developing the breadth of vocabulary needed for the 11+. These are particularly important because many of the specific techniques and question styles tested in the 11+ aren’t explicitly taught at school.
By revisiting concepts and practising them across different texts, children develop secure strategies and greater confidence — helping them approach unfamiliar passages independently and understand what the question is really asking. Three weeks. One focus. Deeper understanding and secure strategies.
👉SPATIAL FOCUS LESSONS
BOOK HERE
Cost £60 (£20/week)
Tuesdays 4:30pm, Thursdays 5:30pm and Saturdays 11am.
Week 4: week commencing 16th November
Week 5: week commencing 23rd November
Week 6: week commencing 30th November
Spatial Reasoning is about thinking with shapes and objects in your mind. Children might need to mentally rotate shapes, visualise how objects fit together, identify patterns or work out what something would look like from a different perspective. It can be particularly difficult because, unlike many areas of Maths and English, spatial reasoning isn't something children regularly practise at school. A child can understand the question but still struggle to visualise the answer.
Our three-week Focus Sessions give children the opportunity to slow down and explicitly learn the different spatial strategies, rather than relying purely on natural visual ability. We break the skills down, model how to approach different question types and then revisit and practise those strategies, gradually building confidence and speed. The aim is to help children develop a toolkit of strategies they can draw on when faced with an unfamiliar spatial problem.
👉 MATHEMATICAL REASONING FOCUS LESSONS
BOOK HERE
Cost £60 (£20/week)
Tuesdays 4:30pm, Thursdays 5:30pm and Saturdays 11am.
Week 1: week commencing 7th December
Week 2: week commencing 14th December
Week 3: week commencing 4th January
👉OCTOBER HALF TERM - MOCK TEST WORKSHOP FULLY BOOKED
January Mock Workshop Available.
BOOK HERE
Our Mock Test Workshops give children the opportunity to practise the skills and strategies needed to approach tests with confidence.
The workshop is split into two parts.
First, we explicitly teach test strategies — helping children understand how to manage their time, approach different question types and work effectively under test conditions. Then, they put those strategies into practice with a realistic mock test experience, based on the skills and curriculum we have covered in class.
This is about much more than simply getting a score. Children develop confidence, stamina, time-management and exam technique, while becoming familiar with the experience of working under timed conditions. These are skills that will support them not only through the 11+, but throughout their future education.
********************************************************************
VOCABULARY
WORD OF THE WEEK: Eloquent (Find a synonym, antonym and put it into a sentence)
********************************************************************
This week’s KAHOOT quiz pin: (03971041 Vocabulary Quiz - Block 1 Week 6)
Remember to play through Kahoot.it using name1, name2 etc.
CONGRATULATIONS TO KAYLA as this week’s winner! You receive 10 raffle tickets!
DOWNLOAD THE VOCABULARY LIST HERE
********************************************************************
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. ANSWERS HERE - ONE AND TWO
Homework is in the 9-10 CGP Practice Books ORDER HERE
CGP 9-10 BOOKS
MATHS P30-32
NVR P34-37
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
