Y5 11+ Week Commencing 15th September 2025
Hello and welcome back to the new term! We are already on week 2! I hope your children have settled in well into school
If you haven’t already, please save my number: 07771 740569. From next week, updates will be sent via a WhatsApp broadcast, which requires my number to be saved in order for you to receive the messages. You can also find the weekly update at any time on the website under the “Weekly Update” tab.
I’d also like to warmly invite you to a free online workshop on Wednesday 17th September at 7:30pm. This session is designed for parents (though children are welcome to listen in) and will cover the 11+ exam, this year’s changes, the support we’re providing, and everything you’ll need to know.
Book your free workshop
There is no cost to attend.
FOCUS SESSIONS
This term, we will be running a series of focus sessions over three weeks each, covering Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning, Spatial, and Maths.
NON-VERBAL REASONING
Covering the trickier aspects of the GL 11+ exam in the UK, these sessions focus on building the core skills tested in the Non-Verbal Reasoning section.
What we’ll cover in these sessions:
Identifying patterns and sequences in shapes and figures
Code-breaking style questions using symbols and diagrams
Odd-one-out puzzles
Shape analogies (finding the relationship between pairs of shapes)
The children who attend these sessions grow in confidence when tackling these challenging problems independently, giving them a real advantage on exam day.
📅 Sessions run week commencing: 29th September, 6th October and 13th October
👉 Book your place here
SPATIAL (NON-VERBAL) REASONING
Spatial reasoning in the 11+ GL test (UK) is all about how well a child can understand and manipulate shapes and patterns in their mind. It doesn’t test knowledge in the same way as maths or English, but instead looks at how children think about space, movement, and visual relationships.
In the GL Assessment papers, spatial reasoning questions might involve:
Identifying the next shape in a sequence.
Finding the hidden shape within a diagram.
Rotating or reflecting a shape in their head.
Finding a the cube face that does not fit from a net.
Spotting which shape is different or doesn’t belong.
Many children find this area the most challenging, because it is so visual. Unlike vocabulary or times tables, which can be revised in a more straightforward way, spatial reasoning relies heavily on visualisation skills—being able to “see” the shapes move or change mentally. Some children naturally enjoy this type of puzzle, but for many it takes practice and confidence to improve.
That’s why we are starting these sessions much earlier this year. By introducing spatial reasoning well in advance, children will have more time to build up these visual skills gradually, without pressure. The earlier start also means we can go over different types of questions carefully, helping children become more confident with the concepts and strategies they’ll need for the 11+.
Dates, week commencing: 20th October, 3rd November and 10th November.
🔢 WEEKLY Maths Lessons
Maths is another area that children often find particularly challenging. Our weekly Maths lessons are designed to build confidence and strengthen key skills that are vital for success.
The focus will be on:
Mental maths techniques
Times tables recall
Mental addition and subtraction
Problem-solving strategies
Unfortunately, much of mental maths is no longer emphasised in schools, which means these essential skills are not always committed to children’s long-term memory. Our lessons aim to fill this gap, equipping them with a solid foundation for the 11+ and beyond.
👉 If you are interested in attending weekly maths lessons, please let me know. I am going to try and arrange these for a day in the week!
Homework
PLEASE WATCH THE VIDEO LINK: - English Comprehension Strategies before the lesson. This can replace a 10min test and children will receive 2 raffle tickets for doing so.
Need homework book? Order here
Coming to the end of the 10min test books? The next steps are the focus books. Order here
CGP Practice Books 9-10
• Maths p24 & 29
• NVR P24-27
Finish the booklet from the lesson and return in the following week. Remember to complete the vocab in context.
REMEMBER: to mark the homework with your child and bring it to next lesson.
REMBEMBER THE HOMEWORK IS DUE IN NEXT WEEK’S CLASS.
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
***************************************************************************
VOCABULARY
WORD OF THE WEEK: PERPLEXED (Find a synonym, antonym and put it into a sentence)
***************************************************************************
