Y5 11+ Week Commencing 28th September (Block 1. Week 4 of 6)
I hope you had a lovely weekend.
As we come towards the end of our first block, it’s been fantastic to see the children settling into their sessions and becoming more confident in their learning.
Please see the note about the importance of our focus sessions, especially considering the likeliness of change of test dates. Think of these sessions as a deep dive. Over three weeks, we’ll focus on a specific area, giving children the opportunity to revisit key concepts, explore different types of questions and, most importantly, develop clear strategies that they can use independently.
For Year 5 pupils, developing this independence is particularly important. As the work becomes more challenging, we want children to feel confident working through questions themselves, knowing which strategies to use and what to do when they come across something they find difficult.
These skills can also make a real difference when it comes to studying at home. The more secure children become with the methods and approaches we teach, the more confidently they can tackle their work without always needing an adult to step in and help.
We’ve found over the years that children often make the strongest progress when they attend a balance of sessions that is right for them. There is absolutely no expectation to attend every Focus Lesson. You can choose the sessions that you feel are most useful for your child, and we may also recommend particular lessons where we feel some additional practice or reinforcement would be beneficial.
The aim is simple: to help your child become more confident, more secure in their understanding and increasingly independent in their learning.
Three weeks. One focus. Deeper understanding. Greater confidence. Greater independence.
You can find out more about our Focus Lessons here: www.elevenplussuccess.com/focus-sessions
Understanding the 11+ Preparation
For families considering grammar school entry in the West Midlands, the 11+ test uses GL Assessment-style materials. Preparation involves developing skills across areas including English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning.
In Year 5, we continue to develop these skills in greater depth, giving pupils opportunities to practise different question types, improve their accuracy and develop the speed and confidence they will need for the 11+ test. We aim to make this a gradual process, allowing pupils to build their skills without unnecessary pressure.
Potential Changes to 11+ Testing Dates
We also want to make you aware of a potential change to the timing of grammar school entrance testing.
There is currently increasing discussion around some 11+ tests moving from September of Year 6 to July of Year 5. Nothing has been officially announced for our area at this stage, so we do not want to create unnecessary concern. However, there is a possibility that testing dates could move earlier.
For this reason, we feel it is important to prepare in advance and ensure that our Year 5 pupils are continuing to build the skills, knowledge and confidence they need, whatever the eventual testing arrangements may be.
We will continue to monitor any announcements and keep parents updated as soon as we have confirmed information.
You can find further information about the potential changes here: Potential Changes to 11+ Testing Dates
New Vocabulary Quizzes
We have also introduced new vocabulary quizzes for the children. The words have been carefully selected to link with the learning they will be doing either that week or in the weeks ahead.
We would really encourage you to have a go at the vocabulary quiz with your child before their lesson. This will help them become familiar with the words in advance and give them greater confidence when they encounter them during their lesson.
Lessons and Attendance
A quick reminder that lessons run Monday to Saturday. If your child is unable to attend their usual session, please let us know in advance. Where possible, we will always try to accommodate them in an alternative session.
As always, if you have any questions about your child’s progress, the 11+ process or anything covered in lessons, please do get in touch. We are always happy to help.
We are looking forward to a positive and productive term ahead and to continuing to support your child as they progress through their 11+ preparation.
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
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👉👉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
👉NON-VERBAL REASONING FOCUS LESSONS - BOOK HERE Cost £60 (£20/week)
Tuesdays 4:30pm or Saturdays 11am
Unlocking Success: Non-Verbal Reasoning
Week 4: Week commencing 28th September
Week 5: Week commencing 5th October
Week 6: Week commencing 12th October
Our 3-week Non-Verbal Reasoning Focus Programme is designed to give your child targeted, structured support in one of the key areas of the Birmingham GL 11+ entrance examination.
Non-Verbal Reasoning can be challenging because children are required to recognise patterns, analyse shapes, identify relationships and apply logical thinking — often within strict time limits and without relying on language skills. During these three focused weeks, pupils will be introduced to the key techniques and strategies needed to approach Non-Verbal Reasoning questions with greater confidence, accuracy and speed.
Why is attending this three week NVR focus important?
The programme has been carefully structured so that each session builds upon the skills and strategies developed in the previous week. Attending the full three-week focus gives your child the opportunity to develop their understanding progressively rather than simply practising isolated question types.
Regular attendance allows pupils to:
Build strong foundations before progressing to more challenging Non-Verbal Reasoning questions.
Recognise common patterns, rules and relationships more quickly.
Learn step-by-step techniques for breaking down difficult or unfamiliar questions.
Practise a wider range of GL-style question types and become familiar with how they may appear in the exam.
Improve speed and accuracy through guided and timed practice.
Identify and correct common mistakes before they become habits.
Develop effective problem-solving strategies that can be applied independently.
Strengthen exam technique and time management, helping pupils make better decisions when working under pressure.
Build confidence through repetition and progression, so unfamiliar questions feel less intimidating on exam day.
Missing one of the focus weeks may mean missing an important technique, question type or strategy that is developed further during the following session. Consistent attendance across all three weeks therefore gives your child the greatest opportunity to consolidate their learning and make meaningful progress.
👉ENGLISH COMPREHENSION AND VOCABULARY FOCUS LESSONS - BOOK HERE Cost £60 (£20/week)
Tuesdays 4:30pm or 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 or 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.
👉OCTOBER HALF TERM - MOCK TEST WORKSHOP 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.
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VOCABULARY
WORD OF THE WEEK: Benevolent (Find a synonym, antonym and put it into a sentence)
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This week’s KAHOOT quiz pin: (02868459 Vocabulary Quiz - Block 1 Week 4)
Remember to play through Kahoot.it using name1, name2 etc.
DOWNLOAD THE VOCABULARY LIST HERE
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THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
VERBAL REASONING - SYNONYMS
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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 9-10 CGP Practice Books ORDER HERE
CGP 9-10 BOOKS
Maths P25-28
NVR P28-33
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
