Y5 11+ Week Commencing 5th October (Block 1, Week 5)
I hope you had a lovely weekend.
As we come towards the end of our first block, it has been fantastic to see the children settling into their sessions and becoming increasingly confident in their learning.
As we move forward, we are going to begin taking a closer look at the children who are regularly completing their homework and Kahoot quizzes. These are important opportunities for children to practise the skills they are learning in their sessions and to build confidence through repetition.
We cannot monitor the 10 minute tests in the same way, but we do want to emphasise just how important they are. The combination of Focus Sessions, homework, Kahoot quizzes and regular 10 minute practice is what really makes a difference. Success is very much about little and often. Short, regular periods of practice are far more effective than trying to do everything at once.
If your child is reluctant to complete their 10 minute practice, or even if they are happy to do it independently, please try to make those 10 minutes available to sit with them and support them. Your encouragement and involvement can make a real difference in helping them develop good habits and confidence.
Focus Sessions
Our Focus Sessions are designed as a deep dive into a particular area. Over three weeks, children revisit key concepts, explore different question types and, most importantly, develop strategies that they can use independently.
For our Year 5 pupils in particular, developing this independence is incredibly important. As the work becomes more challenging, we want children to feel confident tackling questions themselves, knowing which strategies to use and what to do when they encounter something difficult.
There is no expectation to attend every Focus Session. The most important thing is finding the right balance for your child. We may also recommend particular sessions where we feel 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 more information about our Focus Sessions here: www.elevenplussuccess.com/focus-sessions
Reading at Home
We would also encourage you to think about your child's reading and reading speed. Regular reading is an important part of developing accuracy, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, all of which can support their wider learning.
Please take a look at the information here: www.elevenplussuccess.com/reading
We have also attached a reading assessment for you to complete with your child. Once completed, please return it to Nic, Sarah or myself. We can then look at your child's reading accuracy, fluency and understanding and make some individual recommendations about how you can support them at home.
Thank you for your continued support. The progress children make is strongest when the work we do in sessions is reinforced through small, regular amounts of practice at home. Working together, we can help the children build the confidence, independence and skills they need to be successful.
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
👉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: Candid (Find a synonym, antonym and put it into a sentence)
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This week’s KAHOOT quiz pin: (09900260 Vocabulary Quiz - Block 1 Week 5)
Remember to play through Kahoot.it using name1, name2 etc.
CONGRATULATIONS TO AMANVEER as this week’s winner! You receive 10 raffle tickets!
DOWNLOAD THE VOCABULARY LIST HERE
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THIS WEEK’S VIDEO
English Comprehension - True or False
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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
VR P17 - 19
ENG P33-35
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
