The 11+: Choosing the Right School

Choosing the best secondary school for your son or daughter is a big decision and a daunting one at that!  

If you’re looking into independent or grammar schools for secondary, Bright Light Education can help make this transition from primary to secondary school as smooth as possible, ensuring that your child receives the best possible preparation for the 11+ examinations.

Here is the process that we recommend in five clear steps:

1) Sit down as a family and write down what is important in a school for you and your child:

• single-sex, co-educational?
• where are friends going?
• SEND provision?
• location – are you wanting local or somewhere with proximity to public transport?
• highly academic or relaxed and creative?
• a nurturing environment?
• a traditional approach or a relaxed outlook?
• state-of-the-art facilities?
• a stepping stone to a top-notch senior school or university?
• curriculum flexibility?
• offers particular languages?
• offers particular sports?
• choirs, orchestras and ensembles?
• sport for all or top class coaching for high fliers?
• help with special educational needs and disabilities?
• support for gifted, talented and able?
• awards and scholarships/bursaries?
• religious ethos?
• parental involvement?
• the pupils – do you see your child sitting amongst them?
• gut instinct – does the school excite you and your child?

2) Make a list of all possible schools and research how they fit in with your above criteria.

At Bright Light Education, we believe that it is of utmost importance that you pick a range of schools and that you and your child keep an open mind. Perhaps you may also speak to other parents and your child’s class teacher in case there are other schools which fit your criteria which you have not considered.

3) Look at the websites of your preferred schools to get a fuller picture of what they offer. Look at Ofsted or ISI reports and ask other parents or post on Facebook groups to ask parents who have children at the school their opinion. You’ll obviously receive different opinions so have clear questions that you want to ask about the school. Most importantly though is to visit the school!  

4) Find out when the Open Days are and contact the schools to reserve a place.

5) Check what the 11+ examination consists of for each school and ensure that your child is prepared.

Make sure the list of schools your child is applying to has the following: a back-up school (one which your child should easily get into); a realistic school (one which your child should get into, but may have to work hard in preparation); as well as a challenge school (one which will be a challenge, but yet they would still fit in to, if they did get in). Use advice from head teachers, teachers and tutors to base this list on.