The article below has been written by 10 year old Yusuf Abdul-Aziz. He was asked to write an article on how he managed to balance his school work with 11 plus preparation. He had free reign to write what he thought was appropriate and decided on the subheadings, content and structure.
I have made minimal edits to his writing as I thought it might be interesting to parents to see how a 10 year old might view (and in Yusuf’s case, recall) the 11+ preparation. As a parent, what is interesting to me is how oblivious Yusuf was to the amount of work being put in behind the scenes by myself and his mother. I don’t think this is unique to Yusuf; I think children, generally speaking, can only view the 11+ preparation from their perspective. But parents should be advised that there is a lot of work required to get your child to a level where they pass the exams they are entered for. In Yusuf’s case, he passed the St Olave’s, Bexley and Kent test. The St Olave’s test is arguably one of the hardest tests to pass in England for Yusuf’s age-group.
Here is Yusuf’s article…
Balancing Year 5 With The 11+
Hello all. I am Yusuf and I’m ten years old. I’ve passed the Bexley, Kent and the Saint Olave’s 11+ test.
Lots of kids are preparing for the 11+. Like all kids, I worried where the time would be to practice for the test that might secure a school place in a Bexley grammar school.
Here’s how I organised my time and worked to a routine.
Morning Time (waking up time, going to school)
In my primary school in year 5, the gates opened at 8:30am and registration started at the same time. I would wake up at 7:30am and have a quick breakfast (of porridge) and after that there would be no time to do anything else in the morning.
Afternoon (4:30-6:30)
When I was doing 11+ preparation, I found that this was the best time to do it-with breaks in between. After getting dressed back into home clothes, most people are available to work between the allocated time (you will have to sacrifice your gaming time). When I did preparation, my mum would give me CGP books (and other resources) to complete, and we did all 4 subjects-Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal-Reasoning with 15 minutes for each subject. In the 2-hour period, I was allowed a break and then we would do another round of those 4 subjects.
Late Evening (6:30- bedtime)
Once you complete your work as per the timetable, you can then move on to any chores that need to be done.
Remember
However much you adhere to this timetable, there are also other factors that play a role, like patience and attitude. If you stroppily trudge away from the games console and towards the 11+ books, then you have a problem. Similarly, if you do engage in the work, then it’s important not to rage-quit.
Conclusion
I’ve had to work to an organised routine that allows me to juggle both 11 plus preparation and school work. This routine had to be followed strictly, and I did manage to follow it well. If all goes well, then you may find that you are sleeping and coping wonderfully.
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