When to start 11 Plus preparation

Most 11 Plus exams fall in September of Year 6. The question is how far back to start.

Year 4: foundations only

No papers, no timings. Build arithmetic fluency, wide reading and comfortable handwriting. Children who arrive at Year 5 with secure number bonds and strong reading cope far better.

Year 5: the real work

From the January of Year 5, introduce reasoning question types and short timed sections. Twenty minutes, three times a week, is plenty at this stage.

Year 6 summer: exam craft

Full papers under timed conditions, review of every error, and practice at staying calm when a question is impossible.

The mistake to avoid

Starting papers in Year 4. It produces anxious children who have memorised formats but cannot reason — and reasoning is what these exams test.