Getting started with the 11 plus programme

Hello!

If you've subscribed because you want to start your Year 5 child on our 48-week 11+ programme, here's all the information you need.

Each Friday you'll receive a weekly 11+ email from us with tips and tricks from 11+ experts as well as links to download exercises in English, maths, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning to work through with your child.

Make sure you are logged into the site and then click on the links in the email to go straight to the worksheet on the site. Click the download button and your worksheets will download in PDF format.

The programme runs from mid-September to the end of August. If you've missed the start of the course, don't worry – we'll tell you how to catch up on the exercises you've missed below.

What to do next

• Download the Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning introduction pack.
   
• Visit the 11+ hub and read through our 11+ articles for loads of information about how to help your child prepare, as well as an area-by-area guide to the test format.
   
• Watch out for the 11+ emails, which will land in your inbox on Fridays (you might want to add [email protected] to your safe senders list to ensure it hits your inbox: find out how).
   
• Add the complete 11+ programme to your saved resources and then you can keep track of you child's progress each week. Find out more about how to save resources.

If you've missed the beginning of the programme...

• Go directly to the 11+ programme on the site and start working through the exercises in order (the first four exercises made up week 1 of the programme, the second four exercises were week 2 and so on). When you get the 11+ weekly email on Friday, you'll be able to see where we are up to in the programme. Try to find time to catch up on any exercises you've missed.

If your child is still in Year 4...

There is some important groundwork you can be doing between now and the end of the summer with your child to ensure they are ready to start the full programme in September of Year 5.

• Start by visiting our 11+ hub and reading through our 11+ articles for loads of information about how to help your child prepare, as well as an area-by-area guide to the test format.
• Download the Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning introduction pack. This has been written to provide a general overview of the 11+ skills your child is going to need to master, including practical examples of the common types of questions, hints and explanations to help you understand the solutions and play-based ways to help prepare your child at home.
• Make sure your child has got all the Year 4 maths and Year 4 English skills under their belt before they start the more challenging work in the 11+. We've got hundreds of worksheets on the site you can use for this, but we'd recommend you begin with the Year 4 progress checks in English and maths – get your child to complete each one to see if they have understood the key topics covered in Year 4 and identify any areas they need to practise and revise.
• Look through the Year 4 English Learning Journey and the Year 4 Maths Learning Journey. Either pick worksheets on topics they've struggled with on the progress checks, or pick a selection of English and maths worksheets each week to work through to help cement your child's learning.
• Download the Year 4 Maths Booster pack and the Year 4 English booster pack – these are particularly good for extra summer holiday revision.
• Make sure your child is super-confident with their times tables – fortunately we've got hundreds of times tables resources on the site to help your child master this essential 11+ skill.
• Read... read... read... We really can't emphasise enough how important it is for your child to be reading as widely as possible. Why not set your child a challenge to see how many books they can read before September? See our best books for... lists for lots of ideas (scroll down the page to find them).
• And don't forget, your subscription gives you access to all the resources on the site, so enjoy exploring! If you having any difficulties finding specific resources, just contact us and we'll be happy to help.