Kent test or not Kent test, that is the question.

My apologies to the Bard but around now there will be many many parents of year 5 children making that very decision. Of course the vast majority of testing is non-negotiable. SATs, GCSEs, these are inevitable in our society where government bodies seem to believe that testing is the only way to assure teachers are doing there job. Our children are amongst the most tested in the world. But here, in Kent, unlike many other areas, we also have that one test we can opt into, or out of, the Kent Test (or 11+ as it's known in some areas).

For some the decision is a simple one. Some children are assured to fly through the test, in the certain knowledge that if their nerves fail them their books are so beautiful that an appeal would be sure to succeed. Some are clearly neither or a temperament, or maybe ability, to cope with  grammar school.
But a lot fall into that borderline zone, their teachers will have used words like maybe, possibly, with lots of practise...

So how do you decide if your  child is one of this large group?

I'd suggest asking yourself:

Why do I want my child to take the test?
Which school would be our ideal? What is special about that school?
Would my child be better as a big fish in a small pool or do they need competition to produce their best?
How would my child cope with a train/bus journey?
How stressful will my child find the test?
How will my child feel if they don't pass?
What is plan B?

View as many schools as you can. Get a feel for what each offers and how they might suit your child. Reassure your child that there are good schools to be had whether or not they pass the test. Ensure your child sees the test as a chance to showcase their ability, rather than something to fear, help your child understand that they are so much more than a set of test results and that their worth lies in who they are not where they go to school, consider relaxation techniques that might suit your child and above all be proud of them. We will be offering extra sessions throughout the last 2 weeks of August to cover test technique and will be running sessions where the children can practise under test conditions.

We are hugely proud of our students, both those opting to take the test and those who have chosen otherwise. If you are undecided  and want to talk through the pro's and cons, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Tests and all that.

Well done to all the year 6's who have made it through SATs week (and to all the parents, teachers, TAs and assorted support staff who played a vital role in making it as stress-free as possible for the children.

Good luck to all those starting GCSE or A level exams;we tutor more primary children at the moment but we do have some GCSE pupils.

Tests have been in the news a lot over the last couple of weeks: leaked papers, apparently ambiguous questions (I say apparently because  I haven't seen the actual test papers) tales of tearful children and a general astonishment at the difficulty of the tasks we are asking of our 7 and 10 year olds. Oh, and let's not forget the government minister who got a sample question wrong, or the educations secretary's misspelt letter.

However, I'm not going to make political statements - that's not my job. What I am concerned about is what next? What happens when the results come back. Whatever the 'national standard' turns out to be, however your child  has done, rest assured that they have been working at a far higher level than we did at primary school. They have been working incredibly hard to learn concepts way beyond that which can be reasonably viewed as age-appropriate, or in some cases even vaguely useful. Time and again we have heard parents say they don't understand their children's homework.

So make sure your child  knows you think they are amazing irrespective of the results that come back, give them time to do all the childhood things they have missed out on whilst cramming for these tests and be proud that they have finished with that stage of their life -- new challenges lie ahead.

And news of the long-promised adult sessions - you too can spot the subjunctive,the past progressive and modal verbs. You can learn to 'chunk' and understand decomposition. ( I can see you all shivering with the excitement of it all . Half hour sessions will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings - just the thing after you drop the kids off for their own morning's work. For more information message us on Facebook -
 https://www.facebook.com/East-Kent-Tutors-928477163883890/

 or e mail: sue@eastkent-tutors.co.uk.