Thursday 26 January 2012

Top Tips for Parents on 11+ Day


Tips for parents for exam day
As with so much in life, planning ahead and thinking ahead can really help. Planning and anticipation of what will be happening are highly important – and that is as much for parents (like me and you!) as well as for our children. Here are some ideas – they are not fool proof and this is not an exhaustive list, but they helped us as a family and our friends, so I hope they help you too:

DO THE FOLLOWING
·         -  Encourage your child to get a decent night’s sleep for the 2 or 3 nights before the exam.

·       -    Have an enjoyable, relaxed meal with your child before the exam – not too much of a good meal, but they will need energy and they will want normality

·         Be calm, planned and in control so that the understandable worry you will be feeling is not passed on to your child

·          - It is advisable to arrive early at the venue – experience shows that 11+ days can be chaotic and traffic jams form early, as has been the case in Edgbaston for many years! In your mind set a time to leave home and stick to it, make sure you know the route to where the exam is being taken, where you can park, and please arrive early.

·         -  The previous evening, make sure you have contact information for the school where your child is sitting the 11+ in case of an emergency.

·          - Check that you know what the school is requiring of your child, for example: does your child need to take a pen, pencil, eraser and ruler with them; what should they wear? Can they take a drink with them?

·         -  Remember reading-glasses, inhalers etc if required.

·          - Encourage your child to use the toilet if they can before the exam.

·          - Encourage some brain work on the way to the exam, to get their brain working eg some conversation about the journey, some discussion topics.

Be supportive and positive but let your child take control of the day – they are the ones sitting the exam, and they can deal with the requirements.