An 11+ Preparation Checklist for Parents: What to Check Before You Start

Parents often start 11+ prep by buying books or booking tuition. First, check which test your target schools use, when you must register, where your child is now and how places are awarded.

Start with the admissions calendar and rules for your area

Arrangements vary by area. In England, use your council’s coordinated admissions process to apply for a state secondary school place, but check separately how to register for any entrance test. Sitting a test is not the same as applying for a place. GOV.UK’s school admissions guidance directs families to councils for state-school criteria and to independent schools for their applications. Elsewhere in the UK, transfer systems differ.

If you’re applying to both, treat them as separate tracks with separate deadlines. Before spending money, open your council’s admissions page for your child’s secondary entry year and each shortlisted school’s admissions page. Look for registration deadlines, test dates, open evenings and access arrangements for additional needs. Ask about access arrangements early: the admissions team can explain the request process, any deadlines and what supporting evidence is needed from your child’s school or a relevant professional.

Read the oversubscription criteria carefully. A qualifying score doesn’t always lead to an offer. Some schools set a pass mark, then apply catchment or distance rules; others rank children by score. Sibling priority or feeder links may apply. If registration has closed, contact the council immediately about your options. Late-registration rules vary.

Pin down the test format before you buy practice papers

Once you know where and when to apply, find out what your child will sit. There’s no single 11+ paper. Schools choose their provider and layout, so neighbouring areas can have different tests.

Use the current admissions information to identify the test provider, subjects, delivery method and section lengths. Don’t assume that a workbook labelled ’11+’ matches your child’s test, or that a friend’s experience from a previous year still applies. Independent entrance tests can have different requirements, including written tasks or other assessments set by the school. Build a short list of the actual question types your child needs to recognise, using the school’s familiarisation material rather than general advice.

Look beyond the provider name. Does maths follow Key Stage 2 or go further? Does English include comprehension and SPAG (spelling, punctuation and grammar)? Establish whether reasoning is on paper or on screen.

Check the answer format too. Some tests use multiple-choice sheets with shaded boxes; others require written answers. Timing is usually tight, and unfamiliar answer sheets can cost marks. Even confident pupils can lose a section by putting answers in the wrong row.

This is where families often buy unsuitable books. A few minutes on the school website can save months on the wrong question types.

Get a clear baseline without putting pressure on

With dates and format sorted, take stock. You don’t need a full mock, just enough information to plan sensibly.

Start with the primary school. Ask about recent maths and English work, standardised scores and the teacher’s view of reading age, times tables, spelling and writing. Keep Year 5 assessments or parents’ evening notes together. They help distinguish gaps in knowledge from difficulties with speed, accuracy or confidence.

Compare this with Key Stage 2 expectations for your child’s year. Shaky place value or fractions will affect 11+ maths. For English, consider comprehension and vocabulary alongside apostrophes, clauses, tenses and paragraphing. Reasoning may be unfamiliar: verbal reasoning draws on vocabulary and logic, while non-verbal reasoning uses shapes, patterns, codes and spatial thinking. Short samples can show what feels familiar.

Keep this check light: a quiet time at home, a printed sample and a pencil. No timer on day one.

Write down what you notice. Record avoided topics, slow questions and slips caused by rushing. This list gives your preparation a focus.

Decide what support fits your time and budget

Be honest about time and money before booking classes. Parent-led prep may be an option if an adult can make regular time, explain unfamiliar ideas and review answers patiently; the commitment will depend on your child’s starting point and test. A tutor or centre may help when work hours are tight or particular subjects feel difficult. Neither approach works well if worksheets replace attention to what’s sticking.

List the time available across evenings, weekends and holidays, then choose support that fits. Teaching at home calls for clear lessons and understandable answers. With outside teaching, you still need to see progress and know what to practise between sessions.

Many families combine approaches, handling reading and vocabulary at home while getting help with timed technique or difficult maths. Whatever you choose, track errors. Log and date wrong answers, then revisit and retest them. Practice without review repeats mistakes.

One option for structured material is smartcublearning.com, which offers interactive lessons and focused practice in maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, with topic-by-topic progress tracking. When trying a resource, look at how it explains an incorrect answer and whether its activities cover the subjects in your child’s test. Progress reports can help guide practice, but they are not predictions of an entrance-test result.

Review after four or six weeks. If scores stay flat and the same topics cause problems, change the plan rather than adding hours.

Sort maths fluency and reading stamina early

Maths and reading carry much of the test, even when reasoning attracts attention. Resist jumping straight to tricks. Build fluency before technique.

Check times tables to 12 and division facts, then fractions, decimals, percentages and simple ratio. Include multi-step word problems requiring children to choose an operation. Try ten minutes of regular number work rather than relying on an occasional long session. Keep written methods clear so your child can follow each step and spot slips. For weak topics, return to the school’s Key Stage 2 method before trying 11+ variants.

Reading needs a longer runway. Comprehension and verbal reasoning reward regular reading and working out words in context. Aim for 20 minutes daily with something your child will finish, whether fiction, non-fiction or children’s news. Discuss unfamiliar words in their sentences rather than in isolation. Keep a vocabulary book with prefixes, suffixes and root meanings; these patterns help with verbal reasoning.

For SPAG, work on one rule, followed by ten quick questions. Apostrophes for contraction and possession often cause slips, as do clause commas, verb tenses and homophones such as their, there and they’re. Short dictations practise spelling and punctuation while requiring careful listening.

Don’t push reading speed at the expense of understanding. Ask your child to explain a passage and point to the words that support an answer before introducing timed comprehension practice.

Build a timetable around short bursts and real test practice

Choose a timetable you can keep. Three focused sessions weekly beat an ambitious plan that collapses by half term. In Year 5, two short weekday sessions and a longer weekend slot suit many families. Keep sessions to 30 or 45 minutes, stopping before concentration fades.

Divide time between learning and practice. Start mainly with topic work in the subjects your child’s test covers, which may include maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning. Include answer sheet practice if the test uses a separate sheet, so recording answers becomes familiar. For an on-screen test, use any official demonstration to practise navigation. Move towards timed sections and full papers as understanding develops.

Use your target school’s familiarisation materials where available: they show layout, instructions and timing. Add past papers and practice papers matching the test. Once basics are secure, do one timed piece weekly. Mark it that day where possible, while the work is fresh.

Use mocks selectively, working backwards from your actual test date rather than following a fixed school-term schedule. Leave time afterwards to address difficulties; there is little value in discovering a gap on the eve of the test. A mock offers practice with stamina, nerves and time management, but does not replace teaching. The follow-up matters. Review wrong answers together and ask your child to explain their thinking. Retry questions a few days later. Keep an error log recording dates, topics and causes, whether a misread question, unsuitable method, lack of time or guess.

Repeated causes need a change of approach. During practice, try underlining key words in maths or talking through the relevant punctuation rule before answering. Teach your child to follow the test instructions: skipping and returning to questions may help where permitted, but some timed sections do not allow it. Addressing a recurring error can be more useful than adding another paper.

Keep wellbeing steady and know what to do next

Prep should feel like part of the week, not a verdict on a child’s worth. Protect sleep and leave room for exercise and free time. Keep favourite after-school clubs. Dropping everything isn’t necessary, and tired children learn slowly. If nerves rise before a mock, acknowledge them and discuss what to do during a difficult section: move on, breathe and try the next question.

Watch for overload. Tears over mistakes, stalling, headaches before sessions or Sunday-night dread mean something needs adjusting. Shorter sessions may help, or a week consolidating rather than covering new topics. You may need to discuss pace with the tutor. You know your child better than any plan does.

Use this quick check before beginning in earnest:

• Council admissions page saved, registration dates in the calendar and current-year school arrangements to hand

• Test provider and answer format noted for each school, with matching familiarisation papers

• School baseline notes and a light home sample, with maths gaps and reading habits listed

• Short weekly sessions planned, including timed practice and an error log

• Clear support roles and a review date to assess the approach

With those five covered, you’re ready to begin. You’ll have a plan your child can follow without pressure building at home.