11+ Familiarisation Classes

Our 11+ familiarisation courses are open to boys and girls in Year 5 as at 1 September of the current school year. The classes aim to strengthen pupils' study skills in Maths and English and also to give them the opportunity to gain some basic familiarity with the format of the respective 11+ questions.

Courses during 2020-21 for September 2022 entry into Year 7

Our January Course has been postponed until further notice. Parents of enrolled students have been contacted by email. We do not have any current plans to offer these courses online but will review this if we are unable to offer face-to-face classes.

Please note that attending these classes is not part of the School's admission process. Enrolling on one of our 11+ Familiarisation Courses does not constitute an application for your child to take the 11+ examination or an application for admission to the school. Please see 11+ Applications For Entry Into Year 7 (The 11+ Procedure)

About our Courses

Our 11+ familiarisation courses are open to boys and girls in Year 5 as at 1 September of the current school year whether they intend to take the 11+ or not. The classes aim to:

• boost children’s confidence and familiarity with Key Stage 2 English and Maths problems
• get children used to tackling unfamiliar problems
• give children the opportunity to gain some basic familiarity with the format of the respective 11+ questions

Our aim is to offer an alternative option to private tutoring, with the added bonus that children will work on generic study skills that should benefit their Key Stage 2 core subjects too.

Courses run for 6 weeks and are open to both boys and girls The course runs three times a year with the three courses being identical so your child only needs to attend one course. Children will be in small classes and they will be taught by subject specialists.

For further details please contact: Mrs C Saunders at ces@bishopwordsworths.org.uk or Telephone: 01722 333851

To Book a Course

Our courses for 2020-21 are fully booked. If you would like to be added to our waiting list please email ces@bishopwordsworths.org.uk. For information on how to prepare you child for 11+, please see here: https://www.bishopwordsworths.org.uk/main-school/admissions/faqs/11+Practice

 Our coronavirus risk assessment for school operation can be read on our Coronavirus Information page

Additional measures in place for the 11+ familiarisation classes are:

• The start time of the classes has been delayed compared with previous years to ensure our own students have left the site.
• Classrooms will be cleaned between the end of our school day and the start of the familiarisation classes.
• Children will be taken directly from the school gate to the room where their class will take place.
• Parents will not be allowed on site.
• Classes will be small to ensure participants are socially distanced.
• Children will remain in their allocated classroom for both the Maths and English session. Teachers will move between classrooms during the break.
• Teachers will remain at the front of the class, at least 2m from the children.
• Hand-outs will have been quarantined for 48 hours.
• We will not provide snacks and drinks during the break – these must be brought to the School by the children, if required.

Financial Assistance

* subsidised or free places are available on our 11+ Familiariation Classes for children who are in receipt of free school meals or whose parents are in receipt of state benefits. Please contact Mrs C Saunders at ces@bishopwordsworths.org.uk with evidence to support your application before booking a place.

In addition, the BWS Foundation provides grants to pupils not currently at the School but who need financial assistance to support their application, for example attending open days and the 11+ examination. For information on how to apply, please see our Financial Assistance page.

Letter to Parents