Hertfordshire Summer 19

FOCUS ON EDUCATION
Primary Times Hertfordshire
Secondary Transfer
The transition from Primary
school to Secondary school
Reducing nerves and anxiety, developing
wellbeing, confidence and self-esteem
The Secondary Transfer process
is the transition from the comfort of a child’s Primary school to
“big” school. This transition can be daunting and scary enough,
but where schools are “selective” children are required to
undertake a Secondary Transfer Test, or 11+.
Tests vary
covering a range of topics such as Verbal Reasoning, Non Verbal
Reasoning, Maths, English. The SW Herts Consortium have an
Academic test, (Verbal Reasoning and Maths) a Music test, (2
stages) and a Sports Aptitude test specifically for Queens school.
The SW Herts Consortium
advised in January 2019, that this year’s test would be in a new
format provided by GL Assessment with different types of verbal
reasoning questions. This will introduce a separate question and
multiple choice answer sheet. As children are not taught Verbal
reasoning in school, parents will need to support their child
outside the classroom, either through working with their child, or
by engaging a tutor.
Tutoring
is just one part of the preparation. Children in Year 5 may have
not faced the formality of a big hall exam, away from the comfort
of their own school hall, tutors house or kitchen table.
Training
like an athlete, dancer or actor training should form part of
their preparation, helping children prepare for the main event.
Exposure to a test environment where the consequences of
getting it wrong are positive, an opportunity to improve, rather
than a failure, can only be good.
When a Helping Hand is All You Need
As a teacher and parents who have
been through the process, we
understand the stress and anxiety
families go through in the lead up to
the secondary transfer test in Sept.
Our aim is to help students and their
families prepare for the secondary
transfer, demystifying the process,
providing guidance throughout
their journey. In parallel we strive to
help develop children’s wellbeing,
confidence and self-esteem.
Using only qualified, experienced
teachers, our structured programme
is tailored to meet the needs of all
students, of all abilities.
Our ethos and approach is that
of care and nurturing which is
encapsulated in our logo “When a
helping hand is all you need”.
Mock Transfer Tests –
Founded in 2014
Abbots Langley First Class
Learning Centre student
receives an academic award
A student from the Abbots
Langley First Class Learning
Centre received an academic
award from her school. Oluchi
Nnaji, who was 4 years old
when she joined the Maths and
English Programme, has made
astonishing progress. The award
is a testament not only to her
hard work, determination and
commitment to learning, but also
to the teaching staff at the Centre
who have nurtured and inspired
her on the journey.
First Class Learning is a Maths
and English Programme,
developed in line with the
National Curriculum, for 3 to
16-year-olds. The programmes
help children prepare for SATs,
11+, ISEB and GCSE exams. The
worksheet-based programmes
are tailored to suit each child’s
ability. The tasks are wellstructured
to help children
develop their independent
study habits.
The children enjoy working
alongside each other at the
Centre, which increases their
confidence and self-esteem.
Call 01923 671 451/07393 548
880 or email: abbotslangley@
firstclasslearning.co.uk, to find out
how Abbots Langley First Class
Learning can help your child.
Research
has shown that students under perform by 20% in their first
test due to stress and anxiety, reducing in the second and third
tests. Students become less concerned about the environment
leaving them to focus on delivery and ability.
Children need to be children
however all the training must not be lost over the summer break.
The introduction of short mini tests covering VR and Maths is a
good compromise over the summer holidays, either in book form
or an online platform. This can then be followed with some more
focused revision and preparation prior to the test is September to
ensure peak performance on the day.
Article written by
Andrew Filer of Mock Transfers.
Summer Learning with Tutor Doctor
As the school year comes to an end,
parent’s start thinking about ways to
keep their children occupied during
the summer. But with students losing
20 – 30% of their learning skills, those
already struggling academically
can start the following year even
further disadvantaged. Our students
get a significant jump on the next
school year by using Tutor Doctor’s
world class, in-home, 1:1 tuition
service. We build a uniquely holistic
summer learning program, adapted
to complement each student’s
individual needs. Covering
the national curriculum,
we enable students to develop
lifelong study skills along with
a passion for learning.
www.tutordoctor.co.uk
42 Summer 2019 | www.primarytimes.co.uk/Hertfordshire