At Herries it is a large part of our role to prepare our pupils for their next schools and especially for the exams they are required to sit to gain a place at these schools.
Entrance exams that our pupils are required to sit generally fall into one of three categories
· The Buckinghamshire County Council 11+ exam - to gain a place in one of the Buckinghamshire Grammar Schools
· The Independent Schools Examination Board Common Entrance exams - to gain a place at an Independent School which uses this exam as its entrance criteria
· An independent school’s own entrance exam, set by the destination school and taken on the premises at the destination school
Herries’ 11+ Preparation Programme
The Buckinghamshire County Council 11+ exam
This exam consists of two verbal reasoning papers to be sat by pupils in the October of their Year 6.
Pupils need to gain a standardised score of at least 121 to gain a place in one of the Bucks Grammar Schools such as Sir William Borlase, the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe or Beaconsfield High School.
These Grammar Schools are held in high esteem and GCSE and A level results are amongst some of the best in the country.
We prepare our pupils for this test, just as we prepare them for exams that they might be required to take for entry to any of their chosen schools. Our KS1 programme focuses on literacy skills to arm our pupils with the correct vocabulary and understanding and in KS2 we continue to build on pupils' key skills.
Mrs Ballinger plays a key role in preparing pupils for the entrance exams to their next schools.
Herries’ ISEB Common Entrance Preparation Programme
This exam consists of three papers which pupils will sit in the January of Year 6: English which is split into two separate tests to assess comprehension and creative writing skills; Maths and Science. The broad and balanced curriculum which is taught throughout the school ensures that pupils are familiar with the content of each of these papers. The second half term of the Year 6 Autumn Term is used to give pupils the opportunity to complete practice papers for these exams so that they can sit the papers in January feeling confident in both their knowledge and ability to complete the papers.
Preparation for exams set internally by Independent Senior schools
Wherever possible we obtain copies of previous years’ papers to help pupils become familiar with these tests. However they usually involve content and skills already taught throughout a pupils’ learning at Herries and especially for the other types of exam explained above.
Practice Interviews with the Headmistress
In many cases destination schools include an interview as part of their selection criteria. The Headmistress will conduct ‘mock’ interviews with pupils to ensure that they are well prepared so that they may present themselves at their best.
At Herries we involve parents at every step of the way. Early in Year 5 we invite parents to an information evening where we explain the options with regards to next schools. We explain how to register pupils for their destination schools of choice so that all the options can be kept open. We ask parents to keep the school advised of possible choices so that we can ensure that each pupils is prepared for their chosen path. Again, small class sizes allow us to maintain a very personal approach so that parents can be carefully listened to and advised.
At Herries we pride ourselves in being able to achieve places for our pupils at secondary and senior schools across Buckinghamshire and Berkshire and beyond. Our pupils leave us knowing that they have been able to show themselves at their best and to take a place at their next school where they will be happy and successful.