Trafford’s CEM exams take place today but what if your child is one of the many who are in self-isolation due to coronavirus? After spending (probably) over a year in preparation, taking practice tests and practising non-stop over the past few weeks, a significant number of children have been told to stay at home. The news that the preparation process has been extended yet again is nothing short of devastating for parents and children alike. If you find yourself in this predicament, you are not alone. So what happens now?

Your child will receive an alternative date on which s/he will sit the entrance exam(s) for the school(s) of their choice. This is likely to be in early November.

The difficulty that many parents face is how to organise their child’s time over the next two to three weeks in order to maximise results, maintain current standards and keep motivation levels high. Here is our ten-point plan to help you do just that.

1) Do continue to practise and prepare for entrance exams. You can’t afford to stop completely. It’s hard to enforce this because the children have prepared themselves mentally for the big day and now they have to switch their focus to a date in the future. However, regular practice is necessary for exam success.

2) Let your child see this as an opportunity to gain even more marks in their exam. Acknowledge that this is a difficult time for them, but help them to see the bright side of their extended preparation period.

3) Make ‘less is more’ your mantra. You don’t need to spend all day every day on academic pursuits. Ten-minute tests are your friends. Full practice papers should be used very sparingly.

4) Keep three days per week free of entrance exam prep. You can sell it to your child as a three-day weekend. Or let them choose which three days they will have free of prep.

5) Offer your child a choice of activities. Say, “Would you like to do a comprehension or a ten-minute test?” This will help your child feel more in control and less like things are being foisted on them.

6) About three ten-minute test activities is enough on prep days. If you are doing a practice paper, don’t do anything else that day. Don’t do too many practice papers and if you’re doing the CGP papers, about 55% is a passing score for those.

7) Now here’s the tricky bit: it’s really important that you stick to a bedtime routine with a set bedtime each night. It’s so very easy to let these things slide when you are all stuck in the house but the cumulative effects of too many late nights will have an impact on your child’s exam scores.

8) Be as strict as you can about screen time. Too much screen time makes children anxious and fretful and robs them of their ability to concentrate. Don’t beat yourself up about it, though. There probably isn’t a parent in the land who maintained control of screen time during lockdown.

9) If your child has a tantrum about entrance exam preparation, let them get their anger out. This will do them some good. Then leave the preparation for the rest of the day.

10) We know this is really hard for parents. None of us have had an easy time of it. Try to be kind to yourself and don’t run yourself ragged balancing your own work with home schooling and entrance exam preparation.

Practically speaking, if you need tuition, we will try to help if we can. We are pretty full at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be able to fit you in. Please note we will be closed from 26th October until 2nd November. If your child has a weak spot, now is the time to tackle it with one of our online masterclasses. Masterclasses normally cost £55 but self-isolating students can book them for £40 until the end of October.

You may wish to have your child sit a formal exam at home with our exclusive exam papers and prerecorded invigilation session for £30. You can book them here:

Exam A – Click to book a prerecorded invigilation session. These exam papers were previously used on 5th April.
Exam B – Click to book a prerecorded invigilation session. These exam papers were previously used on 10th May.
Exam C – Click to book a prerecorded invigilation session. These exam papers were previously used in June.
Exam D – Click to book a prerecorded invigilation session. These exam papers were previously used in July.
Exam E – Click to book a prerecorded invigilation session. These exam papers were previously used in August.

However you prepare over the next few weeks, we wish you the very best of luck. We know this is a very challenging situation for parents and if we can help, please don’t hesitate to contact Paul Syrett or Christine McLaughlin on 0161 748 3912.