Better Tuition

What do we know about Trafford’s 2023 entrance exams?

It was a big surprise when the CEM, exam providers for the Trafford Consortium of grammar schools, announced that they would no longer provide a paper exam. Many schools across the country were caught on the hop, as not much notice was given. We all know it is essential to begin preparing children several months in advance of the exam, so this posed a big problem for parents and pupils. How can we prepare children for an exam when we have no idea of the format? Here’s what we know so far. All information is correct at the time of writing.

Stretford Grammar

At the time of writing, Stretford Grammar have said that full arrangements for entry to the school in September 2024 will be announced on their website by mid-May 2023. Their draft admissions policy states that the skill areas to be tested are Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning.

Source: Stretford Grammar Draft Admissions Policy.

Urmston Grammar

Urmston Grammar’s website currently states that the school is ‘still in the planning stages’ for their September 2023 entrance exam. However, the site also states that ‘We do not intend to make any changes to the skills tested in the exam.’ This would suggest that the skills areas to be tested will be Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Urmston Grammar says that full arrangements will be available from their website by mid-May 2023.

Source: Urmston Grammar website.

Sale Grammar

Sale Grammar’s website currently states that the school is ‘still in the planning stages’ for their September 2023 entrance exam. However, the site also states that ‘We do not intend to make any changes to the skills tested in the exam.’ This would suggest that the skills areas to be tested will be Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Sale Grammar says that full arrangements will be available from their website in due course.

Source: Sale Grammar website.

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys’ website currently states that the school is ‘still in the planning stages’ for their September 2023 entrance exam. However, the site also states that ‘We do not intend to make any changes to the skills tested in the exam.’ This would suggest that the skills areas to be tested will be Maths, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning. Altrincham Grammar School for Boys says that full arrangements will be available from their website in due course.

Source: Altrincham Grammar School for Boys website.

Altrincham Grammar School for Girls

At the time of writing, there is no information about entry to the school for September 2024. There is, however, a suggestion that you may like to email their admissions officer at: admissions@aggs.bright-futures.co.uk

for more information.

Source: Altrincham Grammar School for Girls website.

Loreto Grammar and St Ambrose College

The two Catholic grammar schools are unaffected by the changes made to the Trafford Consortium exams.

Will the Consortium Continue?

For the past few years, five of Trafford’s grammar schools have formed a consortium. This meant that students could sit one exam for Urmston, Stretford and Sale Grammar(s) as well as Altrincham Grammar School(s) for Girls/ Boys. The schools have not yet announced whether this will continue to be the case. If the consortium is disbanded, your child will need to register for each exam separately.

Who Will the New Exam Provider Be?

None of the schools have announced their new exam provider. There are a few options:

1) The schools could opt to write their own examinations.

2) The schools could opt to return to GL Assessment. Trafford’s grammar schools previously used GL Assessment and GL Assessment is now the biggest provider of grammar school entrance exams in the country.

3) The schools could opt for the CEM online test, which is a one-hour test completed via computer. This seems the least likely option as each school would need over 1000 internet-connected computers.

How Can Better Tuition Help?

Better Tuition is by far the most experienced provider of entrance exam support in the area. Established in 2008, we were here back in the days when all the grammar schools used GL Assessment as an exam provider. We are expert in all forms of verbal and non-verbal reasoning, so whatever the exams cover, we know how to help your child develop the skills and techniques needed to pass Trafford’s grammar school entrance exams.

We offer:

• Face-to-face tuition at our Urmston tuition centre;

• Online group tuition for entrance exam preparation;

• Practice entrance exams;

• Masterclasses;

• Summer school (contact us for more information).

Our engaging online group tuition sessions cover every aspect of entrance exam preparation, including:-

• Maths
• Non-Verbal Reasoning
• Verbal Reasoning
• Comprehension

Run by super tutor Paul Syrett, co-owner of Better Tuition, these one-hour sessions are fast-paced and fun-packed, giving your child the support needed to edge ahead in entrance exam preparation. We prepare children for entrance exams in schools across the country and locally.

Sessions cost just £23 and will run on Tuesdays at 5.30pm during term time and throughout school summer holidays.

For more information or to book, please get in touch with Paul and Christine on 0161 748 3912 or via email at info@bettertuition.co.uk.

Book your practice entrance exam today.

Due to overwhelming demand, we have scheduled THREE extra exam sittings in August. These CEM-style practice entrance exams will take place at Better Tuition, 1 Crofts Bank Road, Urmston on the following dates:-

Wednesday, 3rd August, 9.30 – 11.30 am – We will use our June paper for this exam, so if your child has taken our exam on 19th June, they should not attend. FULLY BOOKED
Wednesday, 10th August, 9.30 – 11.30 am – This paper is not available at any other time.
Wednesday, 24th August, 9.30 – 11.30 am – We will use our August paper for this exam, so if your child has taken our exam on 21st August, they should not attend.

As ever, exams will be marked and returned to you within one week. You will have access to our exclusive video tutorials, which run through every question in the exam.

Each exam costs £45 (£40 for currently-registered customers) and you can call Paul or Christine on 0161 748 3912 or email us at info@bettertuition.co.uk to register your interest.

These exams are in addition to our practice entrance exams at The Venue on 10th August (GL), 17th August (CEM) and 11th September (CEM). You can book an exam at The Venue here.

Why not book some summer school lessons? These will run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer holidays. Find out more and book here.

If you are looking for targeted entrance exam support that you can take literally anwhere you can take a computer, try our masterclasses in maths, verbal, non-verbal reasoning and exam technique. Find out more here.

Trafford’s grammar school entrance exams will take place in just a few weeks. At this stage, your child may be well-practised in non-verbal reasoning and secure in mastering all the necessary maths topics. If, however, vocabulary is your stumbling block, you may be asking yourself how you can help your child quickly increase his/ her word power.

Why Vocabulary Matters in Grammar School Entrance Exams

Your child will need in-depth knowledge of many words in order to accurately answer questions in comprehension and verbal reasoning. In verbal reasoning, your child may need to identify synonyms, antonyms and analogies, as well as picking out the best words to fill in gaps in cloze procedures. The standard expected is extremely high, so it’s imperative that your child is fully drilled in a wide range of vocabulary.

How to Help Your Child Increase His/ Her Word Power

1. Reading
If you want your child to read, you need to be a reader yourself. Let them see you choose and read books you love. Ensure that s/he reads widely, not fiction OR non-fiction. Visit the library for inspiration. Read to your child and have them read aloud to you. Check their understanding of new words.

2. Definitions
Reading is not enough! Children need to develop vocabulary in a structured way. You can look up definitions of words in the dictionary together. Encourage your child to use new words in a sentence and to find synonyms and antonyms for new words. This helps embed new vocabulary in their long-term memory.

3. Vocabulary Masterclass

Better Tuition’s very popular Vocabulary Masterclass consists of fourteen pre-recorded video tutorials and a bespoke workbook. Your child can complete the masterclass anywhere you can take a computer. Centre Director Christine McLaughlin’s fun, engaging tutorials guide your child through the workbook and help them develop strategies to build vocabulary and techniques for making it stick. The masterclass covers:

• Using the online dictionary and thesaurus
• Parts of speech
• Word categories
• Male or female/
• Shades of meaning
• Number words
• Prefixes and suffixes
• Synonyms and antonyms
• Root words
• Context
• Word association
• Words from other languages
• Next steps

The masterclass takes a minimum of three hours to complete and costs just £20. Contact us to order your masterclass today.

4. Vocabulary Booster Course 2024

Centre Owner Christine McLaughlin will run our four, one-hour online Vocabulary Booster sessions on Tuesdays at 11.30 on 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th August 2024. The course will cover:-

• New words – a learning homework will be set each week and students will be tested at the start of the following lesson.
• 2-for-1 words (e.g. object, which can mean ‘protest’ or ‘item’ or incline, which can mean ‘hill’ or ‘lean’
• Synonyms and antonyms
• Prefixes
• Suffixes
• Word categories
• Word association
• Shades of meaning
• Using the online dictionary

New vocabulary will be explored via engaging activities such as reverse cloze, letter soup, word hybrids and bingo. We use child-friendly definitions and, as with all good vocabulary tuition, we will be aiming to develop your child’s ability to decode unfamiliar words. The four-week course costs £96 (£24 per session). Ring Paul Syrett or Christine McLaughlin on 0161 748 3912 or email us at info@bettertuition.co.uk to book if you have any questions. Places are VERY limited, so please do not delay in booking. Book your online vocabulary booster now.

5. Practice Papers and Workbooks

When preparing for entrance exams, it is essential to practise, practise, practise and that means ensuring your child has a good (but not overwhelming) supply of practice papers and workbooks. We recommend Bond, CGP and Letts. You may also like to visit our download library, where you will find our FREE Word Power Vocabulary Workbook, along with a host of other resources.

The picture says it all. The government is currently exploring ways to help children make up for the learning loss suffered during the coronavirus pandemic and most of them involve more sitting-down-and-learning time.

Ideas currently being explored include:

– one-to-one tuition;
– summer school;
– repeating the school year;
– extending the school day or term.

Yes, tuition helps children catch up. Yes, small group summer schools help children catch up. But I’m going to say something controversial here. I don’t believe the children need to catch up. I believe we need to adjust our ideas about where the children should be.

The government is INCREDIBLY prescriptive about what children should be able to do in each year group. Write sentences in Year 1; know what a pronoun is in Year 3; recall all times tables up to 12 x 12 in Year 4; build a nuclear power station in Year 5. Don’t panic; that last one’s a joke!

This one-size-fits-all approach is not going to suit the post-pandemic classroom at all. Let’s abandon our ideas about who should know what and when and meet our children’s learning needs by seeing them as the unique individuals they are.

Does it matter if your Reception child cannot ‘use phonic knowledge to decode regular words & read aloud accurately’. Nope. Not a bit. They’ll get there.

Let’s stop saying SHOULD and recognise that children AND parents have been through a horribly stressful time and that when this is over time and space will be needed for rebalancing. I’m not exaggerating when I say that more than anything else, children will need to learn to run around and play with others in big groups in an unregimented way. They need to explore the outdoor world. Running and playing literally builds synapses in the brain so this will benefit the children in their learning.

Wellbeing should be our focus over the coming months. Children should be encouraged to talk about how they feel about lockdown and to learn ways to manage stress and difficult emotions. Forget academic targets: our only target should be to help our children process what they have been through and look forward to a future free of anxiety.

So yes, it’s great the the government is looking to fund initiatives to help children but let’s stop talking about ‘catching up’ and start thinking of the post-pandemic period as a chance to help our children relaunch themselves into a world full of adventure, fun and discovery.

More information about the government’s plans can be found here on the BBC website.

Due to lockdown restrictions being imposed across all of England, schools are once again closed. Students are receiving remote education and, whilst some are flourishing, others (if not most) are finding it tough to make progress.

With this in mind, the government has cancelled GCSE and A Level examinations for 2021. There now needs to be some speedy decisions made about how students can be assessed in order to award them the grades they deserve.

With this in mind, the government has launched an open consultation, to garner opinions about how best to go about this very complex process.

You can find the online consultation here.

An example of the sort of questions you will be asked.

The government has outlined their proposals here in this document.

I have read the full (45-page!) document, but you could answer the consultation without doing so. It’s very important that young people have a voice so if you have a child in Year 11 or Year 13, I’d recommend that you fill it in alongside them.

The consultation closes on 29th January.

2021 has brought fresh lockdown restrictions and, with most children being educated at home once again, many parents are worried about how best to support them. We’ve come up with some very simple (and totally FREE) solutions to prop up basic skills in maths and English. These activities are fun and fuss-free so they won’t take up hours of your own valuable time.

How worried should I be?

A key difference between this and previous lockdowns is that schools are offering live lessons. This will make a big difference. Moreover, we teachers have learned a lot about online education since March 2020, meaning that your child will doubtless be better supported by school this time around.

Yes, children have missed out on a lot of school learning, but let’s consider what they have learned. Many have learned to work (more) independently – an important life skill which will stay with them forever. As holidays, play dates, birthday parties and day trips have been postponed, they have learned to defer gratification. The pandemic has been nightmarish and concerns about our children’s wellbeing are real, but hardship can have its positive aspects.

Maths Activities

If your child enjoys games, there are some really good maths games here. We also like www.timestables.co.uk, and would suggest that you start by practising 2, 5 and 10 times tables.

Games help children learn in a way that feels less pressurised than formal learning. These short activities give children a sense of achievement which boosts confidence. Games are also repetitive, which enhances retention of number facts.

English

For literacy, there are some very comprehensive activities here. , covering reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar.

Children should read aloud, once a day if possible, and read silently as often as possible. Allow choice in reading wherever possible but don’t let them get ‘stuck’ with a book they really love.  Buy your child a nice notebook or a simple exercise book and have them start a diary. It’s essential that you make it clear that you will not be reading the diary. Knowing that no one will read their words gives children renewed confidence and enthusiasm for getting their words down on paper. Keeping a diary is also helpful for wellbeing.

BBC

The BBC has excelled itself with its lockdown offering. They will include three hours of primary school programming every weekday on CBBC, and at least two hours for secondary pupils on BBC Two. You can read more about this here. This will be most helpful for those who have limited access to computers or who, for one reason or another, are not able to access support from school. You can read more about the BBC initiative here.

Better Tuition

We are here to help in or out of Lockdown restrictions, as we have been since 2008. You can access FREE resources and exam papers here in our lockdown store. We can support your child with online tuition. With over 1,000 hours of online tuition behind us, we think we are pretty expert in this field. During January we are offering a FREE assessment PLUS a FREE trial session for prospective students, so please get in touch to book.

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys (AGSB) has announced a change to its entrance exam. The change will take effect from September 2021.

The school has joined Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Urmston, Stretford and Sale Grammar Schools in the Trafford Consortium. Students hoping to obtain a place at AGSB will sit the CEM exam in September 2021. You can read more about the CEM-format here on our website.

CEM format entrance examinations consist of two, 45-minute papers. These cover maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. They often include a reading comprehension passage. There are a lot of questions to complete in a short space of time. Each paper will cover a combination of skill areas; for example there may be maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning all in one paper. The papers are organised into short, timed sections.

There are no ‘official’ CEM papers available but various publishers provide practice workbooks and exam papers, so you might want to get some of these. We’d recommend the CGP publications.

You may want to book a practice entrance exam with Better Tuition.  Although the CEM does not make practice or past papers available, our papers are based on wide-ranging research. Our introductory practice exam will take place on Sunday, 28th February 2021.  We are still able to offer GL Assessment format for those children sitting exams for Loreto and St Ambrose. Find out more about our practice entrance exams.

There is a useful FAQ section on Stretford Grammar’s website.

We are delighted to announce we have been recognised as ‘Top Three Tutors’ in Manchester.

2020 has been challenging; we had to learn all kinds of new skills in order to take our services online. We’ve also had to learn how to blend our service so that our students can choose whether to attend lessons in person or online. This award means a lot as it recognises our hard work and dedication as well as our expertise and the high regard in which we are held both in Urmston and further afield.

And that’s not the only good news we have had this month. We’ve also hit an important milestone right here on our website. Earlier this month we reached one million hits for the year so far. This feels like an incredible acheivement and we feel proud to have managed to reach a record number of people during this difficult year.

After all this excitement, we are ready for our winter break. We will be closing up from 19th December until Monday, 4th January 2021. We wish everyone all the best for the new year and would like to thank each and every one of you for supporting our small business, whether its by attending lessons, taking practice exams or masterclasses, or simply visiting our website.