Questions to Ask at Parents' Evening Before the 11+

Which questions to ask at parents' evening, if your child might sit the 11+?

Ask about the habits underneath the grades. Reading, times tables, pace, independence and how your child copes with a mistake are useful foundations for the Transfer Test, and they are things a class teacher sees every day.

I spent more than ten years in primary schools, much of it as a senior leader, and I sat on the teacher's side of that table many times. Appointments are short, and the teacher has a plan for yours before you sit down. If you arrive with no questions, you will hear that plan, which is usually a summary of the report.

Choose four or five questions from the list below, and write them down. Email the teacher a day or two before with anything bigger, so they can think about it.

A parents' evening is not an 11+ assessment, and a teacher cannot tell you whether your child will reach a particular score. They can tell you how your child learns, which is more useful.

How is my child's reading, beyond the level?

Ask: "When my child reads a paragraph they have not seen before, can they tell you what it suggests, not just what it says?"

A book band or reading score is a starting point. Ask separately about word reading, vocabulary and comprehension, including inference. The English and verbal reasoning questions in the Transfer Test rely on inference constantly.

The pattern I watch for is the fluent reader who answers every "find and copy" question perfectly and then freezes at "why do you think the girl hesitated?" They may need support with inference, vocabulary or explaining their thinking, so ask the teacher which part is difficult.

How secure are times tables and number facts?

Ask: "Does my child know their times tables instantly, or work them out?"

Year 4 pupils at state-funded schools in England sit the multiplication tables check in June. It is an on-screen check of 25 questions, with 6 seconds for each one (Department for Education, 2025). Headteachers must report each child's score to parents by the end of the summer term (2026 key stage 2 assessment and reporting arrangements, GOV.UK). If your child is in Year 5 and you do not remember seeing it, ask. Not every child has a score, as some pupils do not take part.

The score is useful, but the question behind it matters more. Knowing that 7 × 8 is 56 and working it out by counting up in sevens can both produce the right answer. Fluent recall frees up attention for the rest of the problem.

Ask a second question too: "Is my child accurate when they are rushed, or do they slow right down?" A child who is quick but careless needs something different from a child who is careful but slow.

How does my child work when nobody is helping?

Ask: "What does my child do when they are stuck and an adult is not nearby?"

In the Transfer Test, children answer on their own under timed conditions. Some have approved access arrangements, but nobody helps with the answers. In class, children are rarely in that position for long, which is right for learning but means a report can hide it.

Teachers know exactly which children wait. They are the ones who sit with their pencil still until an adult walks past, then start the moment someone says "have a go". There can be several reasons for it. Ask, because it rarely shows up in a written report.

What does my child do when they get something wrong?

Ask: "How does my child react to a mistake, or to a question they cannot do?"

Every child meets questions in the 11+ that they cannot answer. What matters is whether they move on calmly or lose the next five minutes to it.

In the classroom this is visible on the page. There is the child who rubs out so hard the paper tears, and the child who leaves a blank rather than risk a wrong answer. Those behaviours can have several explanations, and they are not a measure of ability. Ask the teacher what they notice and what helps in class, so you can say the same at home.

What do you see in class that I might not see at home?

End with the open question: "Is there anything you would want me to know if I were thinking about the 11+?"

It invites the teacher to tell you what your list missed, such as friendships, energy levels or how much your child is already carrying. That can change the decision entirely.

Listen carefully if the answer is cautious. A teacher who says "I'm not sure the 11+ is right for them" is not giving a verdict on your child. Grammar school suits some children and not others, and a good upper school suits many children very well. You do not have to agree with the teacher, but it is worth hearing them out before you decide.

Then ask for one thing to take away: "What is one manageable thing we can practise at home, and when should we check in again?"

What do the answers tell you?

The answers are not a pass or fail. They tell you where preparation would need to start.

Five encouraging answers do not mean a child will reach 121, the score that makes a child eligible to be considered for a grammar school place (Buckinghamshire Council, checked 26 September 2026). Five cautious answers do not mean they cannot.

If you would like a second opinion, we are happy to look at the same five things with you. Clever Clogs Academy is a family-run tuition business in Winslow, Buckinghamshire, and Alicia and I teach our 11+ programme across Years 4 and 5 in groups of up to six. Both of us teach any group of four or more. For the whole test, from registration to results, read our complete guide to the Buckinghamshire Transfer Test.

Where can I find 11+ practice for home after parents' evening?

Start with the one area the teacher named, in a few short sessions a week, rather than a full paper.

Our free 11+ sample packs cover verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning, maths and English. Each has the method printed at the top and full answers at the back. There is also a free full practice paper pitched at Year 5.

The Clever Clogs Academy shop has six full mock papers at £6.99 each, with a marked report that explains every answer. They are written at Year 6 Transfer Test standard, so for most children in Year 4 or 5 they are best saved for later. A Year 6 mock sat in Year 4 mostly shows what has not been taught yet.

Want a second opinion?

Book a free 30-minute introductory session with us in Winslow. Come and meet us, see the room, and ask anything you like. We will talk through where your child is now and which group would suit them, and there is no obligation.

Book a free 30-minute introductory session · See our 11+ programme · About Mat and Alicia