The Liverpool Blue Coat School 11+ guide

Key information for Croxley Danes School

• Address: Croxley Danes School, Baldwins Lane, Croxley Green, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire WD3 3LR

• Number of pupils: approx. 1,000

• Admissions contact: [email protected]

• Number of music places in Year 7: 18 (10% of total intake)

• 11+ exam: South West Herts Schools Consortium music aptitude test

• Catchment area: no

What does the musical aptitude test involve?

The first round of the musical aptitude test will take place after school on Monday 9th September 2024. This is a written test that consists of 60 questions played on a CD. The test takes around 45 minutes in total.

The questions will assess your child's understanding of pitch, melody, rhythm and texture.

• Pitch: children listen to two sounds and have to decide whether the second sound is the same as the first, or whether it is higher or lower. Some of the pitches are less than a semitone apart.

• Melody: children listen to two tunes consisting of five notes. They have to decide whether the second tune is the same as the first or if one of the notes has been altered. If there is a change, they need to identify which note has been altered by giving the number of the note.

• Texture: children listen to a chord and must decide whether each chord has two, three or four notes.

• Rhythm: children listen to two patterns of notes and have to decide whether the second pattern is the same or different from the first, and if there are any differences. Each rhythm is four beats in length.

Children who are successful in the first stage of the test are invited to the second stage. They will be given a slot between Monday 23rd and Friday 27th September 2024. They will need to play or sing a musical piece of their choice for examiners, which includes current and former Directors of Music at South West Herts Consortium schools. Your child will be marked on:

• accuracy (up to 15 marks)

• musicality (up to 15 marks)

• musical communication (up to 15 marks)

Marks are irrespective of the level of the piece. Children do not need to be familiar with musical theory. Marks are not age-standardised.

How can I help my child prepare for Croxley Danes School?

Croxley Danes School is an all-ability school, so children don't need to pass an academic exam to apply for a place. However, the transition from Year 6 to Year 7 is a big step up for children. There's no harm in using this time to help your child prepare for Key Stage 3!

Consolidate knowledge

It's important to build a good knowledge base before starting Year 7. By consolidating their knowledge of the Key Stage 2 curriculum, your child will finish Year 6 feeling confident. The two particularly challenging areas we recommend focusing on are:

• Revising spelling and writing basics

• Practising the maths learning objectives introduced in Year 6 (such as ratio and proportion, probability, order of operations, and circles)

Using a ‘little and often’ approach when learning is key – our brains encode new information more effectively when dealing with smaller ‘chunks’ of information. For children aged 10–11, child psychologists recommend regular study sessions of 20–30 minutes.

Atom Home makes learning a more enjoyable process for your child. They'll explore exciting worlds full of interactive questions, earning coins to spend in the Atom shop. Atom adapts to your child, showing them questions at just the right level of difficulty to keep them motivated.

Read widely

Regular reading is important to help your child build a range of skills. Reading can help:

• boost imagination

• expand vocabulary

• improve concentration

• aid cognitive development

• improve communication

• aid mental wellbeing

Encourage your child to read books from different genres and by a diverse range of authors. Increasing the variety of your child’s reading will help them understand different styles, tones and purposes.

Celebrate progress

Setting regular, achievable goals and celebrating your child’s progress – no matter how big or small – will help keep their motivation high.

Make sure to encourage a growth mindset. This means celebrating effort, as well as achievement! When your child makes mistakes or struggles to understand a particular topic, help them understand that they’ll improve through practice. Regular praise will help your child improve their resilience when tackling new and challenging topics.