The end of Year 5 is a huge milestone in the 11+ journey. Ahead lies the long summer holiday – a six-week period that is, without question, the most critical phase of your child’s preparation.
This presents a major dilemma for parents. How do you ensure your child is prepared for the exam in September without sacrificing the essential rest, relaxation, and fun that summer should bring? How do you avoid burnout while still making meaningful progress?
The key is to have a structured, balanced, and realistic plan. A frantic, last-minute cramming session in late August is far less effective than a “little and often” approach spread throughout the holiday.
At elevenplus.com, we believe in a strategy that prioritises both well-being and academic progress. This guide provides a definitive week-by-week plan to help you navigate the Year 5 summer holiday calmly and effectively.
In this definitive guide, you will learn:
- The core philosophy of effective summer revision: Consolidate, Don’t Cram.
- A clear, 6-week schedule that balances rest with focused practice.
- How to use “stealth learning” to make revision fun.
- When and how to introduce timed mock exams to build stamina.
- Expert tips for keeping your child motivated and preventing burnout.
The Core Philosophy: Consolidate, Don’t Cram
The primary goal of the summer holiday is not to teach your child brand new, advanced topics. It is to consolidate everything they have learned in Year 5, ensuring their foundational knowledge is rock-solid. A child who has mastered the core curriculum will always outperform a child who has a shaky understanding of more advanced concepts.
Our plan is built on the principle of “little and often,” ensuring your child’s brain stays active without them feeling overwhelmed.
The 6-Week Summer Revision Plan
This schedule is a template. Feel free to adapt it to your own family’s holiday plans, but try to stick to the overall structure.
Weeks 1 & 2: Active Rest & Reading for Pleasure
This might be the most important part of the plan: for the first two weeks, there should be no formal revision. No workbooks, no practice papers, no online quizzes. Your child has worked hard all year and needs a proper mental break to recharge.
- The Only Task: Read for pleasure every single day. Let them read whatever they enjoy—fiction, non-fiction, comics, magazines. A trip to the local library to stock up is a perfect week-one activity.
- Why it Works: Reading is the single best way to build vocabulary, improve comprehension, and enhance focus without it feeling like work. This “active rest” keeps their brain engaged while allowing them to decompress.
Weeks 3 & 4: Core Skill Consolidation
Now it’s time to gently re-introduce focused practice.
- The Schedule: Aim for 4-5 sessions per week, each lasting just 30-45 minutes. It’s best to do these in the morning to get them out of the way.
- The Content: Focus entirely on reviewing and strengthening the core topics from Year 5.
- Maths: Revisit the “big four”—fractions, decimals, percentages, and multi-step word problems.
- English: Focus on SPaG rules and practice comprehension with short passages.
- The Method: Use targeted online quizzes (like our
elevenplus.comTopic Blasts) or specific chapters in workbooks. This is the time to review past mistakes and solidify understanding.
Making it Fun: This is the perfect time for “stealth learning.” Disguise revision as fun activities:
- Use Travel Time Wisely: Long car journeys are a brilliant opportunity for learning. Listen to an audiobook together to build comprehension and vocabulary, or play word association games to boost verbal reasoning.
- Play Games: Challenge each other with times tables while waiting for food at a cafe. Play board games like Scrabble or Boggle to make vocabulary practice enjoyable.
[Image: A child sitting at a sunny kitchen table, working for a short time in a workbook with a glass of juice.]
Weeks 5 & 6: Building Stamina & Exam Technique
In the final two weeks, the focus shifts from knowledge consolidation to exam practice.
- The Schedule: Reduce the daily sessions slightly. The main event of each week should be one full, timed mock exam.
- The Content: Use a high-quality mock exam that mirrors the format of the test your child will be taking (e.g., GL Assessment for Buckinghamshire/Berkshire).
- The Method: Create realistic exam conditions—a quiet room with no interruptions. The goal is to build their stamina for concentrating for a full hour and to practice their time management skills.
- Crucial Final Step: The most important part of the mock exam is the review. Spend time going through the incorrect answers together, using it as a final, powerful learning opportunity.
Expert Tips for a Successful Summer
- Maintain a Routine: Even on non-revision days, try to maintain a loose routine for waking up and going to bed. This makes it easier to slot in the focused sessions.
- Get Outside: Ensure your child spends plenty of time playing outside. Physical exercise is proven to boost concentration and reduce stress.
- Celebrate Effort, Not Scores: This is especially important over the summer. Praise your child for sticking to the routine and trying their best, not just for getting a high score on a quiz. This builds resilience and keeps motivation high.
- Keep it Fun: Use educational games, real-world maths problems (“How much will these three items cost?”), and reward consistency.
By following this balanced plan, you can ensure your child arrives at the start of Year 6 feeling rested, confident, and fully prepared for the final stage of their 11+ journey.
Ready to build your child’s exam stamina?
➡️ Explore our range of timed, exam-style Mock Exams, designed to give your child the most authentic practice possible for the big day.
