Since I have been working as a private tutor the 11+ examinations have been increasing in competitiveness to such a degree that I am now offered at least five times as much tuition as I was even two years ago. There are now more than ten applicants for every Grammar School place (in this area at least). As such if parents want their child to enter a grammar school as much preparation as possible is needed.
This help can take many forms. Taking on extra school work helps, especially with adult support. Private tuition can also help, but please remember that a private tutor is not a magician and can magically transform someone - especially if the tutor is given insufficient time. Reading is absolutely vital, especially of high quality books such as the ones mentioned on the Books page of this website. It is also extremely important to check with the Grammar schools as to what exactly is on their entrance examination. Recently verbal and non-verbal reasoning have often been replaced with Maths and English papers, but it is still necessary to check, and to discover whether there are any past papers available to help prepare with.
It is also a very good idea to buy some practice papers. These not only help prepare the child for the examination, but also allow some idea of progress once the test papers are marked. Do though as mentioned above be careful to choose the correct practice papers for the Grammar School that you are interested in. Also please remember that whatever assistance you provide for your child the earlier you start the better. Personally I believe that the start of Year 4 is a good time, although some parents do like to start earlier or later.
Below you will find a selection of practice papers that you can purchase to assist with exam preparation. There are many more out there, but I have chosen ones with which I am most familiar and which have worked with my past pupils.