SHHS interviews

[clevud]

Obvs nobody will reply to guard their competitive advantage :-) but does anyone have any suggestions on possible interview questions ? Do you know how many children were selected and how many places there are?

Thanks!

[ColaPip]

It's a Consortium school, I think? If so and it's a "creative interview", then my DD has just had a few interviews at Consortium schools (G&L and FHSS) and they were slightly different in approach.

G&L was more about hobbies, interests and other schools applied to. Nothing tricky at all. They did have a separate part to the interview where DD had to choose a postcard to talk about.

FHSS was very different"- "if you won £1m, what would you do with it" and "if you could be any insect, what would you be and why"

[clevud]

Thanks!

[zebedee7]

I know it’s a different school OP, but, in addition to above and just as a very general ballpark for Consortium- type “creative” questions, last year FHSS asked -

“What do you think is more important, happiness or success?”

“If you could travel back in time to meet your great, great, great grandmother, how would you explain a computer and the internet to her?”

Many schools will get you to talk about a picture or an object.

Most schools will ask about favourite subjects, hobbies, why do you want to come here, etc.”

Another common one was, “If you had a clear day in which you could go anything at, all what would you do?”

Good luck!

[PatienceVirtue]

Think there was a painting and you had to say how it made you feel or what you felt was happening in it. So it's useful to have some phrase like 'umm curious' to fall back on.

[mamabyname]

In addition to the above and the putting at ease questions and those that look at creativity and thinking outside the box, at the more academic schools like SHHS there was also a very clear problem solving/maths type question that was part of the interview. From my understanding, those that didn’t get the question right either got wait listed or didn’t get a place at all, so it isn’t just a getting to know you situation. I think where they aren’t sure or are borderline about the results of the exam, this becomes a big part of the examination process. it is important they aren’t too relaxed and make an effort to get all the steps right with the problem solving bit.

Did SHHS also ask them to fill in an ‘about you’ form to those who got through to interview this year? They definitely used that last year to ask the girls about themselves and I think also to check that it wasn’t all made up!

[PatienceVirtue]

I don't remember dd being asked a right-or-wrong question. She was asked an ethics style one. I'd be surprised (but have no idea) if they'd make a decision based on the answer rather than the way they approached the question and how they responded to being challenged on their answers. One of the things they're very keen on is girls not getting hung up on getting things right.

[mamabyname]

Well I know a couple of girls who got it wrong though came out of interview v sure they had done well - and that it didn’t matter because they had talked through the problem with the interviewer and understood where they had gone wrong -they were both pretty happy after the interview - but one didn’t get in and one was waitlisted - this was last year