Tiffin talk

The entrance exams that include maths are not less pressurised as the maths content includes areas most state primary children wont have covered yet. The maths tests cover all of KS2 work so up to the end of yr6.

Seriously, you are really, really not obliged to undergo all that tutoring.

Maybe I'm completely bonkers, but I think it's unnecessary. Not for a VR/NVR exam.

But that's just my opinion.

Btw, ds would have been offered a place if it had been higher on our list.

He is, I would say, a grounded, pleasant little chap, with lots of interests. There's room for those in gs. Realy, these schools aren't some sort of holding pen for freakishly intelligent, social misfits. A lot of the children are pretty normal.

Without their uniforms they look just like everyone else ... .

animula - I don't call being obliged to have several hours of tutoring per week from y5 less pressured! It is very pressured because the DCs have to do the test very quickly to have any chance of getting anywhere near the mark necessary to get a place. Which means hours and hours of repetitive multi choice test practice. Yes it is ONLY VR and NVR but on a much higher plane than the rest of the universe! I think anyone who thinks the Tiffin test is not pressured is deluding themselves.

The more rounded tests taking in maths and English skills are less stressed as it involves the kind of work the DCs would be doing at school anyway.

That said, if you are convinced the school would be the best FOR YOUR CHILD then go for it.

We visited the boys' school a few years ago and really liked it. Loved the fact they did dance. It was the year before "the great financial controversy", and so I don't know how all the funding has panned out, but I've heard no more, so I'm guessing all is well. Hope they're still doing dance.

Ds didn't want to put Tiffin top of the list (sigh), so I don't have any insider info for you. Bizarrely, he completely took against the blazer.

The entrance exam is only VR and NVR. I would say that makes it very much less pressured, and fairer, as an exam than the ones that include maths and English. Good for them.

I think it's definitely worth going for. But bear in mind there's an element of luck, and, actually, with this exam, it doesn't have to be too pressured for the boys.

I don't agree it is as good as an independent. It does not beat the top independents on exam results (which is the yardstick usually used to judge Tiffin, certainly it is the one thay themselves see as most important). It is free, but you get what you pay for.

But I do agree that it is not suitable for a lot of bright DCs. It is a pity it is touted as the holy grail of state education as I think there are a lot of Dcs being forced into the school when they will not be happy there.

We assumed like all of SW London that Tiffin was the ultimate goal - as good as independent but free of charge. DS probably ould have got in, but we decided not to apply and I'm glad we didn't.. Of course it gets excellent results, but a friends son who is in Y8 is a similar disposition to my DC and is unhappy there and so parents are planning to move him. Lots of very industrial boys who work hard, don't seem to play, and then travel long distances to and from school. And a super-confident clique of boys whose parents are rich lefty tyes, smug at having got a free education with the kudoes amongst their kind that they are 'supporitng the state sector'.
At my son's selective independent there is ironically a much broader range of boy types and interests and less 'nerdiness' - biys are academic, but also well-rounded with wider interests.

have not seen th boys school but went to see girls last year - and immediately discounted it. A massive emphasis on science and maths, very poor for the arts and humanities which are what DD is keen on. I sensed a "we are fantastic, take it or leave it" attutude from the head - speech was exclusively about exam results, never mentioned any other aspect of the school at all.

The immensely pressured entrance test is a real problem to me - really don't want my DD to spend hours a week from y5 slogging through VR and NVR tests with a tutor - what kind of childhood is that?

Went to Coombe Girls open evening last week - what a contrast! Had the advantage of being shown round by neighbour's DD who is there in y8. Teachers and pupils all very enthusiastic about their subjects and the school, came across as MUCH better to Tiffin. They do remarkably well given that they are entirely non-selective (but do stream from y7).

Have not seen Coombe Boys, I believe it used to have a bit of an iffy reputation. However is now managed under the same head and shares 6th form with girls school. Have heard it has improved a lot.

Personally, I decided not to go for Tiffin as she would have little chance of gaining a place without spending years of her young life in tutoring for a pretty pointless test, and I did not want that for her. Plus the school does not cater very well for her interests. Some people think I am mad as DD is very able but I just know she would hate the Tiffin atmosphere.

yes Tiffin gets good results but given the intake the results are really not as good as they should be.

Anyway, the most important question you must ask yourself is, would this school be the best for MY CHILD? You are the one best placed to answer that question.

Does Tiffin have tours of the school during a working day and an opportunity to meet the head and have a proper chat. Really, without these things it is very difficult to make a proper judgement of a school. I seem to remember last year finding out that Tiffin does not offer this, which made me rather