If you could get into Woodroffe, would you not bother with private?

I'm from Axminster =].
I think that if he isn't competitive then Woodroffe is a great school to go to.
I went to Axe Valley and did well, even though it isn't classed as so good, after deciding not wanting to go to Colyton.
If he is in the right frame of mind then it won't matter.

Don't know much about Exeter private schools.
Have you thought about letting your DS make the decision?
If he is happy where he is then he is more likely to want to learn =].

beechbabe It was your implied message that colyton should be a local school for local people I was objecting to. I'd love to live in Lyme Regis or be able to consider private school for my DCs but sadly I can't afford it. I have no problem with debunking myths about Colyton being super stressy or difficult or overly competitive for bright kids. I have a big problem with implying that access should be restricted for those with parents able to afford to live in the environs of Lyme Regis.

theta less well off kids from the outposts of empire like Exeter are already deterred by the cost of fares, especially in the current climate. I expect you pay a lot to get your DD to school. Plenty of parents with bright kids in Exeter just can't do it. When there's a post which repeats some of the myths which deter parents in general, why not out them for what they are?

That's a social concern, not a geographical one.

beechbabe You seem to set a lot of store by geography. :)

theta I know the demographics of the school pretty well and would never give misinformation. The problem overwhelmingly is that too much other misinformation abounds and puts strong local applicants off (too posh, too pushy, full of over-tutored downshifters etc.).

No Exeter parents will be put off by someone saying (correctly) that kids from Exeter to the west and Bridport to the east are the exception not the rule. Or rather, that the vast majority of kids come from a more central area around the school. Even your numbers divided by seven show that's correct. So hardly 'misinformation'!

If Exeter parents are likely to be put off at all then it's by the hour their kids will have to spend on the bus at the start and end of each day (though plenty don't mind it and some even like it I know) and the requirement for a 40 mile round trip to collect after matches, concerts etc. That's if they can afford the fares, which are steep and a major concern for some. Geographically OP sounds much better placed!

As for admissions, I wouldn't have a clue which of my kids' friends scored L5 in Y5; do mums really compare and do kids themselves even know? Scary...! I don't think mine were all L5 in Y5 but they're doing ok (perhaps I should reserve judgment on that until after results day in Aug!).

What I do know is that the 11+ has evolved in the past few years and the current rule is that a child has to pass the English paper and then has to be in the top 120 when the Verbal Reasoning and Maths are combined, also that the old Borderzone has gone.

The OP is really asking about Woodroffe anyhow. There were some Woodroffe MNers around, I saw one current one on the thread which got deleted. She might be able to help OP more on how a bright, quiet DS would fare at Woodroffe. I know quite a few with kids there and would have been a bit worried about my eldest and youngest DS, much less about the more football crazy boistrous DS.

I meant the only other stop after cyst St Mary. Obviously there are 3 more stops within Exeter.

beechbabe My DD comes in on the bus from Exeter. There are plenty of kids with her, and on the other bus. She isn't rattling around on her own. According to her, ther are more than 50 kids on the two buses after the Clyst St Mary stop. And'one or two ' people get on at the only other stop.

Of course the OP shouldn't be put off from applying for the school for her DS but there may be Exeter parents reading this thread too, either now or in the future, and they shouldn't be put off by misinformation. :)

You don't have to be off the scale for maths to get in. But in my experience, all the kids I know who got in last year and this year were level 5 in year 5. But being strong at maths isn't enough if you aren't also strong at literacy and VR. It's more important to be good enough at each thing rather than being off the scale in one.

thetasigmamum to be accurate two busloads originate in Exeter and pick students up along the way. There aren't actually that many kids coming daily from Exeter itself. OP isn't persuaded despite having a very bright DS; I was trying to give an accurate idea of the school since she's properly local and has been put off by the misreps which are touted about.

Please don't now say a kid has to be off the scale at maths to get in!

There's two busloads come from Exeter every day! :) It's a brilliant school. And it's worth giving it a go - if you live in the catchment area for woodroffe then if your DS doesn't get in to colyton then he will still be able to go to Woodroffe.

The percentage of private schoolers reflects the national picture house, seems fair (less than 10%). Some mums or dads do weekly commute but very few. The idea that loads of people are downshifting from London is rubbish. Because the school is the only grammar in a rural area and a very good one it's not surprising that some kids come from 25 miles away, but again, that's the extreme. Most are from the Axe and Sid Valleys with a good few from Newton Popp and West Hill in one direction and Chard in the other. Bridport and Exeter are extreme. I bet the Head said other stuff too, like don't be put off by myths!

We put down Woodroffe and Sidmouth on the form as our second and third preference but two of mine sat the Exeter exam too (we were better off then!). Taking the exam and its outcome doesn't have to be a big deal either, as long as you don't make it one which it sounds as though you wouldn't. An Open Day will give you a better idea, just listen to the teachers and students and not the other prospective parents who I've often found quite scary and often not like the real thing!

house you're properly local then! They need to be pretty bright, heading comfortably for L5. I found it difficult to gauge where my eldest two were on the brightness front and underestimated them in my mind at every stage. It's only now in retrospect that I have a clearer idea of where mine are on the scale. Your DS would be encouraged, not pushed and he'd have to be very, very, very out of his depth to be asked to leave. Where do you get this stuff from?! I'm aware I'm not answering your post but what you've said about your DS suggests you might well be going down the wrong route. Is the not bothered thing with maths to do with your DS or the teaching do you think?

Yes, they do. If he's bright and in the Axe Valley or near then it's the obvious school. A child doesn't need to be competitive to get into Colyton, just bright. And his peers there may be more tolerant or welcoming of or more compatible for someone shyish and not very sporty than at any other school nearby. There's a lot of prejudice about Colyton and a lot of ill-founded myths. I'd look at the website and go to an Open day - one should be coming up. What a waste to flog into Exeter if Colyton's within easy reach. Your DS sounds like one of mine - give it a go!

My youngest DD is Y4 too. Is your DS your eldest? I'm guessing he is. Do you completely trust the judgement of his school? I'm asking because some schools or even some teachers at some schools are far too quick to say a child isn't the right personality for Colyton when in fact they haven't a clue. I applied to Woodroffe for a couple of my DSs but would have been hesitant about the shyer one going for sure. You say your DS isn't sporty, is he also quite quiet or shy?

Which year is he in house? Which primary would be useful too (but quite get that you might not want to say).

Wellington doesn't sound right....