St Paul's 13+ interviews

Red - get in the phone first thing! The admissions bod there is very nice and they must realise that all the parents aren't landed gentry or ladies of leisure with nothing else to do.

Our son got an interview date for early March, together with another at his school and the rest are waiting for a date. And yes they are the top in CAT tests but maybe they got an early date because SP knows that we also apply for 11+ schools too and we have to give an answer sooner than the rest.
WS results are out soon, before the interview date + offers are out from Kings etc already so the kids are relaxed.
There's nothing you can do to prepare. At WS he was asked about the book that he read, whether it was a book they study at school or his own reading at home. The Maths questions were very deep (25 min vs 15min SP) but manageable.
We will just have to trust the school to find out our sons' true potential through the interview.

We've just been given an interview date for St Paul's with the usual 2 weeks notice but it's looking like my husband and I can't get the time off work - anyone know how amenable they are at people changing interview dates?

Parents at our school keep their cards pretty close to their chest, and you know how kids are (meanwhile, outside exam centre)
'So, DS, is Fred sitting this exam?'
'No. Yes. No. I think so. We haven't discussed it. No. I think he isn't'
'Hi there Fred, good luck with the exam...'

Another one with 2 weeks' notice - we had the letter just after spring half term.

You know it's coming -one less thing to worry about!

They write about two weeks beforehand so it's crazy to anticipate it so early and be driving yourself crazy as you may have a long wait unless you know for sure godson is top of the applicants from his school. My DS had a mid-march appt so we heard at end of feb and he was the second or third from his school - last went in October. Just be glad you know it's coming.

'simultaneously praise his enthusiasm in class and deplore his lack of work and application' That's godson!

Ffs *shy not any

I think even my DSs managed to look quite decent for interview - haircut, polish shoes, do up blazer buttons, scrub fingernails etc. But I was worried for DS2 as they knew him well from him attending school events for his big brother as a whirlwind type of boy. And Ds1 (who ultimately did superbly and got a place at Oxbridge) never got a school report that didn't simultaneously praise his enthusiasm in class and deplore his lack of work and application.

I do think SPS know exactly what they are looking for - it's about academic spark. And either you have it or you don't - you can't fake it at interview and being any or boisterous doesn't stop it coming through.

Having said all of which, I am sure all the schools your godson is looking at are equally great and it's important not to get too hung up on one particular one. Yes Sps is a great school but if I were going to be bottom of the year there I would much rather go elsewhere and be in the top half or whatever. I firmly believe there is no 'best school' just the best school for your kid.

My SIL is called Pauline (childish snigger)...

Any boy I've seen at exams/interviews for such schools (when I've been chauffeur /moral support) have been very earnest looking types - studious and serious looking little chaps, with slicked down hair and side partings rather than tiggers! Godson looks like Tarzan in comparison.

I'm glad they are more Tigger than Just William...

Oh and given the cult of 'banter' I think he sounds like he would fit right in!

Paulines are all types of boy but I would say err on the side of the down to earth and bouncy. I just made them sound like Kanga! But it is true. Sport is so important so many are very sporty, but there also musical, theatrical, debating, science, maths-obsessed boys. I don't think you can generalise except to say easier for an outgoing boy to show his mettle.

Lord, this sounds very daunting. So are the successful boys the, erm 'intense' types? Godson is very bouncy, jokey and not all that serious.

*never

Oh and our strategy about the form was to completely forget about it. DS filled it in 3 minutes outside the interview room - guess that meant it was very genuine as I remember he wrote something very personal I would ever have let him write if we had had time to consider it.

I was shocked when they told me in their feedback session that was what they had been discussing and thought - well there's no hope he could engage on that! But it turns out he had done something about it in science at school and also I think the interviewers lead them well through the discussion. I don't think they expect boys to know all abut those topics - what they are looking for rather is boys like Kingscote's who will enjoy and contribute to a wide ranging discussion. Those topics sound daunting for a good dinner party though!

11 and a half by the time he had his interview.

And to be honest, DS is considered an academic lightweight by the other SPS candidates at his school. I hate to think what he would have said if asked about electro magnetism like Working's DS...!

Do make sure that they think carefully about that form!

He's likely to be asked about its contents in considerable depth, so don't put down that he's reading A Brief History of Time if he's just skimmed through it one afternoon in the library!

One of the questions was about which subject they like least - DS put down Geography, which lead to some pretty quick work when he was interviewed by ... a Geography specialist!

For what it's worth, DS's interview 2 years ago covered the personality flaws of Charles 1 and Oliver Cromwell, the state of the England cricket team including a digression on the pressures and loneliness of leadership and why Geography wasn't as bad as he had always maintained.

Now all he needs to do is pass his CE in June!

Yummy macaroons thanks!

I posted about it on last year's threads - completely unpreparable for because it's based around the form the boy fills in about what he likes and is interested in. So beyond making sure they know the names of the last few books they read and have practised talking about themselves all they can do is turn up! Ds's interview was incredibly wide ranging and deep - he ended up discussing the principles of electro magnetism which I didn't think he knew anything about, amongst many other topics.

They are also given a short maths paper and English question when they arrive and clearly Sps have loads of these prepared as I never came across anyone who got given the same one as anyone else. They form part of the interview as they discuss their answers and are pushed to justify it, correct it etc. A stretching but fun experience!

Should have been clear - ds1 went in t'old days and ds2 did the first year or the pre-test so very different experience.

Tea cake - fascinating re Westminster - certainly they gave far fewer interviews to our school than SPS did and amazingly fewer offers.