Is it too early to start a 2016 girls 11+ W/SW London thread?

Bottersnikes, will do. Fingers crossed for your DD.

Slightlyjaded - the Ibstock interview is academic, prepare for mental maths questions etc. I think its nice that they interview everyone, I think there's nothing worse than getting through the exam process and then being rejected at interview - it makes the rejection seem very personal particularly if a child thinks the interview went well.

We didn't know anyone else that took it - so please post here if you hear - that way I'll know it's game over for us! Knowing either way will be a relief really.

Thanks Teddtess and Bottersnikes. It does seem like the new Head has organised them all a bit more than before - what with the 11+ coming out in just a week. I shall remain jumpy until tomorrow evening, and then abandon hope. Haven't heard from any of our mates either.

in 2014 they were really late with the 10+ outcomes
you could always email the registrar and ask.

the call for interviews iirc was the day before.

DIN2K - Like you though, I was praying for a positive! Make next year so much easier! Suppose there's still time, and they do say 2 weeks. And looking at last years thread they seemed very late with the 10+. I want it over really. Can't concentrate properly. DD appears to have completely forgot all about it.

BOTTERSNIKES. Thanks. I fear the same. Slightly hanging my hat on the fact that they say that it can take up to two weeks (i.e. this Friday!!!!) to contact us. Ah well. Next year.

DIN2K - DD also sat the Kingston Grammar 10+. Not heard anything either, which I take to mean no interview. The interviews are this Saturday aren't they? Surely we would know by now.

Hope you're all getting the interviews you want.

Anyone out there heard about Kingston Grammar 10+? I can see the 11+ interviews have come out. DS sat the 10+ as a practice for next year. But of course, it would be lovely not to do it all again next year. He keeps on asking me but we haven't had a letter, email or a phone call yet.

Hi all just got called for nottinghill and ealing high school and saint helens in northwood. Any tips on what kind of interview it is

an interview before the exams sounds like a selling exercise to me!

i think it is St George's in Weybridge who stopped interviewing. They looked back on the interview notes and the head teacher reports and realised that if they had just used the head teacher reports they were a far more accurate insight into the child than the impression from interview.

Surbiton don't interview either - just the personal statement to get a flavour of the character/extra curricular interests.

I'm not sure you get the true measure of a 10/11 year old child in an interview either. My bright, sparky and funny DD may well come across as very shy and quiet in interview. I've even had to coach her to look the teacher in the eye when speaking to them in an interview, as I noticed on a school visit she was looking at her feet when a teacher spoke to her. Not something she has a problem with at school where she feels comfortable. But you'd hope they do their best to put them at ease. I suspect the school report counts for something when they have candidates on equal footing and there is nothing else to distinguish them, which must happen fairly often. A terrible school report may equally ruin their chances from the start. Seems to me to be an awful waste of time to interview before the exams.

Almostdone I am not entirely sure.

DD is sitting Ibstock Place on Saturday and I know they have requested a reference from her current Head but I can't imagine it will count for much. It will be glowing - but presumably most are?

But I don't understand interviewing before the exam unless it really counts for something. KGS, for example, offer interiviews post exam although I suspect that these are more to weed out any real potential 'problem' pupils than to assess for genuine personality. This makes sense to me. So to take the time to interview everyone that applies before they've sat an entrance exam must surely suggest that this genuinely counts for something? I'd like to think it does but am not convinced.

Does the school reports count for that much? And what about
the interviews? Are they really a deciding factor. I don't understand
why so many are interviewed for so few spots. I am completely over
thinking everything.

I haven't seen any reports by Heads and wicked part of me would like to walz in and ask to see one under Freedom of info But on balance think it has to be better in the children's interests for heads to be able to give an open view. Otherwise they would end up like work references and would become very bland and little more of confirmation of dates attended a given school.

Thanks mummyinatizz. Poor DD. Her mother is useless!

www.putneyhigh.gdst.net/451/admissions

its in key dates further down the page

PHS said they'd post on Tues 2nd, so hopefully 3rd Feb. (WHS posting on 01 Feb.)

Does anyone know when we should expect to hear from PHS? I SHOULD know, but I'll be damned if I can find it written on anything they've ever sent us.

Sorry me again (all this free time now the exam ferrying has finished!).

DD did JAGS last week, but wasn't interviewed before Christmas, so will only get an interview now if she has passed/got close. I think they said on one of the many bits of paper from them, that if we don't get the interview invite by end Jan, its a no. Have I got that right?

All exams finished for us, thankfully, though I know Ibstock still to be sat last this week - good luck to any going for that one. For us now the wait for results.

It got me thinking about the current school head's reference. They are adamant that they are references/reports are confidential, but with the 'data' being used is about our DD, surely under some data protection act we should be able to see it.

Have any of you seen the report written by your head?

True I agree let's see what happens in the nhehs interview

The sooner the better, unless it's bad news. Then I can wait

Sorry for all those who did not get interviews they were hoping for.The one thing i would add is I am doing this for the 3rd time, in both earlier times my DD and DS did not get their first choice school, but they both ended up in schools that are academically very good and suit them and both children are thriving.
So i think there are plenty of schools to suit our children and whatever happens, such is the competition that it should not take anything away from your wonderful child to fail to get an interview- it will really work out in the end for them,
I also suspect that this is a bit of a con, we have children that are industrious, we encourage them to apply themselves in the exams, this is exactly the right environment where the child will do well wherever they are (within reason).

there were plenty of rejections last year by KGS for boys/girls who got schools you would naturally place above KGS.
don't lose heart. read last year's thread and you'll see it all does tend to work out.

Ashers Surbiton exam does tend to be easier but then of course you probably get penalised for silly mistakes as the overall marks are higher. Sometimes i think the harder exams are fairer. Last year the surbiton offers came out next saturday, very early.