As the Tiffin deadline looms, is there a girls SW London grammars / indies thread yet?

I didnt know there was a second assessment day...

That should say we will do some practice papers after 1 Jan and before the 11+ exams. It definitely shouldn’t dominate the Christmas week!

No Flumeplume, I’m just guessing. I’m giving them about a week to decide who to offer to from the 2nd assessment day and assuming they have to get the letters out before they break up on Friday. Anyway, it’s tuesday and no letter!

Kalifornia, we won’t do very much between now and the 1 Jan, but will do a few practice papers between now and the exams in Jan. There isn’t long to go now, the end is in sight. Use bribery or whatever to get your DD to do a little work with the promise of a big treat when it’s over - regardless of the outcome. Best of luck

How much work are you expecting your DDs to do over the hols? Since hearing we didn't get through WHS we have just stopped bothering. We fully expected not to just lost our mojo. Which i realise is silly but i want her to just enjoy the concerts etc that go on all this end of term.
Anyway if any of you have any advice about what is necessary to get her through SHS and PHS exams i would be grateful as tbh we have lost interest in the whole process. I have a bright state school girl who has little interest in working.

DD was also really happy there was singing! Singing is a massive deal at the school so encourage your DD to do her best there. It's not explicitly marked or whatever but I bet they are looking out to see who is trying their best etc.

It will be this week, but they only had the second assessment day on the 6th, so I’m thinking towards the end of the week might be more likely.

Haven’t received anything from Sutton High yet. Hope they send them out soon- the waiting is torture

I think that is right about the first round. It's around the bottom 25% who don't get called for the exam. It is hard to estimate numbers as the first round takes place in such small groups. The interviews take place over a whole week so you only see say ten other applicants waiting at that stage so no real way to work out numbers there either. DD enjoyed hers and did not find it at all intimidating or difficult. They do the thing where they show them a picture (I suspect this is to do with seeing what they come up with/how they react when they are talking about something they don't know about). DD was asked things like what did she want to do when she grew up and what did she like/not like at school and why.

Re the exams, DD found the Maths very hard. She did not quite manage to finish the paper and still got a place so worth mentioning if your daughter finds it difficult too as it might reassure her! There were apparently lots of hard multi-stage questions so my advice is read carefully to find out what is really being asked. DD said there was one question where she got completely muddled and had to go back and start again.

DD really enjoyed the English paper - there was a longish piece of creative writing at the end so leave enough time. It is probably worth a quick scan through to see if there is a long question at the end.

The Comprehension paper is different every year but DD enjoyed it the most out of all of them. If your child likes puzzles, she will probably enjoy it too.

They also do other activities during the day - games and singing etc.

Hope some of this is a bit helpful.

Thanks Flume and Coconut.
I wonder how many actually apply for SPGS in the first place? One person who seems very “in the know” told me 700 take the initial computer test.

That would seem quite low because Latymer Upper have 1,400 sitting this year! I guess LU would have more applicants being co-ed? Of this 1,400, they interview 400 for 140 places. I heard SPGS interview 200 for about 100 places - in which case the odds seem better? Who knows? As long as they get in somewhere. DD also doing G&L.

When we sat, I understood that SPGS only cull the bottom 20% or so who really have no chance. The big one is being called back after the written paper.

Hi I’ve just spotterd this thread - thankyou to whoever started it! Does anyone have any idea how many girls get through to the “second round” at St Paul’s Girls? Someone told me they invite back 400 out if 700 who sat the computer test, but someone else told me they practically invite everyone back.
Any advice about St Paul’s Girls exam welcome please!

I can help with info about LU if any use to anyone?

Is anyone sitting LEH in January? I heard a rumour there was no creative writing part to the English exam but just comprehension & verbal reading. Does anyone know if this is the case? Thanks.

thanks so much! She was shown a picture in the Emanuel interview too, any idea what sort of thing they are looking for here?

I think DD was also shown a picture and asked to talk about it. Was all fairly straightforward though. Good luck!

PHS interview is pretty relaxed. I seem to remember there were about 10 questions and none were particularly tricky. It's this Thursday isn't it? DD thanks you for the afternoon off school

Has anyone got any experience of the PHS interview? I'm hoping to help my DD have some idea of what to expect.

Ooh interesting, although of course if you are number 250 on a waiting list its pretty meaningless!

Re WHS, in some of the early info we received through the post it does say “All girls who progress to the second stage will either be offered a place at 11+ or will be put on our waiting list for a place. while this will mean that our waiting list will be longer than in previous years, and while of course there is no guarantee of a place if on the waiting list, we do think this is a fair approach...”

I knew I wasn’t just imagining that!