Upcoming girls’ independent SW London schools 11+ exams

@Stircrazyschoolmum - how fabulous to have it out of the way and have a clean house!

We're in for G&L and FHSS but I've not really mentioned them much on account of how I've never set foot inside either of them .
I did manage to visit PHS, WHS, SPGS & IPS in a short lived burst of enthusiasm in 2019. LEH is too far for us.
Because G&L have gone ISEB, DD still won't get a chance to see it as we'll now sit the consortium at FHSS (which seems AGES away) so at at least she'll that school (I'll be craning my neck round the front door as I drop her off)

So lovely to see you @Autumnnightsaredrawingin (you went Putney I think?). The SW London thread last year was fantastic and I regularly go back and revisit it. I hope your daughter is enjoying it.

It’s done. YAY!!!

DD came out of school with a smile. She felt she had given it her best shot. Not much like atom she said! VR hardest but finished all the questions albeit with a couple of guesses!

Very pleased it’s over and she doesn’t seem too traumatised.

@Autumnnightsaredrawingin lovely to have you checking in.. I followed your thread all last year! I can’t remember where your DD ended up but remember she did really well. How a she getting on?

I think historically G&L and LEH have been far more discussed on this thread and believe both to be excellent but not on my radar due to distance. Hopefully some lurkers will feel brave enough to post. It’s a life line to me having this thread!

Thank you @Autumnnightsaredrawingin I remember reading last year's thread and have found it very useful going through the 11+ first time with DD.

I've been wondering about the chat on schools: G&L doesn't seem to be mentioned quite as much on MS and other forums, as compared to schools like PHS, WHS, JAGS, SPGS, Emanuel, LEH, LU etc. - why is that? I thought perhaps as the candidates are more international with the IB option? But tell me if I'm just imagining this!

Just wanted to pop by and say good luck to all your girls with their exams and subsequent results. This was us this time last year, and I was so stressed about it, but it all worked out really well for us, fingers crossed it’s the same for all of you! X

@PatoPato , remind your daughter that speed doesn’t necessarily mean accuracy!

Thanks everyone.. your messages are keeping me sane! We got a bear too.. Barney?!?

I’m convinced he jinxed DD’s JAGS interview!!

Very clever marketing I have to say, but also
a very good school choice based on where we live. I wish they would let us know earlier!!

@PatoPato - ah - I thought you meant that not everyone who applied to SCHS got sent a bear (we don't know anyone else applying, so wouldn't know).

@stellagibbons Those that didn't apply to SCHS were green with envy. Nice touch on the school's part but I'd be burning that bear if my DD was unsuccessful! (we haven't applied)

Good luck tomorrow @Stircrazyschoolmum - you'll feel so light at pick-up tomorrow once it's done.

@PatoPato sorry to hear about the playground chat. I've said to DD to avoid talking about it unless someone asks her directly. I guess it's good for them at least to know other DCs going through the same thing, and they're not being unnecessarily forced to do the extra school work!

Well done on your DD completing the CEM - I guess it's for SPGS?

@Stircrazyschoolmum all the best for tomorrow for your dd!

Wow, those teddies sound lush! But also definitely bribery tactics there

Oh, did the SCHS bears not go to everyone, @PatoPato ? I assumed they had!

@Corblimbea Streatham & Clapham High sent out some toy bears in SCHS branded t-shirts last week with a nice note. DD is very enamoured with hers! Pure and utter bribery though.

@Stircrazyschoolmum best of luck for tomorrow! DD's isn't until January and I'm having visions of her being the only girl left to do the ISEB by then!

What are the S+C teddy bears? @PatoPato

not sure what that rogue O is!

@Stircrazyschoolmum - properly laughing at 'airing their shopping lists'. I'm with you on waiting to see what offers are on the table before declaring a favourite though I'm ashamed to say that I've applied to a couple I'm not in love with because I had a moment where I lost faith that 'the system' will work as it has done before whereby each child ends up roughly where you'd expect them to.

Our teacher had a talk with the kids today to ask them to be sensitive about the school chat. A few have come in clutching their S&C teddy bears as good luck charms causing a few sad faces for those that haven't had the bribery treatment and there was a spate of 'guess what guys I've got into my dream school without having to sit an exam' (out of London) on the WhatsApp chat group they've set up under the radar. Teacher pointed out that some kids don't have any exams until after Christmas and some of those are late ISEB sittings so asked them to refrain from 'announcements' and the sharing of info.

I was being slightly self mocking about being knackered after the CEM pretest as it was only an hour and not even me that sat it! It covered all 4 areas but is cut & diced very differently from the ISEB format.
I think we find out mid December. In the past not too many get knocked out at this stage, maybe 20%, but it might be more ruthless this year as I guess the fewer bottoms on seats in the exam hall come January the better for the school in terms of COVID. That's no bad thing...if it's not going to happen for us I think I'd rather find out now before investing a lot of time over Christmas prepping for the crazy hard papers of the next round. Interviews are by invitation after that. It's not a vanity application - if she's out she's out. I just wanted to give it a shot. There is no value/comfort in it for me for her to get through to a certain stage.

A lot (3 schools) rests on the ISEB next week!

O

@WarmAndco3y the ISEB is tomorrow. I’m quietly bricking it whilst trying to remain outwardly calm and encouraging. I plan to scrub the house from top to bottom tomorrow to distract myself!

@PatoPato an hour sounds intense! Is that still all four areas or just VR/NVR? Do you have to wait long to hear?

In DD’s class from what I can make out it’s the boys in the class doing the schools chat rather than the girls. DD is a younger sibling and it’s been a bit frustrating hearing some of the first born parents naively airing their ‘shopping lists’ as if their averagely bright state child is going to be successful at every school they apply to. I think there’s generally an under appreciation of just how competitive the process can be (especially for the co-Ed’s) and I have to bite my tongue when DD is asked which school is her favourite as firstly she’s not seen any of them and secondly let’s wait and see if she gets any offers first!

Apologies.. mini rant over!

We're quite lucky in that there are only a couple of girls in DD's class going for indies - so there is little or no chat about it. In fact, DD only found out another girl in her class has applied to JAGs as their teacher was asking them to remind him about the JAGs forms they have to do tomorrow (DD has no idea what this means, and neither do I. I can only assume it's something to do with the reference - but why DD has to do something I do not know and neither does she!)

There is a definite hierarchy of states where we are though, with some being perceived as harder to get into and therefore better, so she has been exposed to a fair amount of bluster about that. Not helped that she is in a class with a majority of younger siblings, who are all being quietly smug about going to supposedly better schools.

Feeling totally exhausted today after DD's one hour pretest this morning .
It was super time pressured but not as hard as mocks she sat last week. She didn't finish all sections though at the end of the test the other candidate, true to form, was quick to announce that she had finished all sections which knocked my understated DD's confidence.

Are your DD's exposed to much school chat amongst their friends? I'm trying not to discuss schools with her too much until we get through to interview stage. She hasn't seen any of them in person so it's all rather nebulous. I've found any talk results in requests for rankings/difficulty ratings which then unnerves her slightly so we are just treating the pretest & ISEB (next week for us) as just yet another test taken in school. I just wish I could stop her being exposed to some of the swagger going on in the playground chat. This is probably more because it annoys me than it does her though if I'm being honest!

@Stircrazyschoolmum, sorry if I’ve missed/forgotten this, (and feeling too lazy to search the thread), has your DD done her ISEB already? Or is it soon?

Whew! This all fits with what I already knew.. just having ‘a moment’ !

@stircrazyschoolmum yes that what I'm assuming re PHS and WHS (and G&L). The wait is already sending me loopy, January is soooo far away!

Alleyn’s have given ISEB dates. 28th November and 5th December. I don’t know about the others, sorry.

Thank goodness you checked @Jess1011 !!

Complete paranoia but can I confirm (if anyone knows) that as far as WHS, PHS and Alleyns are concerned, other than receipt of registration we shouldn’t be doing anything this side of Christmas? I think all three use ISEB as first filter before inviting to second round?

It is terrible. Panic set in when DD kept coming home saying so and so had their interview with Emanuel already. Of course it was silly for me to wait this long before contacting them but I kept thinking it was my panic over the whole situation and the response would come.Also did not want to appear pushy particularly as their website is full of information. So glad I contacted them now, we have also received the interview material, zoom link and instructions. To say I am relieved is an understatement. Good luck to all your girls and thank you for responses.

Just catching up and just found myself shouting CALL THEM to @Jess1011 and have now seen that you've had a reply...thank god.
Isn't it crazy that we are all having to second guess whether getting in contact in such circumstances might be seen as pushy. I would have been the same....not wanting to make a fuss.
Very glad you emailed them - good lesson