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Original poster

Upcoming girls’ independent SW London schools 11+ exams

994 replies

Oceane11plus · 08/07/2020 11:50

Are there any parents on this board with DDs due to sit independent school exams in January? If so where do you stand in terms of shortlisting schools, revisions etc Are you planning to do any work over the summer?

We are still in the process of fine tuning the list of schools... We will probably end up applying to about 4/5 schools, of which 2 are in the same consortium which means 3/4 exams max.
As far as I am aware, our prep has not recommended any specific revisions for the summer, but I was still planning to make her write some maths, English and VR/NVR past papers, as 2 months without doing anything seems too much so close to the exams. I was thinking of making her do one paper a week in each subject, on top of reading and boosting her vocabulary, with two weeks in August without any paper/formal work.

Any tips on what we should be doing at this stage and over summer holidays, notably from parents with past experience, would be super useful!

Thank you

OP posts:
Stircrazyschoolmum · 31/10/2020 07:23

montlieu from a purely numbers view Alleyn’s will be harder to get into than the other 3 schools you mention as half it’s places will go to boys. Plus, anecdotally I’ve heard they put more of a focus on balancing state and indie admissions (perhaps related to the bursary pot?)

Given they are all ISEB this year, perhaps register for all of them and see where your DD lands in terms of second rounds? Obviously this gets expensive but if you get an offer you should be able to view the school physically.

montlieu · 20/10/2020 21:56

Hello
would anyone be able to give feedback on Jags versus Alleyn's please ?
and also versus WHS and PHS ? not sure about applying to JAGS, as it seems way more difficult to get into than the others. Also trying to get a feel for it, new Headmistress seems great on pastoral care
thanks !

Mycatslovedreamies · 16/10/2020 12:19

Does anyone think there will be any further changes to the exam formats - some schools like LEH and Guildford high school are still expecting girls to take tests at the schools in November and December....bearing in mins the current lockdown situation what are the chances of this happening?

HighRopes · 16/10/2020 10:26

@Oceane11Plus

DD will sit her ISEB test in November too. Pity DC won't get to see the schools from the "inside" when they sit the exams. I remember DD1 got a real feel for the schools she was applying to on exam days. In some schools they were looked after by older pupils and taken to lunch which was a great opportunity to ask questions and feel the atmosphere. As a result she knew after the exams which school she did NOT want to go to (it was actually "my" first choice and I was never able to convince her to accept the offer). She is so happy where she is now, in hindsight I'm glad I let her follow her gut feeling, and I'm sad her sister won't have the same chance Sad
Dd had a similar experience - loved one exam day (they did some singing, which she enjoyed, plus the food was good!) and hated another which involved a lot of waiting around in the cold. It really crystallised her views on those schools.

Good luck to all those going through it this year!

Original poster
Oceane11Plus · 15/10/2020 15:02

DD will sit her ISEB test in November too.
Pity DC won't get to see the schools from the "inside" when they sit the exams. I remember DD1 got a real feel for the schools she was applying to on exam days. In some schools they were looked after by older pupils and taken to lunch which was a great opportunity to ask questions and feel the atmosphere. As a result she knew after the exams which school she did NOT want to go to (it was actually "my" first choice and I was never able to convince her to accept the offer). She is so happy where she is now, in hindsight I'm glad I let her follow her gut feeling, and I'm sad her sister won't have the same chance Sad

OP posts:
Stircrazyschoolmum · 15/10/2020 13:39

Thank you for the support and insight yellow.

Please PM me the school too! 😁

I’m sad the girls won’t all get to see each other this year.. DD was looking forward to rating the biscuits!

I ‘think’ unless the Covid situation gets vv bad there should be physical ‘offer holders’ tours in the Spring. It’s a big commitment without seeing somewhere.

I’m assuming tier 2 doesn’t prevent the girls meeting their tutors?

Does anyone have an ISEB date yet? We think our school will be late November.

WarmAndco3y · 15/10/2020 11:52

So glad this is my last.
Done 2 DC already
DC1 applying to uni this year, that’s another kettle of fish in these covid times
Sigh....

Yellownotblue · 15/10/2020 11:31

@Oceane11Plus, I’m sure I will be super stressed again next year when DS does his!

montlieu · 15/10/2020 11:21

me too please !!! thank you :)

WarmAndco3y · 15/10/2020 10:23

Lol!!! We all want to know now. Grin

Original poster
Oceane11Plus · 15/10/2020 09:11

@Yellownotblue Would you mind PMing me too? Also curious to know which school it is!
Many thanks for your hopeful message. It's strange because I have exactly the same experience with my previous DD/DS and at the time I promised myself not to be stressed for my last one but I can't help Wink

OP posts:
Yellownotblue · 15/10/2020 07:24

@Corblimbea I’ve PM’d you.

Corblimbea · 15/10/2020 06:54

@Yellownotblue that’s such a positive helpful message. Thank you so much. Where did your DD end up and is she happy? Also, I’d love to know the school that was trying to fill places over summer?

Yellownotblue · 14/10/2020 21:41

I’m just popping in to wish you all good luck! DD sat the exams last year and we’ve got a respite this year before DS does them next year. These threads are great for support

I’m sure some of you will feel very anxious with the uncertainty and changes to exam format. It will all pan out fine though.

On our thread last year, as far as I remember everyone got a school they were very happy with. Most girls got multiple offers. There were a few surprises and disappointments, but my overwhelming sense at the end of the process was that the “selectiveness” of the process was overplayed by schools.

FWIW, DD sat 6 schools as we were relocating from abroad and I didn’t have a strong sense of her ability relative to the cohort. She had 5 offers including one academic scholarship, which we turned down as it was not our favourite school. She was nervous before the first exam (which was PHS), but came out really happy and confident. She then proceeded to make friends who she kept seeing as they sat exams together.

Most girls on the thread got similar outcomes:

  • Very few girls were not offered Surbiton and PHS.
  • WHS and LEH were slightly more unpredictable, but again most girls on the thread were offered.
  • G&L, SPGS were by far the most selective, but again there were many successes.

It’s also worth noting that not everyone is aiming for the same schools. I know people who have turned down G&L, SPGS in favour of other schools. I’ve also heard of a very selective school scrambling to find students over this summer, having seemingly exhausted their waiting list!

Corblimbea · 14/10/2020 21:06

No, Croydon and Sutton are both doing different online tests and other parts of the day (interviews).

WarmAndco3y · 14/10/2020 19:02

@ChnandlerBong that’s interesting to read!

Does anyone know if croydon high is using ISEB, as well. Most of the GDST schools seem to be.

ChnandlerBong · 14/10/2020 15:16

Alleyns sibling policy is only very notional. Used to be a sure thing but i know plenty of siblings (inc ones who got scholarships elsewhere) be turned down in the last 5 years.

WarmAndco3y · 14/10/2020 15:07

I missed the Croydon high one, overslept after a really challenging week, last week.

Corblimbea · 14/10/2020 14:56

I’ve loved them! Being able to ask questions from my front room is amazing. Pre-recorded ones are not great and feel staged - I enjoyed Sutton High and Croydon High - live q and a with the girls works well. I felt like I got an impression of the schools from the girls and staff. Clashes have meant I’ve only done those two. The 360 tours are great too and give a better opportunity to view than a rushed and busy tour I think. I’m still worried that we won’t be able to tour some places at all before making decisions though!

WarmAndco3y · 14/10/2020 14:40

Yes, I agree too.
Alleyn’s appear not to have updated all the information.
Do JAGS have a sibling policy? Can’t find any information on this. I think I read somewhere that Alleyn’s do

stellagibbons · 14/10/2020 13:30

I agree @dinosaurinmybelly. While I would still like the opportunity to tour the school and see it in action, meet the actual girls etc I have to say I much prefer the online presentation/ q and a sessions. They feel more focused and relevant to me, plus I quite like doing them from the comfort of my own home!

dinosaurinmybelly · 14/10/2020 12:48

How is everyone finding the virtual presentations? I'm liking the opportunity to pose questions during the presentation and feel that JAGS, WHS and PHS have done a great job. I haven't been able to visit WHS and PHS but feel like I've had a few opportunities now to get to know more. Alleyn's however - the presentations on their site are sometimes still referring to the old examination. I've asked if they could have a live presentation. Anyone else looking at that one?

Doobiedooo · 11/10/2020 15:15

Pato, don’t worry about your card being marked. I guarantee you’ll have been one of many with the same issue. Plus, and if anyone knows otherwise pl correct me, but your interaction with registrar has no input on selection! If anything they should be courting you at this stage - you will pay their wages if your child goes to the school!

PatoPato · 10/10/2020 15:05

I also really liked the new WHS head. She felt 'normal' - really good energy levels without being too theatrical

Stircrazyschoolmum · 10/10/2020 13:30

I’m really liking the new WHS head. I found the girls all very articulate but found it a bit of a shame the linguist was planning to study natural sciences at uni. Flipping that thought I guess it’s good that the girls are encouraged to pursue their interests rather than pressurised by the school to do something specific..