Part 2: SW London Girl's Indies 11+ Pandemic Panic!

@Yossahughes don’t forget these 1000 applicants are the same applying to different schools. So they don’t really represent the actual numbers of people needing places.
This is why it’s going to be tough, this year especially, even for the admissions teams

In my opinion , it is the hardest this year with the multiple formats thrown at the kids . In terms of ISEB , there is no transparency as to what components is being picked up by the schools .
There is definitely some weightage to the references if I have read the mails correctly especially WHS which clearly mentions that they have closely read each reference in view of the unusual circumstances .
The interview process this year may be a deal breaker and I'm a bit worried about what could they glean in 10 minutes general interviews !
For WHS , they mentioned in the open morning that their intake is 30% state usually

I wonder if you added up all the applicants and the number of places available across all schools in the area if there are enough places to go round....and if not, why sort of numbers are we talking about? It’s one thing talking about 1000 girls going for 60 places but is the reality that there are enough places for 3/4 of all applicant or maybe more?

@EITEL I think for most indies with a junior school the split will be 1/3 state 2/3 prep, as most schools will take the majority of their junior cohort. The most common number seems to be around 60 places, so in a co-ed school that’s broadly 15 spots for state girls (and 15 for external prep). It’s hardly surprising with those odds that there are a lot of rejections.. all you can do is reassure your daughter it’s nothing she did wrong but just a numbers game.

@dinosaurinmybelly I agree with you.

In the end I think it will level out....

I'm not so concerned with the state versus prep allocation as I have it on good authority that they are considered as two separate pools to which a certain number of places are allocated (perhaps 50/50 in some schools as EITEL has mentioned.

I do think, however that those extra weeks of preparation for the ISEB could have meant those state school children taking the ISEB later were at an advantage. Personally, I was happy that DD sat hers early as one of her schools required it and it gave us some breathing space over Christmas. However I know of DC who were working through Atom and GL papers from October to early Jan and spending many hours with tutors over the Christmas holidays.

We totally bought into the idea that a child can't prepare for the ISEB but are now persuaded otherwise. If you had the money for online subscriptions and tutors who could help you adjust to the new format, I believe that made a big difference. The uneven playing field this year is within the state school applications in my view, not state versus prep.

It is what it is, however and I certainly don't envy the admissions departments. Many have interviewed all candidates this year, so hopefully that will give them additional information to go on.

@EITEL not all private schools are prep schools. Indeed some have secondary schools, which they would want the junior school pupils to progress to and especially if there are no formal entrance exams, then these DC don’t get the prep you are suggesting.

Also, as some PP have suggested, support during the pandemic is not a straightforward private vs state school divide. It is an individual school thing. I have heard mixed reviews from both sectors.

My DD did her ISEB in one of the schools we applied to, actually I’m happy she didn’t do it in her school as it gave her a ‘real exam feel’. Also she is happy she did it all in one go. She did some Atom learning just for a few weeks to practice the technique and did the mocks all in one go. We also hadn’t heard of ISEB before the schools we applied to signed up to this, with just a few weeks to the exam. I have been through this process before with other ( male & female) DC. I can easily say this has been the most challenging

I reckon waiting lists will be very broad this year and a lot of movement on them too. I think the number passing grammar school SeT was higher this year, but scores also seem higher at our prep, so some people will also be surprised either way by grammar outcomes and that will impact some Indy schools, too (WHS, Epsom College, Surbiton tend to be influenced by Sutton and Tiffin test outcomes from grammar. I very much doubt they will move permanently to ISEB as I think schools like to express their ‘Brand’ through their admissions process - e.g. the crystal maze style group interviews at WHS last year!

My DD is at state school and she also wrote ISEB in one go at one of the target schools last week of November. It looks like she did well but I initially thought that it was a disadvantage as at home she usually performed worse towards the 4th subject and could do better, if sat in two parts like in prep schools. We practiced ISEB test on Atom from October for about a month.
And yes, after schools moved to ISEB, we applied to two more schools than initially planned. I think this year would be a lottery with a lot of unexpected offers. Strong DCs would be choosing first and then a lot of movement on waiting lists, so waiting list places would be offered generously, too.

I agree, @EITEL, it’s such cobblers. DD pulled her Atom scores up by about 50 points over a month of practice.

Just wanted to wish you all still going through this all the luck in the world!
It’s so incredibly stressful! The support on this thread is amazing! God luck for those still waiting xx

My DD did it at school all in one go which like @NoToMisogyny said suited her as she was in the zone. However, she did it very early (mid Nov) compared to those who sat in the last week or so which given we had never heard of ISEB before late Sept /early Oct gave us very little time to prepare.

Mine sat hers at LU all in one go, with short breaks between papers. I think it was probably easier for her personality to get it all done in one go and out of the way, but for some kids I'm sure that wouldn't be true. In any case, whatever they go for, they ought to be confident that all the candidates have had the same experience.

(Our state school might have facilitated in non-Covid times, but weren't willing to in present circumstances because it would have involved mixing bubbles.)

Sorry to interject but my DS did it all in one go and found it much easier being ‘in the zone’ and ploughing through it rather than he would have done doing it in sections on different days. So depends on the child I guess

@MumsRule20 my DD (at prep) sat it over two days with a day off in between. Maths and non-verbal one day and English and verbal the second day. I was surprised when they told us that they were allowed to spread it out over multiple days and agree it’s not fair to those kids who had to do it all in one. DD also got to do it in a room with her friends, with familiar teachers invigilating, which I’m sure made it more pleasant. They made a big fuss of them at school too and gave them arts and crafts activities to do in between the tests to calm their nerves.

It’s definitely an advantage and I agree with you it’s not a level playing field at all. If secondary schools decide to use ISEB every year (who knows if they’ve found it beneficial or if they can’t wait to go back to the old way) they will have to address this.

Ty Dr

I used to (friend used to teach there) but my information's really out of date. They have a junior department so there aren't as many places as you might think for the size of the school.

Does anyone know the ratio of applications to LEH v actual places available?

Yes you’re right re the ISEB. My friend said as much. I definitely don’t envy the emissions teams!!

@NoToMisogyny the ISEB effect would’ve played a large part in this.

This is why the admissions teams will have their work caught out for them. Every child can only go to one school, so they need to somehow decipher who is really going to accept offers made.

I hear from someone who teaches at WHS there were 1000 applications for 60 places this year!