Beckham kids to start at Haberdashers.

[VivaLeBeaver]

Nowhere near me but I see MNers talking about this school. So if you have a kid there you may soon be rubbing shoulders with Becks.

uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/13032011/58/world-football-beckhams-moving-england.html

Oh Emma don't be daft.

Out of the whole thread only 2 posters jumped to conclusions and made accusations.

Nobody else read your post that way at all.

Please stay, pretty pleeese.

Emma, there's no way that what you said was anti-semetic. It was just an observation on what you've seen. Please don't leave.

I'm the Mum of 2 boys who went to HABS and a daughter who is still at the Girl's School (In fact I went to the Girls and my 2 brothers went to the Boy's School.)

I was certain that HABS wouldn't take anyone who hadn't taken the exam but I wanted to check. I've talked with a senior person at the Boy's School, and he was absolutely insistent that no boy is ever admitted without participating in the full examinations and interview process, and that the decision to make an offer is based entirely on demonstrated academic ability. He assured me that the wealth or status of parents plays absolutely no role in this process

\link{http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1373853/Beckhams-working-class-posh-Haberdashers-Askes-school.html\lazy DM "journalism" scouring MN for "stories" again}

oooh they make me cross!!!

The Beckhams are the quintessential private school parents de nos jours: fabulously rich, irredeemably flash and tasteless. The amount of money they'll be able to offer the school in return for guaranteed places will be so overwhelming that every rule will be bent to accomodate them. Posh will have a dazzling effect on the other nouveaux riches mothers whose previous efforts to out do each other will be all in vain when it comes to who's got the most expensive clothes/shoes/cars/city bonus etc. Frankly, I'm surprised they haven't headed straight for Eton...

Sorry Steady but I don't agree. I know the school - they have plenty of funds - PLENTY. They will never ever let a kid in who has not passed the exams. The Beckham kids will have to be up to it academically no matter how much cash they have.

Oh for goodness sake some of you really need to get a grip. Shock horror parents try to do the best for their children!

Some of the comments on here really do make some of you look like total fools, nasty fools at that.

SB those schools don't need or want money. They are charities and you can't pay to get in and any way no child who isn't up to it would benefit from being there. It's a great school but you can't buy your way in. I can't think of any instance of any child in all the years of our association with the girls school who got in other than by blind exam paper without name/photo and then interview. Most who apply don't get in. We don't even know if the Beckhams would like to have a go at getting their son(s) in nor if they are bright enough which they may but not if they've just been a US schools. They would need to br brought up to British standards and then British prep school standards first.

'brought up to British standards'

that's hilarious

Quite a few v famous footballers send their children to my dc's school. I get the impression they are pretty ambitious for their chidren, academically.

why hilarious, bluerodeo?

After all the gossip about it they have probably being put right off applying there. It should never have been brought up. Thousands of celebs send their kids to private schools and no ones ever mentioned that their child goes to school with them so, why such interest in the Beckhams?

I didn't mean overall US children are taught badly - just that we do more younger than in most US schools. The US ones may well make it up as they get through their teens but if you were entering Habs boys by academic exam at 7+ or 11+ you would need to have covered the work that will be examined.

Sample 11+ papers here
www.habsboys.org.uk/info/examinations/11plus/11plus.php

hilarious because it was such a sweeping statement

Xenia, I work in an American school (and not even a fancy private one, just a regular rural state school in Minnesota) and I would be shocked if our 11+ boys could not answer those questions.

Brought up to British standards my giddy aunt!

11+ boys are actually aged between 10 & 11 when they take the exam, CY - does that make any difference?

Not really, most of our fifth/sixth graders could certainly pass that!

our Y6 is your 5th grade, & they generally take the exam in the fall of that year, so most of them are still only 10.

you might like to print off a couple of those papers & give them to your 5th graders in Sept/Oct...the later questions in the maths paper particularly are quite tough

You might be at a particularly academic US school. Most children in the uK can't pass that exam at age 10.

The exam when aged 12 for 13+ entry is www.habsboys.org.uk/info/examinations/13plus/13plus.php Can't remember the age of the oldest Beckham boy.

And for boys joining the school at 7+ who will be 6 when they do the papers usually www.habsboys.org.uk/prep/admissions/admissions7+.php

I said "most" :) And we're not a particularly academic school, as I said.

well you did mention 6th graders & some of them are 12 so, you know...

most of your 10-yr-olds could do those papers? really?

I would think so

Perhaps I'm wrong as to their abilities. I work with the seven year olds right now, so I can let you know in three years! :)

OK - check back in 3 years

Certainly most British boys who sit that exam don't pass and don't get into the school and only those tho think they might be in with a chance (which is probably as a guess the top 10% by IQ would be sitting). Good to know our American cousins are well ahead.