ALL NEW; WHITGIFT/TRINITY/DULWICH/ALLEYNS 10+/11+ 2016

[MrsPatmore]

Thought I'd go ahead and start. Found the old threads really interesting and would welcome ongoing input from those who've been through the whole process.
Ds in Year 5 and we are looking at a mixture of grammar schools and indies for 11+ Whitgift recommended this year - we've been told there is a drive to raise academic standards. We're going to the Open afternoon on 10th Nov.

I meant to say: when did they ask....

Foragogo, if your dc is at a prep then W will have asked them for a reference including whether fees are up to date.

Berora, all parents of potential academic scholars have a chat with HM at T.

I thought so too but we were taken in for a chat with the head while ds was having his interview with a staff member - as was everyone else there that day. We knew that opportunity would be available as it was detailed in the interview letter. Don't know if it's new or always been the case? Was (presented as at least) very much a chat rather than an interview (as was the W interview as well really) but I guess it's all about offer levels and categories.

sorry X post

Thanks, Ladymuck, that makes it clear.

Foragogo, it sounds like your DS did really well, fingers crossed he will get an offer you are hoping for.

He did all that we could have asked of him and more which is all I really care about (wasn't always the case!)

The Head of Admission at W didn't ask us any questions. He just told us all 15 min of interview how bright our son. And now I worry why he didn't ask us anything...

Muminfire - the torment we put ourselves through - you say the head spent 15mins telling you how bright your son is.... and yet you have found something else to worry about! Oh, that we all had your worry :) (not that we sat W). Fingers crossed for you that it turns out to be as good news as it appears from the outside

I think we're all in over-analysing territory now it's all over and done with :) - inevitable after being obsessed with it all for so long. Thankfully we have Ladymuck to keep us sane with cold, hard facts.

The rest is all a waiting game. Which is a good job really as now I can get back to actually doing some work to earn that money!

Foragogo, you are right! It's so hard to wait. We are thinking and analysing too much now.
LibbyKit2, my fist thought after interview was how cool my son, but now I worry may be it was just polite - you son is bright but not for our school and now we don't need know about you anything:-)

These next 2.5 weeks of waiting are going to be a nightmare for us and our DS, aren't they! DS1 keeps asking questions about W & T, and I have to start each answer by saying "well, let's not worry about that until we know whether you get offered anywhere". Trying (and failing!) to manage expectations!

Best of luck to those still going through the interviews! Is it just tomorrow at W and until Wednesday next week at T? How about DC and Alleyn's - are all interview finished there, or still ongoing?

Alleyns still has this Sat. No idea re DC - though imagine they are over by now. We just had offer from Brighton College - though now brings in new worries of whether we really want to move or not!! Nothing is simple

Great news about Brighton, LibbyKit2 (although I do note your point about moving ) Are you still waiting for outcome from other schools?

Foragogo - I'm with you on this, if I don't get on and do some work soon, there won't be enough to pay for DS to go to W let alone get a place!! last day tomorrow - cricket callback, and then breathe!! Or rather, work.......

What's the deadline for responding to Brighton?

Hi everyone. Please forgive a newbie crashing the thread. A friend who went through this all last year pointed me in your direction. Hello We sat 10+ at T this year and were at the interviews on Saturday. But disappointed to see from ladymuck that no chat with HM means not being considered for an academic scholarship. May have been unrealistic hoping for it but would have been a big help in the event of an offer. We're in the bursary application camp. Does anyone know for sure if bursary offers come at the same time as any offer letter?

Welcome. Yes they do. If you get an offer which doesn't mention the bursary then phone the school asap - mistakes have been known to happen.

Thanks ladymuck. Very helpful. They don't seem the easiest to deal with. I had to send some extra info back in November - their email had this rather threatening sign off about how it my info wasn't received by a certain date they wouldn't progress my application. I replied to the email and also sent docs by post but that was the last I heard from them.

Great to see everyone getting through interviews, assessment etc. my experience from last year is that the wait is tough!! But hang on in there... The end is in sight!!

I assume that W have sent out all Interview or rejection letters now? A few years back, there was a terrible situation where there where parents still waiting to hear one way or the other after 3 weeks. By all accounts, they've tightened up their process it appears?

The wait is by far worse for me than going through all the exams, interviews etc. It's the fact that nothing more can be done now, I think, and what will be, will be. I'm struggling to focus on anything, trying not to show to DS how stressed and worried I am. He asked me yesterday why I was still looking at 11+ threads - good question, isn't it...

Berora, I had the same question from my son. I have read all last year thread. Why?! To find some signs that my DS will get place and may be scholarship... Have I found them? No... Crazy me

Morning all, jarofcalm I think that is standard stuff in correspondence from the foundation, not meant in a threatening way. They obviously have to have a cut off point in order to deal with so many applications before the schools give offers .

Definitely agree with you both, Berora and Muminfire and have read all of last year's thread for the same reasons At least we all know we are not alone in this wait game!

I know two people still waiting for Whitgift - seems like a long wait. Really hoping for them that there is still some chance left...??
Ladymuck - luckily Brighton don't need answer til March 7 - so have time (ha... five days) to consider all - and make fundamentally huge decision on place to live/schools - private/grammar/state etc (being a bit presumptious on grammar there )

Hi all, to reinforce what has been said already, this point of the process does seem to go on for an age but in reality it is all dealt with pretty swiftly by the schools.

Good luck to those of you who have already interviewed at W, from our experience this is a good / albeit not conclusive sign. I remember using this time to tell DS how proud we were of him and how well he had done regardless of the eventual outcome. On reflection, there were probably far more nerves from our end than from his so you may want to bear that in mind should you have any conversations with your DS between now and finally finding out.