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Original poster

what happens at an interview for P1 (age 4) into an indepedant/private school ???????

36 replies

nailpolish · 18/01/2007 11:00

thanks!

OP posts:
NotQuiteCockney · 18/01/2007 11:03

DS1 is at an independent school. He didn't have an interview per se, they took 10 kids away, en masse, to play together in the classroom and be observed.

They said, ahead of time, that they weren't looking for kids who could read etc (thank goodness!), but instead for confident outgoing reasonably well-behaved kids.

Original poster
nailpolish · 18/01/2007 11:04

how did you prepare him nqc?

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NotQuiteCockney · 18/01/2007 11:07

Um. I had a confident outgoing reasonably well-behaved kid. Seemed like prep enough.

Well, I did warn him about what was going to happen, as he'd be taken away from us etc etc. But thankfully, he never minds that, so it was fine.

There were a few kids freaking out, because they were clingy kids, and at least one of them hadn't been warned what was going to happen.

To some extent, I think (and thought), well, if he doesn't get in, then this isn't the right school for him, so that's fine.

NotQuiteCockney · 18/01/2007 11:09

I think some schools check for knowing some letters or colours or something? Ours wasn't even an interview, I think they called it a selection process.

It is all a bit random, of course. If your kid is off-colour on the selection day, tough luck. Also, our school gives preference to siblings, so if there are loads of siblings in your year (there are quite a few in ours, maybe half the class is sibs?), then tough luck again.

Original poster
nailpolish · 18/01/2007 11:09

oh that doesnt sound too bad

thanks

OP posts:
prettybird · 18/01/2007 11:22

We had the same approach NQC. The school claimed that they were looking for academic potential, not for kids who could read - wto which we thught "great, that's what he's going to school for". But at the second "play" session (they do two, in case a kid has an off day), we saw other parents cramming their kids with little reading books. We though "oh oh - our ds know the letter M, as that's the first letter of his name - but that's it". He was only 4 and 4 months at the time.

As it was, he wasn't accepted - but we actaully got him into the school of our choice, which we found out belatedly (otherwise we wouldn't have put him through the private school admissions procedure) was actaully our catchment school.

He now 6, in Primary 2 and do brilliantly in numbers and average for reading. He was in the top group for reading, but it has been agreed that developmentally, he is just not there yet - but will do eventually.

We're actually glad he didn't get accpeted- I don't beleieve that he would have then got the extra support that our (state) school has given him, in an effort to keep in the top group, and the continued support now that he is in the "middle" group (becasue actaully he is between group, so now needs stretching, as opposed to before, when he was struggling) - and the pressure would have been couter productive.

NotQuiteCockney · 18/01/2007 11:26

Our DS1 was old for his year, but only just barely 4 at the time of selection, and yeah, I think he knew a couple of letters, maybe.

He did look at the books in the classroom a lot though. The one comment the teacher had, when she brought him back down, was "he really likes books, doesn't he?". Which I saw as a good sign, much better than "Goodness, he can bite hard!" ;-)

prettybird · 18/01/2007 12:57

We didn't get any feedback at all from the two assessments he went to. But he's a confident wee boy that I'm sure wasn't slow at coming forward!

My own mother tells me with great pleasure that i was also "rejected" by another of Glasgow's selective schools at a similar age - and probably for similar reasons (ie hadn't been crammed, was still learing through play) - and went on to get 6 "A"s for my Highers! (Scottish Eqivalent to A levels, but taken a year earlier and the norm is to take 4 or 5).

So even though ds was a "reject" at 4, I know that he's still go a lot of potential! And what is even more imporant is that he is a wee confident wee boy who loves school - and by all accounts is poular with both teachers and the other children (even the P7s!)

NotQuiteCockney · 18/01/2007 13:05

I don't think I'd want my child at a school that was 'into' cramming. There's no bloody way I'd sit down with a four year old and try to teach him things he didn't want to learn!

LIZS · 18/01/2007 13:25

dd just went in for a morning session with her peer group (they were in the nursery class, she wasn't yet 4, but was going to start in Reception a few months later) . They did Circle Time, had a story, outdoor playtime and she sat with the TA and another child to do various activities , making a crown iirc. It was mainly about how well she settled in that environment, cooperated and socialised, not academics which as far as I know went untested. The only preparation was attending playgroup and preschool. She was the clingiest child in the world btw , and we'd flown in just for this (!), so the fact she did well and "passed" was a huge relief !!

Original poster
nailpolish · 18/01/2007 14:27

thanks everyone for your most helpful replies!

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sunnysideup · 18/01/2007 15:15

I wonder if they are more assessing the parents than the kids????

With 'loose' selection criteria like these (just as it should be at 4!) I would imagine most kids would seem fine...they are probably sussing out whether they can bear to deal with you at the school gates every day for years

Seriously though Naily, good luck with the process, hope your dd gets her place and thrives....

prettybird · 18/01/2007 16:15

My dh thinks that to, sunnysideup - that the headteacher pciked up on my ambivalence towrds private education during the first assessment session.

Personally, I think it is becasue he wasn't ready for reading yet- and was someway off it (2 years later, he is only now startiong to "get" it), and they didn't want to have the hassle of kids at different developmentalstages.

NotQuiteCockney · 18/01/2007 16:45

DS1's teachers didn't really meet me at all as part of the selection procedure. I'm pretty sure they weren't selecting for parents!

Judy1234 · 18/01/2007 18:21

Our children's private schools don't see the parents (I think on principle as they don't want the bias you can get with that - see the fuss over Blair's plan to ban the Oratory and other schools interviewing parents). They just want to look at the children.

Our experiences were similar to the ones below. Children taken into a group and then see if they kick everyone, spit and are unable to sit still or of they seem reasonably alert and interested. I suppose they might look at whether they have ever been shown a book before and know pages turn from front the back, perhaps if they can cut out and hold a pencil may be, depending on the school. Occasionally they ask them to pick their name out of a container although I don't think recognising their name is essential. Sometimes they want a mixture of quiet and outgoing children in a class but I expect if you cry the whole time they may not want you.

My daughters' schools - Habs Girls and North London C both then had if you passed that group sesssion a one to one interview with the girl too afterwards on another day if you were called back for that and then they chose from those.

SueW · 18/01/2007 18:25

If they picked on parents, I wonder which children would actually get into the school....

Ladymuck · 18/01/2007 18:48

Ds1 - same format as the others. I peeked at one of the charts that the teachers were to fill out and basically they were commenting on:- separation from parent, listening to a story, concentration on one activity for a few minutes, playground skills, independent toileting, sharing with others.

Ds2 - teacher came to his preschool and chatted with him for 20 minutes. He was asked to draw a picture of himself but I didn't manage to glean anything else. the word "delightful" was overused in the feedback I received from the teacher.

Best prep is probably to warn him about what is most likely to happen. Eg "teacher will come and take you into a room for an hour where you can play, just like at nursery. Please listen if they ask you a question and tell them if you need to go to the toilet. I will come and pick you up at the end of the hour"

Not that schools are similar - our school specifically asked us not to try and teach them to read prior to school (though if they were self-taught que sera) as they preferrred not to have to unteach things!

Judy1234 · 18/01/2007 19:04

Suew I suppose the well spoken clever middle class ones which if you want a grammar school type very clever entry gives you too much bias and you miss the bright children with dreadful parents which is why the better schools don't want to assess the parents I suppose. My exhusband's school stopped asking for photos of children because that could have led to racial bias on colour grounds for example before they called some to interview or whatever. But then you got some Indian parents picking the private school because it's traditional English education and wanting most children to be white... you can't win.

Daughtter 2 was given a book to look at at Habs assessment and she could read anything they gave her at 4 but she just happened to be an early reader. She didn't get in. Her sister who could barely read at 6 got a place.

Original poster
nailpolish · 19/01/2007 12:36

letter arrived this am saying its one to one dd1 and a teacher for 40 mins

i have no idea what she will do

i think she may be initially clingy but then ok.

anxiety is setting in

sunnysideup - thank you x

OP posts:
tamum · 19/01/2007 12:38

This isn't in Edinburgh is it, by any chance? I know what they do at some of the schools here as friends have done it. One was rejected for not holding a pencil properly even though he could read fluently

Original poster
nailpolish · 19/01/2007 12:42

it si edinburgh, tamum

what school was that?

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Marina · 19/01/2007 12:44

If it is Edinburgh, I have a friend with two dcs at one of the possible schools, nailpolish. Possibly not that one tamum I think their assessments were low-key and not writing/reading focused...

tamum · 19/01/2007 12:44

Am I allowed to say? I guess so- it was Heriot's. He got in to another, and that seemed to be a common pattern- they were all turned down by one or two but accepted by another, so a) it seems worth going for more than one and b) it's all a bit inconsistent so no need to feel bad if she doesn't get in

tamum · 19/01/2007 12:45

Errr yikes, didn't see your post Marina, sorry.

SarahJaneSmith · 19/01/2007 12:45

My twin boys were seen in with a group of other children, then 'interviewed' together which I thought was very sweet. I was sitting outside the office and all I could hear was giggling and the odd, very emphatic 'well done' and 'good boy'. Twin one came out and twin two stayed in for another ten minutes which consisted of deathly silence.

They were both accepted, I never found out what happened during deathly-silence time.