This is the pushy parent Tiffin tutor thread.

[uwila]

Okay, so wh ohas used a Tiffin tutor? Did it get your kid(s) into Tiffin? How old were they when they strted tutoring?

Okay, so my DD is only 3 1/2 but I like to plan ahead/. I've heard you can sign up for tutors that increase your chances of getting into Tiffin (boys and girls schools).

Any experience/opinions welcome.

Thanks.

Saw this on the eleven plus forum site, a post from someone whose child did the Sutton test recently.

".... We loved the polish violinist outside M&S, we even bought two of his cds as one of them had my dd's grade 4 viola piece on, Ava Maria. We were very surprised by how many Asian children there were. Definately outnumbered the white children. Yet when me and younger dd spent the next two hours in Manor Park a few hundred yards away we did not see any Asian families at all.It was eleven hours and an entire sunday out of our life as we left at 9am this morning and did not get back until after 8pm , but it was probably the best thing we have done in our preparation. I did thank the staff today but will prob write as well with a few recommendations. DD said there were 120 and the desk were absolutely crammed in, some on the stage and she said in the front they were right against the wall. She said three did not turn up but two of the desk were changed over for new folk. She said there was a constant noise of people dropping their pencils and they checked people's pencils on the way in and those with new pencils had to have the tips broken off. We only spoke to one other family who had come from Epsom. People's body language seemed quite clear that they did not want to talk. I tried smiling at a few people but of course they dont know thay we are really not their competition. "

Love the bit about the noisy pencils.

deaddei V.Funny. Why the poster was surprised to see so many Asian children I do not understand - would have been obvious to me.

Mango Don't stress! if you truly care about your child's education, they will reach their potential. Any educationalist will tell you that the support a child gets from home is 100 times more than they can provide in any class room

Yes, the poster on the Sutton thread lived in Herts and was doing the Sutton test for practice- must have found Sutton a bit of a shock1
Damn those noisy pencils!

Why would the new pencils have to have their leads broken?
Actually we have wooden floors and the DC are ALWAYS dropping pencils when doing homework - VERY noisy & irritating!

Thank God I'm not the only one worrying about this stuff! Can anyone tell me how I find a recommended Tiffin Tutor (or a tutor for any of the local selective private secondary schools, for that matter)? DS at a Kingston primary but everyone tightlipped about recommending tutors. Get the feeling I'm already behind not having him on a waiting list from age 3!!

Ask the Year 6 parents - unless they have a child in your year they will not have any reason not to tell you.
Rubbish about not being on lists since year dot as people move around a lot paticulary in areas with cmpeititve schools and pushy parents - I recommended a Tiffin tutor to a friend but expressed doubts about her availability as she is very highly regarded, and it as just when tutoring as about to start. A sit happened that tutor DID have a vacancy. The reason for this was that she only takes children she believes have a realistic chance of passing, waste of everyone's time if not,and not fair on the child, and so had spaces vacated by those some children from her list who HAD registerd at 6, but when tested at 10 were not of that calibre!

Sorry - I mean last years Year 6 parents

squashpie- I agree with Catherine...titors will be finishing early Dec with this years Tiffin prospectives, and starting in January for the year 5 boys.
Word of mouth is how I got mine- I wanted 1 to 1 not a group, and also very local- he's actually in the next road.

Tutors even...haven't got my glasses on!

Thanks Catherine and Deaddei for your replies. The thing is, I only know two year 6 parents and that's because they have children in my son's class and they are very vague whenever I ask for details!! I can't believe it's sooooo competitive even to get a tutor, let alone to get into one of the schools!

Do the schools have a list of recommended tutors, do you know?

Squashpie-There's a website called coombe tutors, which has a ist of sw london tutors. Not sure whereabouts you are.

Also local paper - saw some in last week. Schools in Kingston may be forthcoming, tho' schools in Richmond see this as the sign of the devil, (even tho' the reasom their SATS results are so good is that the kids are all being tutored outside

Thanks for the responses. The Coombe Tutor link looks interesting. I never look in the local paper because i always assume, no doubt completely wrongly, that if they were any good, they wouldn't need to advertise!

I looked at my DS coming out of class today, looking so tired (settling back into school and into a new class can be quite draining, I think; like starting a new job, taking in so much information) and I did just think he's still very young, still developing in so many ways, it's absolutely ludicrous that we have to think about this stuff so early. Feel like I'm wishing his life a way a bit. Gawd, I must be tired too!!

Squashpie- also local newsagents windows.

buy1get1free - thanks! will try to.

'Fox, I have a working hypothesis that the scholarships to private secondary schools are not doled out strictly according to ability, but that there's an element of the schools trying to keep their feeder preps happy'

NOt sure about this--at our prep school last year (supposedly a very bright year) not a single child got an academic scholarship to the senior school.

DS is being tutored for Tiffin by someone who was trained by Mrs W. She's really good (we think anyway!) If anyone wants her details pm me

What a hideous thread. No, really. re-read it, why don't you all? Repellant is not the word.

Not really sure what you mean...Is wanting the best for your child repellant? Is recognising that the skills needed for the Kingston Grammar schools entrance tests are not covered in state primary schools repellant? Unless Tiffin change their entrance criteria and introduce some form of preference for children within the borough and make the test based on skills state school children would have been taught then I am not sure what we can do other than try to level the playing field a bit?

Don't even get me started on school choices when you live in the north of the borough....

echo Ms Dav
The system stinks in Kingston.

A close male friends went to Kingston. He wasn't terribly happy there - found it a bit intimidating. Although he went on to Cambridge but others didn't.

Some of the South London comps are great fun...a bit more relaxed but with quite a bit of Oxbridge types.

Hello- We are looking for a tutor for Tiffin boys for our year 5 son. We have the name of someone (ironically a Mrs W), but the number we have been given is incorrect and I am unable to get the correct number. Does anyone have a number for the illusive Mrs W or can anyone recommend a tutor.
Many thanks

Welcome to the nightmare newmaldenmum1 (I wonder if I know you...hmmm)
Have heard of the famous Mrs W but not used her.

I beleive the famous Mrs W has retired. May be worth asking the y6 parents - unless they have a year 5 sibling they have nothing to lose by telling you the neame of theirs

I have both Ms W's numbers but will only give thm to you if you live in Kingston