ALL NEW; WHITGIFT/TRINITY/DULWICH/CATERHAM 10+/11+ 2017

[123littlepigs]

Every year I have watched with interest and excitement as all of these types of threads have progressed to offers.

Finally in the same boat. The Christmas prep is wearing...And couldn't find anyone to share the experience with.... hence this attempt to start one....

Anyone else want to join? If I have missed a school... please feel free to still join in and add your school of interest.

Currently burning the night oil trying to find more comprehension material... anyone have any online suggestions?

Any idea how many 10+ candidates sat their exams this year for T ? W mentioned 200+ . Yet to have the T interview so not sure about T .

Sbmum -I think it was around 180

Thanks @anxiouslywaiting1 . Any idea how many boys were for 11+ For both the schools ? . I am just trying to understand that if DS can't make it this year approx how many more boys will be there next year whom he will be competing with .. also some of them must have by then appeared
For grammars and passed it too so I am trying to understand the level of competition he might end up competing with if no place is offered to him
This year :-( ..

There were about 460 boys sitting T this year for the 11+. Around 200~ were called for interview and about 70 places. However, they were keen to point out that boys from as far as above the river, going to go to grammar school, other indies etc are a considerable number too!

Competition is not necessarily greater at 11+ despite higher numbers of boys applying. They will have applied to more than one school, plus grammars, and will be competing for more places over all.

Thanks @Sweetgrapes for the info.
Thanks @Soupdragon . That's a very valid point you have highlighted . It skipped my mind . So if I don't have the offer or the offer I want for 10+ , it's almost the same in 11+ as well offcourse which will be a bit higher levels than 10+ but that also gives me 1 year to prepare my DS as well . And with the experience of 10+ he should know what the entire process is .
Thank you very much for you inputs .

They also miscalculated year before last i believe (or adjusted how they took in the eventual y1?). They offered/over-offered at 10+ so that 60 odd started which meant they were only able to offer 60 places for this year's 11+ instead of the normal 70 odd. So the current first year ended up with the standard 120 boys/6 forms and no bulge year (which they want to avoid going forward apparently). Athough there actually appears to be 124 ish boys in the current first year so there must be a degree of flexibility.

Thanks SweetGrapes, very interesting, if daunting!

sbmum2017 - fingers crossed your DS will get a good offer this year!; if not, you might be going the same route we did with our older DS who is at T. now. After the interview at 10+ he did not get an offer so we were preparing the whole following year (the most miserable year of his life as he calls it!) and did mocks, local grammars, later W., T., RR. The stress of it!!! We got a place at a grammar school and other indies but after agonising for a few days decided to choose T. which we think was the right decision and we are soo hoping to get a place for our DS2 10+ this year, partly to avoid the huge stress of going through it all again!

Thanks @mamanm .. I am not too hopeful partly because I know DS tends to do many silly mistakes .. so we are taking it day by day .. I know it's going be a very agonising year ahead if no offers this year . So yeah tensed 3 weeks ahead for us .. sometimes I really feel the whole 11+ fiasco sucks big time . Wish there were more good state schools around in our area and I could have let a 9 year grow up as a normal 9 year old boy and not making him sit and study for these entrance exams for secondary schools. A very stressful year ahead for us I can see especially with a child who doesn't want to study more than 30/45 mins and loses his focus easily . Any tips Mums how to motivate and improve his focus ?

Hola peeps! Wow a lot of boys sat T for 11+! 😱
DS has his interview tomoz. We are currently feeling very chilled about it and personally I'm looking forward to it and so is DS! A morning off work so I'm happy at that too lol might try and get a spot of lunch together after too and grill him then 😂

Hope everyone is all fine and dandy!? Not long to go guys! 😘

@sbmum, in terms of keeping your son motivated i would do a timetable with study times and then reward of some sort ☺ since you have a whole year (which I'm sure you won't as you'll be receiving a fat a4 envelope!) I would study 3 times a week or something even if it's just for half an hour. Try and make it fun. Do it with him. My ds loved it when on the very odd occasion we would 'compete' papers against each other lol. I was always pretty rubbish though haha

I has DS1 at Trinity and DS2 at Whitgift twenty-five-plus years ago.

This thread is fascinating to me and I have enjoyed reading all the posts, reliving so many long-forgotten memories.

The schools and entrance exams no doubt will have changed but the questions/stress/anxiety and ultimate post-exams suspense are identical.

*i had

How did it go today Missmillsie?

Good luck everyone - another three weeks and we will have our letters. Does anyone know how many sat whitgift at 11 plus? How many interviewed? And how many offers? We seem to be only a drop in the ocean of numbers. We've done the whitgift interview now waiting on trinity.

Hi again, thanks for asking @woodlysmum☺ it went pretty well as it could I think! He went in with a Mrs Stevens? (Any current T parents know who she is? She seemed lovely anyway. Asked him to tell her about himself, where he lives which he got completely wrong! 😳😂 he had to read out a short comprehension and answer some questions verbally on it. He said it was 'easy' though. All in all, was good! Have high hopes! When's your interview? X

Yay! Sounds great @Missmillsie
Did you get given a Spring Term timetable booklet? In the staff list there is as Mrs BJ STEVEN, who studied at Cape Town university, and is an English teacher- could be her? There is also a Ms T Stevens-Lewis from the art department.
My DS had his interview on conveyor belt Saturday. No academic questions, just a general chat. He came out happy.
I can't believe we have to wait soooo long!! 😬😭

Ah yes I have one and just saw that! @woodlysmum I'm happy about that as DS read a poem he wrote. Gosh he sounds like such a bod now when honestly he's completely 'normal' I was surprised he chose that to take in tbh but bless him. I love that poem too and so proud of him x

Oh wow!! The poem sounds fantastic! Well done to your DS. Definitely sounds extremely promising 😉😄

Aww thank you @woodlymum.

I really am trying not to get too hopeful!

What is the exact date offers are posted? Only says mid Feb on website. That is NOT good enough! Lol x

offers are posted on the 9th so we should have them on the 10th! eek!

Dates offers posted for both W&T go out in the post on 9th Feb, you will receive the next day on the 10th Feb. Not long now 2 and half weeks!!

Ahhh woodlysmum you got there before me lol.

I was wondering if anyone's DS has ever had a truly disastrous interview. There was a rumour a few years ago of a boy who was very rude to his parents just before a W interview and was dismissed without an interview (if I recall the story correctly). It appears the schools are all good at getting the best out of all different personalities, but does anyone know of a DC who said something very inappropriate? Or projectile vomited out of stress? Or parents doing that? I know my own fears are panic-induced verbal diarrhoea, spilling coffee over myself right before interview, tripping into interviewer's arms or flat onto my face, spinach in teeth, popping buttons, cursing uncontrollably or just throwing myself at HM's feet and begging him/her to take my little darling.. My only advice to DS before interview was to be as honest as possible, except when it comes to how much wine his mother drinks.