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Original poster

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

748 replies

123littlepigs · 24/12/2016 01:53

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?

OP posts:
Womblemum5 · 13/02/2017 16:35

My DS has been lucky to receive 2 offers with scholarships for 11+, so we have some decisions to make and possible negotiations. How did you get on today Ghmum06, did you get any luck on increasing your offer.

woodlysmum · 13/02/2017 22:32

Hello. Those of you who are planning to look round schools after Half Term to help you make up your mind, did the schools give you the option/invitation in your offer letter?
We are keen to look round the school again but no mention in our offer letter. However, the school calendar does mention a "Prospective Parents Meeting" the week after half term?! ConfusedBlush Not sure why we haven't got an invite 😢😢

Ghmum06 · 14/02/2017 11:08

Womblemum05..I called W yday and they said they will get his files out, review and let me know if it's possible. I haven't heard anything back yet, however. I did mention how pleased he was to receive an offer and she said she would make a note of that too. Fingers crossed. It's definitely worth giving them a call even if you don't have another offer to bargain with. We are 10+ with no other offers.

woodlysmum · 14/02/2017 11:20

Ghmum06 I didnt realise admissions staff were in at the schools with it being HT?! Thats good to know. We are in a similar situation as you but at T

SoupDragon · 14/02/2017 12:21

I imagine they have to be in as it's going to be a very busy time for them.

Jody867 · 14/02/2017 13:17

I do know of a boy two years ago who negotiated up from a 20% to 35% scholarship for sports at W. He was very sporty - county level player. So it is possible. Not sure about academic though as I guess lot of boys are in line for a full set of A*/As at gcse - more than they can give scholarships to.

We are turning down our all rounder at W as the numbers don't stack up for us. We were told where DS came academically in his exams and he is not top of the heap, he was somewhere in top 10% so I guess we don't have a huge bargaining power for a huge increase. Obviously we are very proud of him for that achievement and he is proud to have been given the honor of a scholarship. He has friends going to both of the schools he as places in - so is not disappointed to be turning down the place.

You may have more room to negotiate once the school has all the replies back. Keep calling them to see if anyone has turned scholarships and they will know you are keen.

Ghmum06 · 14/02/2017 14:12

Thx Jody867....very useful info.

RainbowBabyMum · 14/02/2017 15:00

Hi all

Could I ask your advise on the school choice please? We received offers form RGS (13+), KGS (11+, large bursary that is very important for our family) and Trinity (11+, bursary amount to be specified later). My DS is very gifted in singing and music and bright boy, but not especially academic at the moment. What would be your opinion on choosing between these three schools?
To focus my interest, my main concerns regarding schools are: 1) Is RGS rather hothouse exams factory than inspiring environment for various talents? 2) Is KGS rather focused on kids having relaxing happy school life than on ambition and development? 3) Is Trinity rather base for brilliant choir and music facilities than good all-round, including academic, school?
Thank you very much in advance.

LVCIshallsaythisonlyonce · 14/02/2017 15:14

RainbowBabyMum..Hi, my DD is at RGS. It is not a hothouse. Quite the opposite it seems to us. She is very bright and very sporty and just dabbles in one of the less serious orchestras for fun. But for the musical children there seems to be an endless range of choirs and orchestras and performances.It is quite a laid back school in that they expect the children to do what they are asked to do and organise themselves without the teachers micro managing them. The children all seem very happy and the staff are generally kind, fun and inspiring.

SoupDragon · 14/02/2017 15:21

Both my DSs are at T and neither are musical. The school definitely doesn't focus just on musicians. My DSs are academic and sporty and both these things seem equally focussed on with opportunities to shine at both.

Seeline · 14/02/2017 15:28

rainbow T definitely has fantastic opportunities for musicians and facilities to match once the current round of building works are complete. However, the opportunities for singers are truly amazing. My DS started in Y6 from state primary. We knew he could sing in tune, but beyond that didn't realise he was anything special. He was picked for a choir and the choristers. Through regular attendance at rehearsals and commitment to improving he has had the chance to sing in top opera houses and concert halls, both UK and abroad, appear in operas, record film sound tracks, record albums and go on various tours across the world.
And yes- the school is very academic too, with boys expected to do their best at all times
And yes-the school does very well at sports too
But above all it is the ethos of the school that still does it for me 5 years on.

Wimbles101 · 15/02/2017 05:46

LVCI- just to say that I think T is plenty academic - most of the boys who sit it from our prep (some exceptions) are doing it as a back up to Grammar. It's definitely not just a music school.

For those negotiating can I ask should we contact admissions initially?

Also question for existing T parents - we don't live in an area which has the school bus. We have good public transport options but feel DS is too young for that right now.
I work in E Croydon and regularly see aggressive behaviour and confrontations when out and about and it concerns me for DS - just wanted to know how other parents deal with this side of Croydon?

Thanks

RainbowBabyMum · 15/02/2017 07:08

Thank you very much for answers.

AveEldon · 15/02/2017 07:36

Wimbles101 - my child regularly travels through E Croydon on train and bus
He's not felt bothered by anything so far apart from the poor performance of Southern Rail
I feel for the other commuters as there are hundreds of boys from W & T travelling through at the same time

RainbowBabyMum · 15/02/2017 08:11

LVCIshallsaythisonlyonce thank you, I'm sorry, I wasn't clear, by RGS I mean
RGS in Guildford

Seeline · 15/02/2017 08:39

wimbles my Ds travels to E Croydon and then gets the bus (or tram if they are on strike) from there along with loads of other T boys. He has never mentioned any problems. He started doing the trip about half way through Y7. I drove him in before that. Still do if he has to be in early as the thought of catching an earlier train is worse than giving him a lift Wink

Wimbles101 · 15/02/2017 11:07

Thanks Seeline - DS would need to be on the train or tram at about 7.40 which is just before the big commute rush starts - at the moment I'm thinking I'll take him myself or otherwise drive him to closest school bus.
I'll let him do it himself once he's a bit more comfortable with the route - he's quite young for his age and also quite small for his age!😁

PurleyDad · 15/02/2017 13:28

Hi I have some questions about the SEN/learning support department at Whitgift , Trinity & Caterham

My DS, who has full fee offers (11+) from all three, was diagnosed with dyslexia a few weeks ago. We didn't visit the SEN departments during our previous visit to the schools.

I would like to know
what any existing parents thinks of this department?
how much help their DS gets?
Is one school signifIcantly better than the others?

Thank you in advance.

Gettingthroughtheweek · 15/02/2017 13:28

Hi all, hope you're making good progress in your various decisions. I just wondered if any T parents could help with information (roughly) on costs not included in the fees? We're still trying to work out if we can really afford this, much as we want to. We're not eligible for bursaries; we just have too many outgoings we can't easily reduce (particularly mortgage and other children at university), so we want to get as full a picture as possible. Thanks in advance for any insight.

LIZS · 15/02/2017 13:37

We found Learning Support at C ok. However ds had ep reports etc in place for his entrance exam so had extra time established. There are certainly plenty of extra time/laptop users (but not the 20% media suggests as typical) for a variety of physical and SEN issues. There have been staff changes in LS department over last few years and none were qualified to do the assessment for public exams at the time, although this may have changed. All pupils have ipads to use in lessons and for homework so there is no issue with using IT in daily life.

SoupDragon · 15/02/2017 15:08

@purleydad to be honest, I would contact the schools and discuss your DSs diagnosis with them. I think that will give you a better idea.

I can't speak fron personal experience but I do know that the SENCO at T is always striving to sort things out for pupils so that they get what they need, especially with respect to extra time, scribes, use of laptops etc. As I understand it, all new pupils are tested.

SoupDragon · 15/02/2017 15:15

Gettingthroughtheweek

For me the major extra expense is lunch for DS1! This can be got roundby sending themwith packed lunch (which I do for DS2)

There's a £15 per term membership fee for the Trinity Midwhitgiftian Association which is the alumni "club"

Fees for public exams are extra, as is any music tuition beyond the free term boys who have never played an instrument get.

Uniform is on a par with state school really.

I think "field day" trips which are one a term are generally included but occasional others visits may not be. There are optional trips out of term time which cost extra.

I can't think of very much extra I've needed to pay for to be honest.
Mostly it's been for extra curricular activities.

Wimbles101 · 15/02/2017 15:52

Gettingthrougjtheweek - would you mind me asking how much the school lunch is? Was hoping because it was a canteen it wouldn't be too dear - do you just top up their cards weekly?

We are not at T at the moment but at a prep where our main expenses are the school bus and the hot lunches. Think there's this myth that there are loads of extras at private schools - I haven't found that to be the case - uniforms are mainly a one off expense - get a big blazer and sports kit! - and then the rest I don't think is that different to a state school other than the termly fees 😬😜

Wimbles101 · 15/02/2017 15:53

Also yes music fees but tbh it's been cheaper for us to do these at school and more convenient!

Seeline · 15/02/2017 15:54

I agree with soup over extra costs. The field rip days rarely cost more than about a tenner - depending on what they are doing. Often if they are going to London they use public transport which keeps the cost down. That's once a term.
Most other stuff is optional. The big buck trips - skiing etc are entirely optional, and have fairly limited places so no where near everyone goes. Sports tours and music tours, often involve an element of fundraising before hand to keep cost down.
Further up the school, there are field trips etc, but few of those are compulsory.
Sports kit is probably the most expensive, but there are second hand sales.
Shirts, jumpers, trousers can come form any high street shop which really keeps the costs down.