Westminster 13+ 2023 how did it go?

[parent1709]

Dear fellow parents - how did it go for your DS last week?

Firstly, it lasted 25 minutes, not the 50 minutes as implied in the email. Most are personal questions, hobbies, what schools you applied, etc...

You are asked to bring 2 exercise books and I suppose you know it. But unexpectedly, these were only briefly touched upon, only a few minutes each.

Maybe they already know the written exam scores and my son is already out, or whatever reason, it seemed so much simpler than I anticipated.

Also, I assume you are talking about 13+ 2025 (not 2023)!

Dear AC7001 - thanks for your response. Yes I was referring to 2025 entry!

How did the written exam on the 14th Jan go?

Our DS has provided limited feedback on the written test or the interview.
In our case the interview was conducted by member of their SEN team (our DS has ADHD and takes medication) and yes I was aware we had to bring exercise books but I am surprised that the kids were barely asked about it. Although what you say makes sense as I can't image an SEN specialist would have any idea how to ask questions or open a discussion about maths/English/science/RS/geography etc. What was the point?

My DS has weak unstructured / general chat interview skills and I was hoping talking about his exercise books would give him some structure. Oh well.

I believe the interview and the written test are independent as we were given the option of an interview date which was BEFORE the written test, so I don't believe the interviewer knows or cares about the result in the written

Can't comment much as obviously your cases is a bit different. In my case, it is most general chat. Even questions about the exercise book are brief and not pushy at all. I had expected a much more academic interview.

I know the interview is scheduled beforehand but by the time of interview, maybe they have already marked all the papers.

For the exam, the Math paper is relatively easy (vs St Paul - the hardest one among ALL boys or co-ed schools), and English difficult.

Why on earth wouldn’t an SEN specialist be able to ask questions about RE/ Science etc? We are all qualified teachers and most with extensive teaching experience.

My apologies for making wrong assumptions. I actually was highly impressed with Westminster allocating an SEN teacher to do the interview without me even asking. I am hopeful that an SEN teacher will have seen children like DS before and know how to make adjustments (he has ADHD and Sensory Processing Disorder) and as a result really struggles with "getting to know you" questions like why do friends make you happy? (although he is popular and has a bunch of close mates in and out of school and very much one of the boys) or even what do you like about school? (although he loves school and is passionately involves himself in cricket, football, carpentry, social life etc)

Former parent here. The interview will be about potential and a child’s ability to thrive at their school. Applicants will have had very varying degrees of preparation, so it will be less about what they have acquired so far. The exercise books may be to get a better insight into the levels of a child who appears to have been over prepared.

Having a SEN expert interview sounds like a good idea. SEN support at Westminster is very good and there are a lot of pupils on different spectrums. DD was apparently the most dyslexic pupil in the school, and SEN staff confessed to her that she initially placed on the wait list as they were not sure she could cope. As it was, she thrived and they have apparently taken pupils with similar spikey profiles since. Equally some pupils in each year won’t cope, and these can often be the more academically gifted. This is something the school and parents should want to avoid. SEN staff have huge experience of working with bright SEN pupils who may learn differently so will know what they are looking for.

Looking back, we wondered why we worried so much. It is about the right environment for the child, not the school that gets the best results. More important than grades is arriving at University enjoying education and with confidence intact. Being at the bottom at Westminster can be difficult, especially when the same pupil might be towards the top elsewhere. That said Westminster suited both mine and gave both a love of learning that has continued.