Anyone still waiting to hear from Durham?

[PortusCale]

Just wondered if anyone else is waiting to hear from Durham for an offer for 2019 entry?

See that offer holder day bookings are now open and I understand college allocation has begun.

DS still waiting here, DS application went through in November.....does this mean a rejection will likely be on its way?

Yes Portus grammars are fully selective state funded schools. There are only 164 in the country so a tiny proportion of any cohort, not that you'd realise the small scale of the numbers, reading MN.

Apologies for my ignorance, the UK wasn't where I was brought up!

Hadn't realised there were quite so few in the country. Yes, as you say, goodbyestranger reading posts on MN (and TSR) does at times give you a false/untrue sense of the situation.

I grew up in the UK and wasn't aware of this fact. Thank you for this thread today and the information contained within. Often, these descend into a state/independent argument whenever the subject of admission to certain institutions is raised. I'm glad this hasn't.

Second that completely Justanothermile - I've learnt a lot from this thread and it's pleasant to have a discussion without it becoming a predictable battle.

I hope that people are not put off applying to Durham from whichever education system they've come from in the future - it's a very good university.

MariaNovella

I totally agree. Ridiculous. They have cut down... I think dd2 will only do 13 or 14.

It wasn't 16 in one go. They do a one year GCSE in year 9 and at the time they then did also citizenship (waste of time which they've realised). In year 10 she did statistics (as all the top set did) early and RE (all).
Then in year 11 she had to do: maths, 2 x English, 3 x science, 1x IT qualification (GCSE equivalent),4 x options (not everyone does GCSEs for those-for example you can choose to do LAMDA) and she chose to do Additional maths (which actually counts as A/S level)

I think what I had to do was more sensible: I had to do 1 x maths, 2 x English, 4 x options, 1 x "extra" as an option if you were considered good enough. I also did Additional maths. (which only counted as a GCSE then!)So I did 10, which was unusual at my school, most people did 8 or 9, but a few did 7: if they struggled at English then only did English language not both

It is so sad for those applicants who are "segmented" out when there are so many variants involved and they have worked their utmost to try to study at a particular university. I do feel that there has to be a better way to select applicants to avoid conscious de-selection of particular groups when they may really merit a place. It seems that the universities will lose their ability to charge fees if they don't have enough students from each segment, but where is the fairness in that? Parents have many reasons and drivers behind their education choices and it cannot be assumed that a paid-for education has resulted in the resulting grades - this is certainly not the case in our school where any success is down to individual hard-graft and ability.

You can’t really argue that privately educated pupils are on the same footing as state pupils. The pressure on state education is immense because of austerity cuts and this has hit schools hard.

“Punishing” privately educated pupils by asking more of them than of state educated pupils when applying to university is one way of tackling the issue of private education in the UK. If the returns to private education in terms of university destinations diminish, that may help put a lid on ever increasing resources being directed by a small subset of parents to private education.

"Cleopatra" I'm so pleased your son has an offer. I have been following your story with my fingers crossed! I really wouldn't worry about not being able to go for an offer day. As others have said they aren't that great and my DD went to one and didn't like it out of term time ( too quiet whereas in term there is much more of a buzz) but is there now and absolutely loves it. Also so many of them have tried for Oxbridge and not got it ( which was a reason she didn't want to go ) but now actually makes her feel better. It is a very sociable uni with the college system and so much organised stuff ( much more than her friends at other uni's) I think it will really suit your DS - let me know the college and I will get some feedback from her but to be honest they all love their college.

It really sure how "punishing" privately educated pupils will help if they all then go into the state system and place more of a burden on government resources

I don’t think that the outcome will be the one you describe, itwillallworkoutok. More probably it will reduce the ability of private schools to charge such very high fees and provide the luxury experiences that have become commonplace in the private sector.

Many (4 years) moons ago dd and I went on an offer holders day and it was rubbish. She then went on to have an amazing time once there so don’t worry too much if you can’t make it!

That's a very long game thing Maria - of no consequence to most parents on these threads.

I'm not sure what you mean by "luxury experiences" marianovella. My DC have been at a very good private school and there are all of the extra stuff is extra. Lots of parents give up a lot to get their DC into the private sector because they don't have the options of grammer schools or good comps where they are

• grammar

itwillallworkoutok - I am not criticising parents’ choice of private education - just pointing out how returns to private education may be diminished by university admissions policies that “discount” some of aspects of private schooling.

There is a clear trend, at an international level, away from too many educational experiences that could be construed as empty showing off eg voluntourism.

I’m not advocating any form of punishment!

You need to differentiate observation and opinion!

Baytreemum I appreciate what you are saying but you also need to appreciate that there are millions of children with very hard working parents who don’t earn anywhere near enough money to afford private education. Perhaps they chose to be nurses or teachers or paramedics. Those people do incredibly important and necessary work yet their children are disadvantaged by the current education system.

@coleoptera I did get my Cambridge offer but it's very steep, hinging on passing two additional courses to my complete Access as well as a portfolio of essays to be set next month. Hence wanting a really solid backup plan- which due to Durham's rejection and UCL's also very last minute request that I change my application to a different course doesn't seem to have happened.

I'm really pleased your son got his offer in the end!

Those people do incredibly important and necessary work yet their children are disadvantaged by the current education system.

Exactly. And whereas a generation or so ago NHS workers may also have been users of private education, this is less and less the case. Private education is increasingly reserved for the offspring of a small subset of occupations. This inevitably skews perceptions of the relative worth of vital professions such as nursing, teaching etc without which our country will fall apart.

In fact...

The state/private debate in this context is interesting. My DCs attend a small, academically selective independent, but not one which produces very obviously "public school shiny" applicants for university. By that, I mean that few of the pupils are from very wealthy families and there is little evidence of cut-glass accents, expensive hobbies and "cv-buffing" extras that would not be available to a state school pupil from a similar background.

The experience of friends who have DCs in the state system - be it our local comprehensive system, or grammar schools in areas where that system operates - is that the initiatives and benefits rolled out in the state system which are intended to level the playing field, are snapped up by pupils who don't really need them - the DCs of university-educated professionals who have chosen to use the state system, but who have the opportunity to benefit from a lot of support from home - music lessons, extra- curricular activity, advice on subject choices and careers, help with personal statements, connections for work experience.

I am told that it is far less common for a pupil who is academically very able, but from a less advantaged background, to be given the practical advice and help they need from an early stage, to ensure they don't limit their choices. I'm talking about pupils who don't have access at home to advice on the best facilitating subjects to choose, and which courses and universities will give them the best range of options. It seems that some of the initiatives, such as our local scheme to introduce bright state school pupils to Oxbridge, are dominated by the offspring of sharp-elbowed professional parents, and those for whom the experience really could be life-changing, still think it is not for the likes of them.

Anecdotal evidence from friends with DCs also going through the system, is that unless the school is in a deprived area, the fact that they attend a state school as opposed to an independent, has not afforded them any particular benefit in securing offers from universities.

It is somewhat inevitable that, without encouragement from home, children will not seize the full range of opportunities available to them.

I'm not sure that the 'value' or otherwise of the work of parents should be a differentiating factor in university applications, or even how hard the parents work. Surely we also want, in the much-used phrase, to level the playing field for all children - the children of unemployed parents, and the children of parents who are manual labourers. It's not as if the children of NHS workers or teachers are any more deserving than the children of road sweepers or the children of City bankers. Some are a great deal more privileged than others, but to be privileged, whether by having an educated teacher for a parent or by having a rich banker for a parent, doesn't make the child more or less deserving per se.