A thread for 8+ Westminster, St Paul's, Sussex House, Kings etc

[user8957365]

Merry Christmas!
Just the small matter of getting through the 8+ exams and wondered if there are other parents out there who might be interested in joining this thread.
Did any of your sons sit Kings in December? How did they find it? Apparently only 14 places going - gulp!
How are you preparing for St Paul's etc? If they are parents who have already been through the process and can offer any advice it will be very gratefully received.
Cheers

[cdstandingnow]

It’s a yes from Westminster for us!!
Good luck everyone.

[user8957365]

SK118118 Sorry to hear that.
Anyone anxiously waiting for Kings and St Pauls offers next week?
Westminster results are out - how did you all do? Also do you know which dates the 3 interview sessions at Westminster were scheduled? I know there was an afternoon session on Tuesday but was there one in the morning too and a 3rd on Wednesday morning?

[user230930]

I know there were morning and afternoon sessions at WUS on Tuesday. I don't know about Wednesday, I wouldn't think so.

[hhks]

@poster user8957365 We were told that there were 3 groups on Monday for 7+, and 3 groups on Tuesday for 8+. Offer were sent together by email on Thursday.

[njshore]

I thought SPJr 8+ offers were sent on Friday the 19th?

[user8957365]

It was originally the 19th but they changed the date to Monday 22nd. Very frustrating for parents having to endure an anxious weekend. Westminster managed to get their offer emails out on Thursday!

[user8957365]

user230930 - I knew there were 3 groups so if all the 8+ boys were seen on Tuesday they must have run 2 groups concurrently in the morning as the afternoon session was 2pm-4pm with only one group of boys.

[user230930]

I think there was a 9am and an 11am. We were at 11am.

[user8957365]

Ah OK, that makes sense. User230930 did your son get an offer?

[user230930]

Yes he did (thank goodness). But we are waiting on next week's results as well.

[user8957365]

Well done to your! My son didn't get through. Disappointing but glad he's done so well to get this far. St Paul's would be our first choice. Very nervous as I believe these days it's harder to get than Westminster at 8+ these days...and having not been offered Westminster I don't fancy our chances. So stressful. I hope the emails arrive in the morning and they don't make us wait all day for it.

[cdstandingnow]

Good luck everyone next week!
We are also waiting anxiously for Kings results. I think they send results in the post, not by email. Does anyone know whether letters arrive on the 24th or posted on the 24th to arrive on the 25th.

[cdstandingnow]

poster user895 Don’t be disheartened. It’s been a strange year. There was one boy from our school who received an offer from Westminster but didn’t even make the list of boys invited for interview at St Paul’s. Friends at another school told me there are other boys in a similar situation there. Keep positive, there is every chance he will get St Paul’s. My son said the maths and reasoning papers at Westminster was easier than St Paul’s but English was harder. Seems St Paul’s wants only the strongest mathematicians with very high reasoning IQs whereas Westminster looked broader?

[user8957365]

Thank you @cdstandingnow! You may have just made my day. My son found the maths exam at St Paul's harder than Westminster too but I wouldn't underestimate WU. It is full of boys with exceptional maths ability, many of them are naturally highly gifted. One of the teachers told me at the open day that because everyone is exceptional at the subject the pace for maths in class is fast and they are continually having to find more challenging ways to stimulate the boys or they get bored! Could be a miserable place for anyone who has been heavily coached to get through the entrance exams.
Objectively speaking I don't think St Paul's is above WU for maths, if it's harder to get in at 8+ it may be because many parents prefer it for being, possibly less intellectually intense and therefore less stress for the boys especially in the early years?
Anyway...getting ahead of myself here. We don't actually have any offers!
Good luck everyone waiting next. I think Kings will be trickiest as they're only taking 14 boys.

[user8957365]

Good luck if you're waiting to hear from St Paul's this morning. Does anyone know what time the email will be sent?

[hhks]

for 7+, the email went out at about 10am. I guess for 8+, it will be in the morning as well.

[user8957365]

Thanks hhks. Hope so...the wait is dreadful. The callback emails were sent late afternoon.
Did you child get through at 7+ ?

[hhks]

No, we didn't get SPJ, but lucky we got WUS, so I am happy about it. good luck to everyone waiting for the news~

[user8957365]

Well done! WUS is exceptional! It is interesting quite a few boys who didn't get SPJ (at 8+) got WUS. Just goes to show the two schools are looking for slightly different things this year.

[hhks]

not sure what they are looking for exactly. but we didn't do well in the exam for SPJ, so I was quite surprised to be invited back for interview. I think for SPJ they had a list in mind, and just to take a look at the kid in the interview. WUS interview is quite thorough though, they did a LOT in the interview, feels like they are to make sure you were not just "lucky" in the exam.... I might be wrong...

[Onebusymother1]

Interesting thread ladies and some great observations. My son was lucky enough to get interviews at both WUS and SPJ. He also sat Kings in December.
Same scenario at our school. I had always assumed WUS was harder to get than SPJ but I know a couple of boys, like your son hhks, who did not make the top 80 boys invited for interview at SPJ but somehow got WUS offers. Perhaps there is a conscious shift at WUS from brilliant, gifted minds to good all rounders and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but not for us...
Chatting with the relatively new head of lowers at WUS who is influential in the admission process, she is most certainly not a brain box herself and may be recruiting boys in her own image. I looked up her profile on linked in as I was intrigued how she came to be in the role as her background does not suggest a strong academic person, quite a sharp contrast to the other teachers at the school.
I also agree with the comment that SPJ put more emphasis on exam delivery - their maths paper and reasoning was definitely harder whilst WUS invested more time to get to knitwear the boys eg 2 hours there. What bothers me though is the lesson chosen was music and drama. Unconscious bias towards boys who cannot sing and have poor coordination. A rather strange selection criteria for a supposingly elite academic school.

[Onebusymother1]

Was so busy writing here I didn’t realise SPJ emails are out!! We have an offer!! So happy. Good luck everyone ...

[hhks]

Onebusymother1, congratulations! from the setup it does look like SPJ is looking for maths boys. however my case is the opposite, DS is strong in maths and I'd say quite behind in English, especially writing. therefore our expectation is for him to get SPJ instead of WUS. however the feedback we received was due to his writing. though the head emphasised a few times that writing is "not important". very confusing, but anyway, we are happy with either school, more challenges ahead...

[shrimanprithviraj]

HHks- congratulations- great to have got WUS! did you do 7+or 8+ please?

[njshore]

Onebusymother1, did you get an 8+ offer from WUS?