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

Ok I have to ask, what is the ‘no lunch’ thing at WCPS? No cooked lunch?

yes, you need to bring lunch everyday, the school does not provide cooked lunch.

That’s a done deal then I’m going to go for the 11 plus pre prep/prep we have been offered a place at. My son hates sandwiches!

Sussex House where my boy is going in September also has no kitchen...packed lunches everyday. My only bugbear about an otherwise dreamy school that goes up to 13+ and prepares boys best for Eton and other top boarding schools. I need to brush up on my packed lunches etiquette as haven't had to do it until now.

Joking aside, it’s not a deal breaking but I agree a disappointment. If I gave my son a chicken wrap/sandwich with tomatoes, peppers, onions etc he’ll eat the bread and chicken and leave the veg. If I served the same ingredients it as a casserole then he’d eat it all.

Ha Ha sounds just like my son! No doubt he will insist on some variation of luncheon meat filling. Wondering how well that will go down in a smart Chelsea prep school.

When the school I am at looks at 7+ results we do take into account age, but fundamentally the most promising get offered the places first, regardless of age. The interview plays an important part, it’s not just test results as children at that age can be heavily tutored and therefore be achieving things that they would not be able to maintain long term. We can also easily spot the child with stock answers prepared by parents!

the most promising get offered the places first, regardless of age.

Isn’t that just the problem? the “most promising” by definition are the older children who have had the benefit of anything up to a year more time to grow and develop and can perform better at assessments whether written or interview. At the tender age of 6 that can have a huge impact.
It bothers me that so many schools are shortsighted and simply choose to overlook the potential of younger children.
My son joined a very academic school at 7+, as the years went by I could see the younger boys in the class catch up and start to outshine the older boys.
I have no particular axe to grind here as I have two sons at different ends of the age spectrum but I do think schools miss a trick - lost opportunity.

Thank you trinity for your insight! How about 8+ callbacks for interviews: how does the school select the boys? Is is strictly ranked in order (from what a few have already mentioned here, some very able boys have not even been offered interviews- does it mean there have been more spring/summer-borns attempting 8+ w success this yr)? How does the reserve list move? How many boys are on the reserve list? Please do shed some light for us here in the dark! TIA

Does anyone have any news on WL movement at WUS, SPJ or Sussex House?

user8957365 - what did you decide at the end?

Interesting call on giving up WUS for Sussex because of wanting Eton as there are probably as many places secured for eton from WUS, or at least a similar hit rate. Far fewer go, but I think only about 3 boys who applied from WUS last year didn't get a place.

Having said which, if someone is already sure they want eton for their child there can be social benefits in going to a prep where a large proportion will end up boarding , albeit at a range of schools, as it makes boarding seem a very standard progression

ifc1975 I received a chasing email this afternoon from SPJS asking if we were accepting their offer as they would be moving to reserve list on Thursday. That sounds positive for those waiting to hear from them.

Micahelapurple, I think most parents who are very committed to Eton always tend to choose Sussex as that is the principal aim of that Prep hence working to the same goal has its advantages. Furthermore Sussex has less academic pressure, is "smarter" in terms of facilities and the superficial stuff and is also very Chelsea/Belgravia. For local parents who want sons to go boarding it's a no brainer.
SP and WU waiting lists have not yet moved. Both were chasing parents this afternoon. Not sure about Sussex House but they are rather secretive so you wouldn't even hear if the waitlist has started to move.

Roseredvelvet, are you declining SP (8+) ? I know a family who will be ecstatic to hear that. Equally is anyone turning down WUS? There is one family waitlisted there too.

Anxious times if you are waiting. Good luck!

user1490307837 no we accepted the SJP offer today, it's on our doorstep & ds really liked the head & one of the other teachers so that swung it for us. I was waiting to hear if dd had offers in from 11+ to try and place them close to each other but only one offer in & the rest will come post deadlines. TBH I'm over the moon that we don't have to sit the 11+ again, would truly recommend avoiding at all costs!!! 1100 children at one of the schools we applied to & 300 called back for an interview. The others were between 600-900 for 50 places 🤤

Roseredvelvet - congratulations to your DS. Well done. Did you turn down offers from other schools? If so, which ones?

Roserdvelvet sounds like St Paul's Girls or Godolphin then? The numbers sound frightening but don't be put off as a very mixed bag of abilities sit the 11+. Due to the consortium every applies everywhere as only need to sit 2 exams but quite a few are frankly speculative applications.
7+ and 8+ tend to attract "serious" candidates who have only been put forward for the exams because parents feel confident they are well prepared, of high academic ability and will get through.

ifc1975 which school are you waitlisted at?

user1490307837 - WL at SPJ and Sussex House. DS was offered a place at WUS.

We're also battling with the 13+ dilemma... It is very clear to me that Sussex House is great but perhaps a wise choice only if you have boarding as an objective. Not just Eton but Winchester, Harrow, etc. In fact, it is THE ONLY school that asks (in the application form) if your DS is registered at a boarding school and asks if he has siblings attending a boarding school. They cannot make it any more obvious.

The issue that we have is we always wanted boarding but are now afraid of getting ahead of ourselves and making a move now that removes some of the optionality. Not because Sussex House cannot place boys at Saint Paul's or Westminster, but because the overwhelming majority of its boys will board, so that completely changes the social aspect, relationships, etc. It also attracts a very narrow universe of boys, who have boarding as their common objective.

The other thing that bothers me is the packed lunch requirement. I find it absurd to pay that much money and have your DS eat sandwiches and crisps for 5 years straight (or have the burden of coming up with menus and options).

SPJ seems to be a fantastic compromise, as everyone here always says. It's big enough to feel like a boarding school while having the benefits of a city/day school. Unfortunately, I think our chances there are not great. Plus, I don't know enough about their track record at sending boys to top boarding schools. I know boys are obviously able to go almost wherever they want, but I don't know enough about the culture and whether the school actually encourages/helps.

Most promising to us does not just mean most able at the time. We are looking for intellectually curious pupils able to cope with our demanding curriculum. One of our most gifted boys in upper part of the prep, who joined us at 7+, shares my birthday - in mid July! I very much doubt he intervewied well aged 6. We rejected some very able pupils this year as we did not think they were a good fit for us overall. When looking at reading ages we would be comparing months ahead of actual age, not actual current reading age.

We don’t have a fixed 8+ entry, so can’t comment on that, other than being frustrated at how annoying it is to have pupils join at 7, then keep trying to leave at non standard points. I’ve just come back from a conference where part of the afternoon was spent discussing mental health in schools. I’m afraid I do question parents who put their kids through a constant stream of interviews and tests to try and get into one particular school, when they fail the 7+. I’m sure it contribute negatively to the mental wellbeing of the pupils. Many will be forced to have hours of extra tutition or do extra work at home and miss out in being kids. Kids need to play, do unstructured activities, be bored and amuse themselves and not just do prep for entrance exams at 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 etc.... the may look like they are enjoying it, but they will invariably rebel against it and probably when it matters most with GCSEs and a-level!

trinity0097 , very good point. Assuming your school is an academic selective school, how does the school balance the need to play and the need to study?

Really good point trinity. It is also why I’m struggling to get my heard round a pre prep with 7+ at the end. Maybe an 11+ and at this point we will know how academically gifted he is.

This may be outing, but our children have a decent long lunch break to do extra curricular things, or just play, plus a long sport session every day. Even our most academic children would say daily sport is one if the best things about school.

Our year 3 teacher set a great holiday ‘homework’ where she gave them a list of things to do, this ranged from hoovering their bedroom, to reading a book, going for a walk, to cooking something. The kids loved it and had some great experiences.

As the children get older and pre-tests/academic scholarships loom we would expect them to do more, but the daily sport continues in school. We work hard and play hard! Academic excellence does have to be at the expense of having a life either!

I of course meant, does not have to be at the expense of having a life! Oops!

Trinity I really want to know what school you're at! It sounds lovely. Can you pm me?

WOW! This thread has really grown since I started it.
Well done everyone for coming through this.
Ifc1975 I have PM’d you.

trinity0097 , keen to know which school are you at? do you mind PM me? is it in London? thanks