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

[trinity0097]

I agree it’s about balance, sending the odd email is very different to ringing in every day demanding to know if there has been a change.

Your life does not depend on your son getting a place at KCS or SPJ or WUS, but it would seem that many parents seem to think the world will end if they go to another of the many other excellent schools in London!

[user1490307837]

Your life does not depend on your son getting a place at KCS or SPJ or WUS

I think that's slightly condescending.

[Drinkingcoffee]

Trinity0097 thank you so much for posting. It’s intersting to get the perspective from “the other side”. My son was always waitlisted and to be honest we have now lost all hope. In your experience is it possible that he can still be offered a place given the acceptance deadline date has been and gone? It’s arguably the two best schools in London so I can’t see how existing offer holders would possibly pull out.
Grasping at straws here so know....

[Roseredvelvet]

Drinkingcoffee offers can come in until September, so don't despair yet, it's early days.

[trinity0097]

My experience of wait lists is that it can totally change every year, with no certainty! Not much help I know!

Personally I would plan for not getting a place. There are many other good schools out there and you can still go to KCS and SPS at 11or 13 if that is what you still want at that point.

[Michaelahpurple]

Occasionally people just don't turn up at the start of term, extraordinarily. For instance, two stunningly selfish families just didn't take up 11+ places in DS2's year - could make you weep when you think of all the boys who sat and really wanted them. Their names were on all the class lists and everything.

If those families had had better manners and had told the school before term started, potentially a waitlisted parent who kept in touch and nudged at the right time could have picked them up.

However, I think there is also an aspect of getting on with life and embracing and planning for a new school which can be the happier and healthier course - would you really want to abandon the school your son was planning to go to so late?

[hhks]

Michaelahpurple, I wish those boys will grow up to be better men than their parents. It's more important to be a proper human being than to answer all tricky questions in the exam paper.

[user1490307837]

Well said hhks. Hear Hear!

[Bringonspring]

I agree with you on manners though they maybe other circumstances , for example I don’t want to utter the word ‘brexit’ but for a few of my friends who were planning private school they have changed their mind because they currently don’t think they have security/stability of their job to commit to 10 + years of fees. I’m sure this will unfortunately play a part this year.

[Drinkingcoffee]

Fine to change your mind but have the courtesy to notify the school earlier so that other anxious children and their parents can take up the place. Not turning up on the first day of term? That’s just pathetic and cannot be justified.

[Bringonspring]

I totally agree with you drinkingcoffee. I can foresee the list moving later this year with uncertainty in financial services, people potentially waiting to see how things ‘pan out’. one of my friends is waiting to see if they will be redeployed to Frankfurt for example so their in limbo land with regards children’s schooling.

[Drinkingcoffee]

Just a final try before this thread dies. Does anyone know whether any of the waiting lists moved for Kings, WU, SPJ and Sussex House? Our school is not the biggest feeder into these schools so difficult to get the complete picture.

[OptimysticMom]

Drinkingcoffee, have no idea re: other schools, but KCJS RL has not moved. As someone kindly mentioned and the Admissions office confirmed yesterday, if it were to move, it'll probably be after Easter (when current parents have to hand in a term's notice dep upon personal situations).
Happy half term!

[user230930]

Sussex House did move - but I don't know by how much. One person I know got a spot off the wait list on 26 January.

[hhks]

I know a mother declined KCS in favour of SPJ, so I don't understand why KCS RL has not moved, maybe they over offer?

[Drinkingcoffee]

Thank you ladies. This is consistent with what I expected but hadn’t heard any news. As Kings have such few places st 8+ I had a bit hope there thinking they can’t afford to over-offer by much in case everyone accepts so they must have drawn off the waiting list as you say. A Mum with a son at another school also said there was one family who turned down Kings for WU. I suppose it depends where we are on the waiting list - Kings wouldn’t tell me!
WU waiting lists I don’t think moved at all then.
We’re not on waiting list on s SPJ or Sussex House but was interested in knowing as can have knock on effects.
Gulp! Cannot bear the thought of sitting 11+ at any of these schools.

[Rowingthebigboat]

I know from various family friends and younger siblings of my son’s friends that the 7+ and 8+ waiting lists definitely moved at all 4 schools mentioned. Hard to tell by how many exactly but Usually just a couple of places for WUS, SPJ and KCS. I think Sussex House possibly have more flexibility as it tends to be wanted by mainly Chelsea local families which lowers their applicant numbers.
Drinkingcoffee do you have another school to go to? You might be better off to try and move on to give you some closure.
That said, there is always a last minute movement in offers list. Last year a 7+ boy turned up in September at SPJ - having been offered a place a few days prior. He was all set to go to KCS then got the call! Also at WU, not for 7|8+ but higher up the school, we’ve had boys not turn up in September! In these situations schools recognize they cannot leave a seat empty (think of the lost revenue and reputarional impact on the school),

[Crombie22]

Wish I found this community last month when I was biting my nails raw! Very interesting comments here. We have accepted a place at WUS, waitlisted at both SPJ and Kings. WUS wasn’t one of our top choices, we sat the exams on a whim only as practice run for SPJ. Funny how things turn out!
We are desperate to get either SPJ or Kings, very disappointed to be waitlisted at both. I believe the waiting list moved at both schools but frustratingly not for us. SPJ is the biggest shock. At the parents meeting the Head told us my son was in the top 30 of candidates. As there are 36 places going we walked away feeling he had a place secure. I wonder what happened on the interview day. My son’s strongest subject is maths, he is very bright in a practical kind of way, loves getting stuck into things like coding. Loved the ICT room at SPJ. Also very sporty and active, needs space to run around, would rather spend his time after school doing sport than homework. I have a lot of respect for WUS, the Head and all the staff I met but just can’t see my son there.
Trying to figure out why SPJ waitlisted him and thinking it may be due to my son having a loud personality. Anyone agree with that? Someone up the thread said SPJ only wanted the quiet boys this year and I can see how that would go against my son. He can come across as an overpowering chatterbox but he’s the sweetest, gentleness boy.
Grateful we have a top school secured but if either Kings or SPJ were to offer a place we would accept.

[Roseredvelvet]

Crombie22 it's a difficult situation to be in, all 3 schools are excellent and your son is obviously a very bright boy. I think schools look for a mix of personalities to balance the classes out. Ds is not a quiet boy, In his present school he's the class joker, sociable and kind but quite a compliant child. He's going to SPJ. A friend of his sat the 7+ last year and got offers from KGS & WUS despite doing really well in the exam he didn't receive an offer from SPJ (1st choice). He is thriving at WUS. Honestly I think it's a bit of a lottery sometimes!

[hhks]

Crombie22, I recently learned that a 7+ boy ranked 20+ in spj did not receive an offer, considering spj is offering 66 places at 7+. So I do believe spj is not just looking at academic performance, maybe other factors, personality, sports, interview, state education, preprep school names, family background, nationality, race, who knows.

[giardiniera]

A boy who comes 20th in the papers - it's clearly his place to lose at interview. Surprised anyone would think otherwise.

[user1485805085]

Crombie are you sure the waiting list moved at Kings (8+) ? I was told on 2nd Feb the day after acceptance deadline that the list hadn’t moved but I personally know of 7+ boys offered Kings from the waiting list.
I really don’t think your son was waitlisted at SPJ because he was loud! That would only count against him if he was obnoxious and destructive in class but clearly not the case. He sounds like a happy lively boy to me!

Roserverdvelvet I agree with everything you have written.

Hhks I am sorry but I think you’ve written a load of rubbish. SPJ is one of the most academic schools in the UK if not London. What has sport, race and “preprep names” got to do with their selection process? If they didn’t want to accept boys due to any of that sort of criteria why would they even bother inviting them for interview? They are picking boys at 7 or 8 years with the intellectual ability to go the distance to A Levels hence they want the very brightest boys. Period. Kings is the same. WU can afford to be a bit more flexible as everyone has to sit the 13+ for entry into the Great School and they can recalibrate talent again then. It is surprising but possible that a boy ranked 20th after the exams at SPJ ended up with no offer. Said boy, if indeed he is real and not fabricated, probably was heavily coached for the exams and either interviewed badly or couldn’t cope with the assessments at interview day. SPJ is known to have the toughest reasoning papers in town, harder than Kings and WU, designed to pick out the most innately cleverest boys; their interview process is also quick but challenging eg maths puzzles at both 7+ and 8+ which require boys to think on their feet, throws many boys who have done well in written exams often on the back coaching but may not be innately very clever.

Another point I would make for 7+ this year - SPJ added an extra class and brought forward offers to December like Kings taking 54 boys (the 66 mentioned above is plucked from the skies, of course they over offer but no one knows for sure by how many). Crucially however offer letters went out in December. Rather sneaky of SPJ and not entirely ethical some would say! Parents of very clever boys who already got offers decided not to bother sitting WU but enjoy a stress free Christmas instead. So WUS have ended up picking many 2nd tier boys and SPJ likely got the best of the lot. Not sure if this had implications for the 8+ but doesn’t matter much because WU have intakes at 11+ and 13+ when their brightest sparks join.

[hhks]

user1485805085, apparently during interview the HM told one of the parents the boys selected for interview were not all top, say 80, ranked in the exams. Unless the parents lied, and I don't see the point why would they. And it's not secret that state school children will have some advantage if scores are very close, same as summer boys. Also it's not secret that spj makes 22 offers for each class. Heard from a number of parents this year.

[user1485805085]

All the schools - SPJ, Kings, WU cut some slack for state school children so it’s not appropriate to single out SPJ for this. You made it sound like there is some sort of bias against specific pre prep schools. Not true. SPJ simply want the brightest boys, especially very strong mathematical and reasoning brains because their curriculum is more towards that direction. Even in year 3 and 4 boys use individual iPads in class. The Head made it clear at open day she did not care at all about handwriting whereas schools like Kings and WU make a bigger deal out of writing. The 22 offers per class is just a rumour not set in stone depends on the year and how things pan out. All the schools over offer even WU with only One class intake and Kings with 14 places over offered.
My take - a very clever boy with exceptional maths and reasoning ability will get SPJ. I don’t believe in conspiracy theories.

[hhks]

I understand that parents wanted to believe the selection process is all fair and their boys selected are the brightest. But we also need to know life is long and the 7+8+ exam is largely dependent on how their parents, especially mother, prepared them. Also largely dependent on luck. Some school has insider information so that they outperform others by so much.
It's very blunt to brand a 7 or 8 year boy tier 2. There are more bright boys than the top schools can take, even they didn't go to the top 3, it doesn't mean they are second tier.