Whitgift and Trinity 11+ exams and Interviews

[mummax]

Hi all
I am new to this. I am loving this site.
Has anyone's DS taken an 11+ exam at Whitgift or Trinity this year. We have taken both and have an interview at Whitgift.
Any tips for a first timer.

Indeed. And of course a more academic intake should lead to even better results which increases the schools desirability etc. Even only 5 years ago far fewer parents would have listed Trinity as their first choice - the 1960s exterior is a very unfortunate first impression, and it is hard to shake the reputation that it is the junior school to Whitgift (except of course for music). The current head is a huge asset (certainly at one visit we went to the length of his new contract probably received more attention than the sporting side of the school!), and overtaking Whitgift in terms of exam results hasn't done any harm either.

Morning All!
@ Ladymuck - you say it's common to negotiate on awards? Do you mean that if people are offered a scholarship they can actually ask for more (please excuse my niaivity - and I really don't expect to be in the position to do so, just curious)

@ Stresscity - did you speak to the HM at all? What were you doing while DS was interviewed? Did you have a chance to the teacher who interviewed DS? Still not sure what we should do

Seeline, if DS2 is offered a scholarship for W and a lower one/none for T, it is my intention to try to persuade T to match it. However, if it is the other way round, I won't try to persuade W.

RE Ts 60s exterior - I used to think it was ugly, now I can see its merits. I think it could do with a power wash but to my eyes it now looks bright and modern compared to the wood panelling of W. Interesting how my perception has changed - I was only thinking about it a week or so back.

Historically, of course, T was actually the "poor" school :) "Trinity has always taken particularly to heart (John) Whitgift's instruction to 'teach freely certain children of the Parish of Croydon of the poorer sort' "

"What were you doing while DS was interviewed?"
Sitting in a conference room with tea/coffee and biscuits chatting to other parents (I think they interview 4 boys at a time generally speaking) and a Current Parent who was there as host to answer questions.

"Did you have a chance to the teacher who interviewed DS?"
Not beyond pleasantries when he returned DS2.

"Still not sure what we should do"
If you meant whether you should have a talk with the HM, then yes I think you should. Part of me wishes I adjust for a feedback perspective but, as I am a current parent and have no questions, it seemed to be a waste of his time - all other parents in my batch were first timers.

Yes, awards do change after offer date. If you're in that position and you're not in a prep school which would point you in the right direction then pm me at half term. I'm not sufficiently anonymous on here not to get some of my friends into trouble.

Thanks Soup - I had no idea scholarships were such a cut-throat business!! It's amazing the amount of info you can pick up from this thread Haiving been throughthe W process I can see how useful a chat with DSs interviewer might be. However, we don't really have any questions for the HM - we made sure we found out what we wanted to know well before this stage!! I also liked the HM from the open morning and his attitude to the boys on exam day. Don't really want to end up in a room with him just grinning inanely - that wouldn't do us much good

Hi Selina...not sure if anyone has answered but I was told 1100 too W and 250 interviewed...

Thanks Ladymuck - we're not in a prep school and have no idea on this issue! If only we can get to that position.... [looks for crossed fingers emoticon]

WRT the scholarship thing, I guess in part it depends if the right school offers you the scholarship. In DS1s case they did so there was no point in negotiating with W because I wanted him at T. Whilst I would send DS2 to either school, he is far better suited to T and thus I would negotiate if it went the "wrong" way. I am not a naturally cut throat person :)

soupdragon Still reading this thread cos it reminds me of home! In the 80s T was definitely considered the better school out of the two, at least academically. I guess the architecture didn't look so dated then (although it always reminded me of a prison when I went past on the bus on the way to my school). W on the other hand was like.....Narnia. Or Buckingham palace. I grew up living round the corner from there, and went to a primary school on Pampisford road, so I walked past Whitgift one side or another twice a day ever day for many many years. :)

The Whitgift numbers seem to be increasing on a daily basis .

Oh, my heart is with Whitgift 100% - it is utterly fabulous. My head says T is the better fit for us though :)

I look at the photos of what T used to look like and think "you knocked that down to build the Forum pub and the concrete monstrosity that was the Whitgift Centre??"

I don't think 1000 could have sat 11+ at W. I'm mentally adding up the rows of boys in the sports hall afterwards and reckon it couldn't have been more than 600 or so. 1000 must include 10+ and 13+

@soupdragon...I thought the same, but was told those figures by a parent host on interview day . Oh well all of our distress will be over in '4 Fridays'...Not that I am counting ofcourse [bgrin]

oops

Soup I loved the old Whitgift centre. We moved to Croydon when I was 5, from inner London, and I had never seen anything so futuristic and 'SPACE' as the concrete curlywurly ramps. And the escalators. It never lost its glamour for me, really, even when I became a cynical teen.

I don't know about the numbers then... 1000 just seems too high. Allegedly all the papers were marked by Friday evening (but this is according to the two boys who showed us to the W interview so may be utter tosh!)

One thing I liked about T is that in the conference room where we waited for interview, they have huge map with pins showing where the boys are from. There was indeed a pin in our house :o Childishly satisfying.

I'm not sure we waited in a 'conference room' - it seemed more like a posh doctors!! I was just impressed by the peacock feather design fabric covering the chairs

@LadyMuck - your knowledge of how these schools work is really useful on these forums. If they're interviewing 200 boys for Trinity with 70 places available, surely they'll make about 100 offers? Or is the offer of a place declined by more than 30% of parents?

Just to add my tuppence worth on the architecture discussion, T does look awful from the outside but it's seriously lovely and light on the inside. My DS doesn't go in for 'atmosphere', he is more impressed by facilities. MY DD, on the other hand, wants to be steeped in it -- hence her preference for Old Palace. (One of the classrooms is called the Queen Elizabeth I room, because she did actually stay in it! Book cupboard used to be her powder room.)

Conference room at Trinity - just off reception, big round table. If you were interviews by the HM at W you would have gone to the Founders Room - exceeding poncey room with panelling and antiques.

Interviews today (somewhere else). Can everyone please keep some fingers or limbs crossed for me? In the afternoon?

good luck wahwahwah - everything crossed

@soup we were told the same thing re the papers so who knows

Good luck wahwahwah -- to your DS too!!