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.

Trinity (apparently) run a chaperone service form Clapham for the first part of the school year so I don't imagine your DS would be alone.

At least I think it's Trinity with the chaperone service. Both schools run a variety of bus routes too so you may find one of those is useable.

Whitgifts are here
Trinity's on a link here

No See your not the only one....I am beginning to think I might need 3 lots of hair dye for the grey

Thanks SoupDragon, I've seen that W atleast does a bus service from Worcester Park but it heads off at 7am . I suppose I just have to accept that we live a long way from these schools and perhaps I need to look closer to home!

How long a journey do people think acceptable nowadays?

I'm also pretty worried about the social aspects of school life - I don't fancy spending the next 7 years running a taxi service for every social gathering. I suppose we could move

Good luck to you all by the way. Hope the postman brings good news over the next few weeks

My DS will have to leave at 7 am for bus at 7.15

I kick DS2 out of the door at 7:40 for a 7:50 bus :o

7am does seem rather early but the journey from Worcester Park is a PITA - I don't think there is a "quick" route. I grew up there.

DS1.

DS2 is still at primary [dim]

Ha ha soup its getting to u now too I think Ds will leave later once he gets into it!!

Nah.... I can never get the right child. Nothing to do with schools :)

@legallady

If DS gets W, please, please, please, everything crossed! Yes it is getting to me, waves of panic daily :) He will have to be out by 7.15am which in principle is fine as he wakes up at 6.00am every morning as bright eyed and bushy tailed..He then starts to slow down as he knows he has plenty of time to get ready. Geographically we are only about 4.5 miles away from W, actually that's pretty accurate I know all the distances to the schools within a 15 mile radius....thank goodness that we only had 2 DS's I will never have to do this again:)
Hi Soup and franki69, good to see you are still there:)

Hi Beanie...don't get rid of me that easily

I don't think 7-7.15 is that early for senior school kids, as I see some every day going past my home at 6.30am...gosh that is early!!!!

Hi frankie69

No I agree, we have friends at W who are leaving home at 6.20am to walk to the bus stop. I guess it prepares them for the real world. That having been said they seem fine with it and have adjusted to it really quickly, current years 7 and 9 and parents have a pretty good routine in place unlike moi! That might have to change although I draw the line at freezing a weeks worth of sandwiches for packed lunches, I didn't know it was possible..... Anyway I digress. Will carry checking in, moral support still needed. Oh just to make you all smile (hopefully)
I mentioned this thread to DH and explained how supportive you have all been and how nice it would be to share a . He started talking to me about internet security and whether I was actually sure that you were like minded mums, apparently you could all be body traffickers with white vans waiting to abduct me! (wishful thinking on his part given my stress levels) I'm pretty sure he was joking!! :)

Yes, i actually engineered the whole exam/interview scenario to get a chance at abducting innumerable mothers or ransoming their children, depending on how rich they looked when I interviewed them.

I would have got away with it if it wasn't for that pesky DH.

Oh my I was quite looking forward to being bundled into the back of a white van ..... Your DH is very amusing beanie

Oh my I was quite looking forward to being bundled into the back of a white van ..... Your DH is very amusing beanie

I wouldn't have complained abut being bundled on the back of a van with Mr Beck.

Ha ha Soup .... Just the bundled bit good for me

I can't decide whether it would have helped or hindered DS2's application. :o

Thank you Frankie and Soup, now there's a thought......Kidnapping, breaking in to admissions office, hacking computers....anyone out there following my thought process?
My new mantra is "nearly there, calm and breathe, nearly there"
Frankie- I have thought about divorce however I have to say my DH's sense of humour has kept me going, although I'm not convinced that they/the DH's understand what we are going through.

Beanie that is sooooooo true, our DH's truly do not understand... comes to mind....it is just a good job mn has a board for complete stress heads like us all to support each other!!!

Argh made mistake of looking at similar forum where mum came away from W interview feeling quite confident and then was offered a waiting list place and the waiting lists didnt open that year so he never got a place. Now starting to doubt own sanity. Apprently child in that case told at interview "you would be perfect here" (as was mine), is there a secret code maybe for "dream on love". May have to stop looking at all forums and up wine consumption levels dramatically

Sws I think you can read anything into what other peops put on here...my Dh actually told me to not look....especially wen I went on one just after exam and found untruths about interviews starting several days before they did . I think we just need to keep supporting each other and yes copious amounts of me thinks

Yes I know high levels of paranoia but at interview get feeling they are on massive charm offensive and might not be altogether too straightforward. Yikes, did W as state back up but now really want it. Wine o clock time me thinks

It is all done now...we can read any number of things into what was or wasn't said!!!

SWS - we will drive ourselves mad until that letter drops through the post on the 17th!! I am sure within 5mins of leaving the interview I was second guessing what had actually been said! Everything crossed that our DS all achieve their dreams. Bring on more