Scholarship exam for Kingston Grammar

[lanicic]

My DD is going to sit the above exam tomorrow. Can anybody let me know what she should expect at the exam and intervies at KGS? Many thanks.

Hi - well done to your clever DD for being invited back for the scholarship exam! My DS1 goes to kgs but didn't do scholarship - just the normal exam which your DD obviously excelled in! His interview was pretty straight-forward - just talking about his hobbies, favourite subjects at school, books he's read, outside school activities etc. I think they just want to check the children are reasonably sociable and have a few interests, but the scholarship interview might be a bit more demanding - really don't know. Might be worth getting her to watch newsround, have a flick through the papers just in case they ask her about the news? (That's something I did with DS1 but it never came up at any interviews).

Thank you Stillfeel18inside for your reply and tips. Now that your DS1 goes to KGS, can you please tell me how you find the school. We went a couple of times and liked many things apart from the general feeling that somehow is dark and old inside, in comparison to Surbiton High that has more modern feel. Also, KGS is more expensive than SH. What do you think about KGS? Thank you very much - this is all confusing to us.

We really like the school and think it's a good fit for our DS. It's meant to be more academic than Surbiton but I know nothing really about that school - only hearsay - as I only have boys. I think KGS is very good for "all-rounders" - children who are reasonably academic but also like sport, music, drama etc. It is a very friendly school and small enough that the kids do tend to get to know most people in their year. I know what you mean about the building - we also felt it wasn't as modern or light and airy as some other schools. However it reminded me of where I went to school (also an old building that had been adapted inside and built onto with new buildings) and generally I prefered the ambience as a whole (added to which I knew a lot of children who loved it at kgs and also the journey was a lot simpler!) There doesn't seem to be a lot of outdoor space at kgs, but actually the kids do play in the "cage" (astro pitches) and on the Fairfield area at the back of the school at lunchtime. The sports grounds at Hampton Court are lovely and in some ways it gives the kids a break to go over there for the afternoon. Hope that's helpful and that your DD's scholarship exam went well!

Thank you Stillfeel18inside, this is really helpful! My DD found English easy and Maths "impossibly hard". According to her, nobody finished the paper. They told us that 600 children sat the first exam, wow, that is a lot. Now she will have her interview next week and then we'll wait for the final results. She has got a place so that is a huge relief.
Once again, many thanks for your post.