Kingston grammar school 10 plus

[ttcnumber3maybe]

Hi folks! Ds took 10+ at kgs on 4 jan and we haven't heard anything yet 2 weeks on... Just wondered if anyone else out there was in the same boat. I bit the bullet and called admissions last Friday and she said they hadn't started doing the calls yet for interviews as they were focusing on 11plus (although we had been advised would hear within 2 weeks).... Let me know if you hear anything! Ds also took the hampton 10plus but was his first ever exam and raced through it without checking... Was no suprise when we got a rejection letter (15 places out of 250 odd sitting the exam!!!)

Hello, have you tried also posting this on the Local Kingston talk board? Here's the link:

local.mumsnet.com/Talk/kingston-upon-thames/local-active

Good luck

Local Editor

Heard nothing so far so am keeping fingers crossed

we have not heard anything either

If I remember correctly offers don't go out til mid Feb so still a while to go.

Yes but mid February is yes/no letter. The admissions pack said interviews would start 2 weeks from the exam. So surely if they'd got an interview we'd have heard by now. I must say my impression of KGS has plummeted since the exam...

Someone on another thread phoned last Friday and was told they were prioritising 11plus and hadn't started on 10plus yet. Basically a guessing game.

Doh...or this threads OP!

We contacted KGS on Monday late afternoon as we had missed a few calls and wondered if it was them. They said that they still had not contacted any 10 plus entrants yet.

So why do they say in the pack interviews take place 2 weeks after the exam. They are MEAN!!! DD & DH seem to have forgotten all about it, I wish I had.

Does anyone know if the "no" letter is banded like the Hampton one? Ie 1.you are amazing, on a short wait list. 2. You did well, hope to see you next year for 11+, 3. You are well off the pace.
Not saying that is how they are worded but you get the gist!!

amidaiwish, I don't know if you get a banded letter (do Hampton do this now?) but you can ring the school and get a fairly good idea of how they did. We did this with DS last year and the year before. Although the feedback was confusing at times. Interesting that they are taking so long at KGS with the 10+.

Just received the general email from KGS, processing of exams taking longer than anticipated so will hear sometime next week

? received the same email apologizing for the delay in response

Me too. Wonder if they saw this or got fed up of people contacting them!

Suppose it must be the sheer volume compared to previous years that is taking them so long. Last year we had a call for interview within a week of taking the exam, albeit 11+.

But really instead of "next week" they could say "all letters will be posted 1st class on x day". Hampton did, turned it around under a week.
Quite inconsiderate really.
People are right, you learn a lot about a school going through the admissions process. Communication is so important.

Those doing 11+ heard in about a week.

Hang in there! It's a great school once you're in!

Strange I didn't get an email! I did spa to them and they said posting letters out today all being well... Good luck all!!

Spa? I wish!! Meant speak!!

Nothing in the post today.
My friend was talking to a tiffin tutor yesterday evening. She said the delay from KGS was because they had set the exam too low and were struggling to identify the top 10% who they normally invite for interview.
Not sure how reliable that info is.

It doesn't sound right to me. They have 100 + places and they are going to offer a lot more places than that, as the brightest will get offers from more than one school. They do two sorts of interview as well, at 11+ anyway, the general interviews where it seems they are almost certain they will offer a place providing your DC doesn't deck one of the other DCs or fails to string a sentence together (in my DDs case it was a charm offensive fun discussion designed to engage them with the schools ethos and learning approach.) Then they have subject specific interviews where they test out areas that appeared weak in the exam. I am sure they will interview more than 10% based on that. In fact I can't think of a single independent school that would only interview 10%. Even for other schools that screen out after the exam like LEH it is over 50%.

More likely just the difficulty of getting through that number of exam papers. They are not just tick boxing, they are evaluating strengths and weaknesses, looking at the way they have tackled the questions as well as accuracy. A tiffin tutor would probably struggle to conceive of such an exercise

Plus Tiffin tutor and reliable source of information on schools in the same sentence would be an oxymoron as far as I am concerned.

And I agree there is no problem with the extent and nature of their communication with parents ( just look at the Heads letters on the website, by far the most honest and open Head of any of the indie Heads, they are a far better indicator of the school) it is a great school when you are in.

This is for 10+, not 11. They only interview max 40 for 25 places.

But I see what you're saying re volume and tiffin tutors!

Point taken but the rest of my points apply, they will presumably be having to look even more carefully at the papers to discern the most able as they do not want to risk giving those places to any but the most deserving.

That would be more reflective of the school than it being a matter of poor communication, not valuing the parents.

All those who have come through the West London independent school system as my DDs have will tell you that KGS pupils have almost uniformly happy experiences and feel the most valued as individuals. Parents are very happy too ( though I am sure there is the odd one )