Interviews for 11+

[BruceFoxton]

As someone who interviews kids at a top independent London school, can I make a plea to parents to stop coaching their kids for interview. I'll tell you what happens: I ask kid a question and I hear a version of you telling me unlikely stuff with no genuine interest. So I mark them down as a 'not sure'. An uncoached kid lets me see themself and their genuine passions and I'm more likely to put them down as 'accept'. If you feel your kid won't be able to speak for itself in a 15 min interview then how is it going to cope over the next 7 in my classroom without you to tell it what to say? Trust your child more - we can tell how teachable your child is but layers of coaching stand in our way and leave us, after 15 minutes, none the wiser.

Why does your school base admission decisions on a 15 minute interview?

I was under the impression that most "top independent" schools select by academic aptitude, measured by tests.

Dd went through this process last year

While we were waiting there were lots of parents quizzing their children

Dd sat reading the hunger games which the teacher interviewing her spotted. When she came back from the interview she told me they had spent 10 minutes talking about books and then had a conversation about the high speed rail link

We got some lovely personalised feedback from the interview and she was offered a place

No stress, happy child -unlike some of the others who left visibly upset

Well said, Bruce. With a DS sitting 11+ (well 13+ pre-test) at the moment, it is most refreshing to hear that!

ThreeBee - I am sure that this is in addition to those tests, to establish how good a fit each child will be for the school and to weed out those who have clearly been over-coached on the academic side....a very sensible and healthy approach to what has become (or perhaps always has been) a rather unhealthy, if necessary, process.

In the school I work at, the interview is used to determine scholarships, alongside excellent academic results. The interviewers can spot a coached child a mile off, as you say.

Our own DC went through the selection process last week. We didn't coach in the slightest. I later looked at the notes and was staggered by what she had talked about!

Hooray!

Please can schools also consider having a test that identifies naturally bright children rather than children who have been tutored for the last 2 years?

They do don't they?

Dd went to normal state primary, had no tutoring and just looked at the 10 sample question the school sent out

I'm pleased to hear this, as my ds went off for a 2 day assessment over Christmas, I did feel a bit bad that we hadn't done any interview coaching or practice papers! (also at a state school so no practice there either)

With boys doing London 13+ preselection and 8+ this term, that is encouraging. It is hard to resist though , although both most tempting to coach and most pointless with the little one. When one has heard him explaining in normal chat lots of excellent reasons to want to move schools for instance, one's heart sinks to hear that in an interview he said "because who would want to be stuck in a school full of girls and no Bunsen burners".

Plus the fear of Minecraft creeping in!

I have heard comments on this topic feeding back from one of the preps he applied to, noting a suspicious number of long, full sentences, complete with butter wouldn't melt sentiments!

The coaching industry has a lot to answer for. I actually knew what DD2 would be asked at her interview and didn't tell her because I knew she'd rehearse answers. Her prep was very clever as they wrapped the stuff that came up at interviews in other subjects and the girls were totally unaware. What the schools want is a child who can engage and even disagree. All tutoring does is give DC's a laundry list of things to remember to do and it's probably pretty obvious to an interviewer that they are getting a monologue not having a conversation.

We have gone down the no tutoring route. dd is top of her year in Y7 but should be in Y6. I wait with baited breath as academically she is more than capable and I am VERY interested to see the outcome!!! Watch this space :)

I love your name, Bruce

Great to hear this, OP, thanks! Also a relief, as no coaching here, other than asking DD what she likes and what she is good at (the latter being very little, according to her). But on the other hand we also had no clever prep (like horsemadmum) as DD is at state school. Anyway, despite being very nervous before her very first interview, DD came out relaxed and smiling, well done to the interviewer! (Huge relief, not just for that school, but for the whole process we're putting DD through)

But the interviewers deserve some of the blame for poor interviews (lack of "real" engagement) if they don't manage to create a relaxed atmosphere. Small things matter, and if the schools really want this, they should use all kinds of tricks (say cookies, sofas, real smiles, casual clothes, superfriendly helpers, something funny, whatever works).

I could feel my DD tighten up waiting for her interview at a second school when a very formal man (his body language, tone as well as the suit and tie) stood over her saying "I am Mr So and So" etc. When they walked off to an interview room, I was left fearing and expecting the worst and feeling that unnecessary ice had just been created which would not easily be unfrozen in the few minutes. (It didn't)

These two schools likely have widely different views on my daughter - because only one met the real, relaxed, thoughtful, quite articulate and opinionated girl - rather than the anxious, lost-for-words one.

Don't worry too much NW. The schools know that DD's from normal primaries haven't had the stealth prep. They really aren't looking for polished and poised. After years of meeting parents and girls at the interviews, the ones I see in September are just as likely to be the nervous ones as the confident ones.
DD was totally on the back foot at one of her interviews when they asked about 'X' but she happened to know quite a lot about 'X' just by chance- post-mortem with her teacher revealed that they'd all been asked completely different questions and it was just about sparking a discussion.

Hello, sorry for jumping in, but I need to ask a question on this very subject! DS1 goes to small state village primary. He sat the 3 CE exams to a good independent school, fairly local to us on Saturday and I have had a letter today to say he did so well they are asking him back on Saturday to sit the scholarship paper! This is with no extra tuition beyond classroom stuff, so I am thrilled for him! The exam is 30 minutes BUT then there is a 15 minute interview.

What are they likely to ask him? I have no idea on this and although I don't want to tell him what to say, as he is articulate and gregarious, just a couple of pointers would be good. Also, what NOT to say! (He could waffle on about Minecraft and scooter tricks for hours for example, which I'm guessing wouldn't be great) ....

Fortunately DS2 qualified for academic & music places at our first choice school (state, so no interview, although he did do a short music audition). If they'd interviewed him, they would have had trouble getting him off the topic of Minecraft! Since starting there, he has joined a Humanities club & a Classics club as well as choir & wind band, so he does seem to have interests.

I remember my interview at a (top independent) school thirty years ago. It seemed like more of a meet-the-headmistress set-up than part of the selection process.

Thanks, 'mom, reassuring.

BTW, I really appreciate schools that interview all applicants, especially the very heavily oversubscribed ones (like G&L) that easily could get away with not doing that. Great to limit the stages of possible rejection to one (instead of two), and that any bad news would come on the same day as, hopefully, some good news from another school. It also gives the impression that each girl really matters, which we really like.