13+ plus entrance exam preparation /test

[Jean99]

Hi! Can anyone advise how competitive will be for 13+ exam at Whitgift, Dulwich College, Emanuel, etc? Is there any chance to get a bursary place in these schools ? Or any other schools that have generous fund to offer?

My DS got offered a place at Trinity School in Croydon in year 7 and he will be starting in September 2015 but sadly we don't get a bursary assistance even though we are eligible which means we will be struggling to pay the fees. Luckily, his grandparents will contribute some money towards the fees for a few years . So we are planning to send him for 13+ exam .
He is from a state primary school in Fulham . He loves drama and sports.

Any links or other help with regards to this is much appreciated.
Thank you in advance.

You need to contact each school individually about bursaries as they all have their own deadlines, criteria and how they decide who qualifies and what % they will be able to offer (be very aware that needing a certain % doesn't mean the schools will offer it as it boils down to how many applicants qualify in a particular year and how the bursary pot is divided)
Also, I would assume that Trinity is not going to prepare him for 13+ transfer to another school? Check the entry requirements carefully. If its by common entrance, then he needs to be in a school doing the 2 year common entrance, or would they test him differently.
Check also whether Trinity will allow a bursary application when he is actually there in year 9 as it tends to come from a different budget for existing students

Hi Inthename,
Thank you for your useful advice. What do you mean by common entrance exam ?

I don't think any of the schools you mention use Common Entrance (a qualifying exam for thise with conditional offers), but rather it's their own (competitive) exam. The number of candidates is generally much lower, but so is the number of places. Things like CV, interview and head's reference are likely to be more important than at 11+

Check with each school for sample exam papers.

Talk to them about bursary availability. All can provide large bursaries to candidates they really want, but at 13+ and coming from elsewhere in the private sector you may well not be priority. Out of curiosity, did you attempt any of these schools at their earlier entrance points?

Hi! AnotherNewt,
Thank you for your advice. It's really helpful! My DS got offered a place at Trinity and Emanuel but he has chosen to go to T as he loves the great facilities there and I think the academic strength at T is much better according to their GCSE results. He sat 11+ exam at Dulwich but sadly he didn't get through. He has never tried Whitgift .

Do you know anyone who attends Trinity or Whitgift?

Will you qualify for bursary assistance at these schools if you didn't at Trinity? I suppose that different schools have different rules.

If you have a few years where the grandparents can help, is there any possibility of increasing income levels in that time through moving jobs / going for promotions?

Are there any good state comps or selective schools that your son could wait list for just in case this doesn't all come to plan?

Sorry not to have a helpful answer to your question but just wondering if there is another way. Hoping to get into a school at 13 and for bursary assistance seems uncertain - and a bit of a remote possibility - what would you do if this didn't come to fruition?

Our DD is going to an independent school in September and we've had to think carefully about fees but I'm not sure I would go for private if I would need bursary help in a couple of years time - feels quite uncertain and stressful.

Oh sorry I've read that you didn't get bursary assistance although you were eligible. Ignore my first question!