Hockerill Anglo European Collage - entry via aptitude test

[rosemaryc]

Just posting here too (put this on the main Education board a few days ago). Many thanks to anyone with any insight.

Hi, we are in the same county but a long way from the catchment area (1hr away). Anyone here's DC done this test, especially if applying from outside the catchment area? I know it's very competitive.
Thank you!

@badups

movement before 56th form is that about 50% leave. Not all to do with IB views. Fees (for non staff pupils) are a steep change from year 11´s and also not every family believes the grass is greener at 6th form.

The boarding staff stated that they do not expect all girls to be happy until at least a couple of years. You can make what you want of it but that was a fact. Obviously most girls are happy but I assumed mumsnet readers would find it useful to know what in some instances boarding senior management said when faced with situations where the girl is clearly not happy. We have had several in DD's year group.
Hockerill is fantastically amazing value for free places but variable for fee paying.
Hockerill is a school that requires a lot of marketing for boarders. Should we be happily watch the marketing go on while internal issues are not addressed?
50% leave at year 11 despite the pressure to stay. You must recognise this?
Should a school like HAEC need to have a barrister governor defending it in the complaints procedure board?

I can't think of a school that doesn't attract a range of comments. I would say the feedback I have had apart from this thread all comes from or via teachers with children at the school! Oddly enough. It was one of those reasons I have been digging around high and low for more feedback. The teachers I know of who teach there are DELIGHTED with it. I don't consider this a negative at all but I did want to hear from other types of parents.

I also know someone who got a boarding place there but I have no idea how they established 'need' either as the parents don't travel a lot nor does the child have an otherwise unstable background. I don't doubt the child was suitable for boarding but it's the need part that left me puzzled. Again, hence wanting more information. I still don't understand how they establish 'need' for daily boarding but I guess if I'm working in London this might help - but presumably lots of parents in B Stortford do that too.

I've signed up for the tests in Sept - think I may even have been the first one! So we just have to see.

2girls have I understood correctly you do also have a child at the school? Or got the place but decided not to take it up?

Yes, I have a child at the school who has been happy. Neither of us are teachers.
What we found at Hockerill is that there are far too many things that go unchecked and often no matter how discreetly these are highlighted to the school, this is not handled as you would expect nor following current policy.
For example, many teachers ignore most parent queries. Communication from the school to parents is also lacking in many cases.
Teachers that teach elsewhere and have their kids at Hockerill are the ones to ask.
There are also some very career minded staff/teachers that worked hard to put strong whistleblowing policies in place so no teacher would dare to mention anything. Need I say more?

Regarding the movement after year 11, like all schools, if you don't make the grades at GSCE you won't get a place in the 6th form. They need to keep their top place in the country so the entry requirements will be high for year 12.

I'm sorry to hear 2GirlsDad is not happy with Hockerill. My experience is different. I have one daughter at the school and a son starting in September. Both full boarders. We live overseas. I find the communication between parents and teachers to be excellent. They respond quickly to my emails and any problems are ironed out promptly.

My daughter is very happy at the school and has always been happy there. I am hopeful my son will be just as happy when he starts in September.

One example of the control is the pressure for the students to stay on 6th form.

I do not have concerns about discipline, I also have high standards. Clearly the school disciplines everybody even if one cannot see sufficient action to discipline all teachers.

There is a strong focus on uniform at Hockerill, one would like to see the focus on academic standards and mainly the lack of transparency and accountability. Why was a whistle blowing policy put in place so quickly?

I am being factual and I can assure you I would be the last to make it open should there be senior people listening and acting internally.

Boy applications for residential boarders fell short of the quota and more girls had to be admitted - probably last year - this was obvious as more girls were "bumped" out of Winchester which caused a few upsets (Winchester is the junior girls boarding school that clearly has been very well led and by being reasonable is having all this praise from some of the parents on this board, is that because it stands out?). 10 to 1 ratios is not what is now happening with residential boarders but you need to get a breakdown to see what it is. Fact.

Mmemorrible, you seem to avoid commenting on some points. It is a known fact that there is a barrister governor awaiting any parent that decides they had enough. Why would that need to be the case?

You need to ask teachers that work elsewhere and have their children at Hockerill how they work in their schools and they tell you what is going wrong.

@DocHollywood

Obviously not everybody gets the offer to stay onto 6th form.

But the ones that are identified early , feel the pressure. Ok, we are one of those that have been spotted from admission that will. Still probably over 80% could based on the very high achieving intake. Clearly there are exceptions with children "parashooting" as places are freed, etc - including in boarding. I will not name names but at least one parent on this thread has a lot to thank the school (and herself for all the extra curricular help).

One should not give credit where it is not due, I also saw schools put on special measures despite the children doing well (thanks to the effort of the families).

Top place in the country??? On what measures, did you see how the intake is similar to the officially selective Herts schools? If you look at IB results which is a very small pool to compare, they are absolutely not top. with 50% joining, most from overseas, it is difficult to know what to expect.

Hockerill is good for languages, that is a top department, but again credit to parents.

..

Clearly you are either staff or getting some favours for these offensive comments.

As a local poster, I know a lot of students and parents from Hockerill. For years it prided itself on being the top comprehensive in the country but whether that was at GCSE or IB I don't remember. It does select a lot of it's intake so it stands to reason it should have good results. For a good few years according to it's stats 50 out of a 77 intake were siblings which is very high!
To get in on distance you need to live very close as only about 20 places are awarded this way after siblings/aptitude are taken into account. This is why parents are very creative about their 'need' for boarding.

Yes, a 200m catchment means nobody is doing any checking...

But day boarding is probably a better way to buy the place - you have a lot more applicants than places but not the high rates you get on free places.

You must be aware that they have longer holidays than many indies?

I have not seen evidence of selection but the above is a perfectly logical explanation for the very high year 6 attainment. Still, the ones that keep joinining in later years appear to be a more mixed bunch.

With the selection and the resource$ they have, it is amazing it keeps quoting comparisons with the England average to parents.

Badpups, can I ask what part of Herts you live in? Do you do the round trip to school twice a day ? Thanks

MmeMorrible, I appreciate you asked for your offensive comments to be removed. Your school support comments were also removed at the same time. This coupled with lack of apology makes me wonder whether you actually regretted it.

Anyone here whose DD/DS did the aptitude test this weekend?

yes! mine!

We had the aptitude test as well and will have boarding interview in a couple of weeks.

Interesting reading all the above comments as a current parent. Certainly there are many things going on that are not as good as one would hope but it remains overall an excellent school and tremendous value for money.

Anyone got a place at Hockerill and starting in Sept?

Yes got a day place for my daughter. You?

yes, me too for mine! Are you local?

Planning to do aptitude tests this autumn. I have also noticed that Herts and Essex across the road has a musical aptitude entry too - though this doesn't appeal as much. The minimum scores for entry seem very high? Those of you who have places - was this based on the language, music or combined?
thanks