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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

So where's this years Trinity/Whitgift/Dulwich/Alleyns thread

999 replies

soooooooknowwhat · 05/01/2018 21:18

And any other schools you may wish to add... Have used threads from the previous few years as part of my research and ds sat Trinity today! I'm more of a lurker than a thread starter but decided to bite the bullet and offer a hand to hold. Good luck to all dc's sitting exams over the next few weeks! Grin

OP posts:
Tindrum · 21/01/2018 14:35

•sooooooonowwhat• my son is now school at middle school at DC, so my experience of the interview is from a few years back. My son was actually very nervous, however they picked up on that and really tried to put him at ease. The then head of lower school gave him a drink and some biscuits and assured him that getting this far was a brilliant achievement that he should be proud of, and that there was nothing to worry about, which was a very nice and helpful touch. The interview itself consisted of a few maths and English questions and then some questions based on their interests and hobbies (which they had listed before the exam). He came out very chatty and happy, and positive. They hadn't asked any tricky questions but more got to know him and had a general chat. We looked up a few current affairs stories in the news beforehand in case they asked about that sort of thing and I think they did have a chat about fracking. Anyway, hope that's a help – I'm pretty sure they only interview boys that they intend to either offer to or put on the waitlist, so his chance of an offer are excellent. Best of luck.

Wimbles101 · 21/01/2018 15:32

PurleyMum - looks like your query on T has already been answered. Sorry for delay Saturdays, are always a bit hectic here!

Mr Kennedy extremely nice, and apparently very similar in style to old head - although I can't judge as I didn't meet the previous head.

Hw very manageable now. Weirdly they went a bit OTT in first term, but after a lot of consultation (read: complaints) it's all in hand, and it's a good sign that the school has responded so positively to issues.

My comment re. Maths not being as hard as English at T is purely based on personal experience. DS is strong in English and VR, but found the Maths (I won't lie) easy at T as he had also been prepped and passed some of the grammars. So my comment is purely based on that. In comparison to SET and Tiffin T Maths is definitely easier in the exam. Hope that puts in context Wink

Wimbles101 · 21/01/2018 15:34

I can't comment on W, but we didn't feel the exam would have challenged DS particularly. DC I really wish we'd done now. We did a lot of he past papers in preparation for T exam, but for some reason found the school a bit far. I've since found out their school bus stops effectively outside our front door!

Familyforever2002 · 21/01/2018 17:25

Hi all,
Just wondering with regards to interview question like - What's going on in the world today? What are 12 year olds meant to know?? This is for 13 plus.. Would something to with politics be on the right track do you think? We haven't prepped our son for the interview but it's just came into my mind what would be expected of a child his age.Hmm
Thank you Smile

Wimbles101 · 21/01/2018 17:32

I’m not sure about 13 as we did 11, but I would prep for the usual: what’s your favourite subject and why, a little bit on the world around him (the boys should have an opinion on big stuff or know about it at least at this age), favourite books and also expect a question or two on Maths or English. At T the boys take an object in to talk about (photo, trophy anything they want really).

LIZS · 21/01/2018 17:37

It won't hurt to have a couple of current affairs stories in his head, which he knows enough about to discuss a little. Ds did 13+ at another school several years ago, mentioned a recent Australian natural disaster and it turned out his interviewer knew someone caught up in it and became tearful Blush

sooooooonowwhat · 21/01/2018 18:50

Wimbles thanks very much for the info re T homework, that's very reassuring. And Tindrum thanks so much for the info re Dulwich interviews, that's exceedingly helpful. Can I ask how your ds is finding Dulwich? We loved it when we had a look around, more so than KCS which is on paper the more academic school. We really liked Dr Spence and the admissions staff who are so down to earth and warm (as, to be fair, are the ones at the others schools we're applying to). It would be great to hear from someone with a ds there and find out how they are getting on. Thanks so much!

Wellhereweare78 · 21/01/2018 18:56

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Familyforever2002 · 21/01/2018 21:27

Thank you for your replies, along the same lines as I was thinking. Smile

turboturtle · 22/01/2018 00:05

"As an example, we loved the "showiness and confidence" of W, very much liked the understated excellence at T, were VERY underwhelmed by DC and Joe Spence and found A way too monocultural for us."

Firefox - Couldn't agree more. I wanted to like DC so much, but felt very underwhelmed. It was almost as if Mr Joe Spence didn't feel that he needed to 'sell' his school.
DC is a great school, but felt that it wasn't for our DS. I enjoyed the visits to A a lot more than I thought I would, but as you stated, it is way too monocultural.
Shame really.

Seeline · 22/01/2018 08:23

Re homework at T - it's good to hear that they have reduced h/w in the lower years. My DS used to get 3-4 subjects a night to spend about 30 mins on each. He is currently Y11 so GCSE years and gets 3 subjects a night and is meant to spend 45 mins - hour on each, although often takes longer. IT is certainly more than they get at the local comp, not sure about the grammars.

sooooooonowwhat · 22/01/2018 09:08

Good luck today at Dulwich Tolacar! We might see you there!

sooooooonowwhat · 22/01/2018 09:10

And thanks for the info on homework at T Seeline that's very good to hear!

Surprised you got a 'can't be bothered' vibe from Dr Spence turboturtle, we felt he went above and beyond and was extremely warm and welcoming, made a big effort with us and managed to remember ds's unusual name the second time he saw us on our group tour.

sooooooonowwhat · 22/01/2018 09:10

And thanks for the info on homework at T Seeline that's very good to hear!

Surprised you got a 'can't be bothered' vibe from Dr Spence turboturtle, we felt he went above and beyond and was extremely warm and welcoming, made a big effort with us and managed to remember ds's unusual name the second time he saw us on our group tour.

IntheMotherhood · 22/01/2018 09:28

My DS and I had same opinion of DC as firefox and turboturtle
An excellent, established school but many things didn't hit the right button for our DS from his perspective, even though it was a school we were advised to apply for.
So many great schools out there and they'll all be lucky to have kids supported by the engaged families as shown here.
Good luck for any girls hearing this week.

Tolacar · 22/01/2018 09:29

Thanks sooooooonowwhat and good luck to you and your DS. Ours is at 3pm. Maybe see you there.

Tindrum · 22/01/2018 10:17

sooooooonowwhat Dulwich has turned out to be a great choice. He entered as an artsy kind of boy but they have managed to bring out a keen sportsman in him which none of us is aware of. But you don't have to be a sportsbod to flourish there. Huge amounts of choirs and orchestras, and really high quality extra curricular clubs – my son's artistic ability has been particularly nurtured and encouraged. Lots of opportunities to perform in amazing venues – King's Cambridge, Royal Festival Hall, Southwark Cathedral... and lots of trip opportunities. It is quite academic and maybe some kids might struggle with the weight of work they get, though they do try to introduce the homework gradually. It’s a very diverse, inclusive, friendly, enthusiastic school with high expectations for it's students. DS is very happy there. Feel free to PM me if there’s anything you’d like to know in particular. Best of luck.

SoupDragon · 22/01/2018 12:09

An excellent, established school but many things didn't hit the right button for our DS from his perspective, even though it was a school we were advised to apply for.

I think this is often the case with every school. Certainly I came away with the impression that DSs would do well at either T or W but I knew which was the right school for our family. It was an intangible thing and I couldn’t really put it into words I don’t think. I had the same feeling with DDs school when I went through this last year with her.

From an academic/sporting/art/music point of view, I suspect there is very little to choose between all the schools on this thread. It’s just a matter of which is the right one for your DS.

Firefox1066 · 22/01/2018 12:43

Fully agree Soup. It's an intangible. All the schools in this thread are excellent schools. That's why I'm always disappointed when I see threads castigating any of these schools. It's a personal choice which will be very different for each family and each DS or DD.

sooooooonowwhat · 22/01/2018 12:46

Agree SoupDragon it's ultimately down to gut feel and what your dc's prefer.

Tindrum ds really enjoyed his interview at DC this morning and should he be lucky enough to get an offer we will have a difficult choice to make between Trinity and DC, both of which ds loves. We met a lot of really lovely boys and parents today and felt a really great sense of community from the school.

Also, Wellhereweare - Dr Spence told us that 500 sat for DC and 150 have been called back and there will be 100 offers for 75 places. Hth!

Firefox1066 · 22/01/2018 12:48

On a different note, best of luck to all remaining DS's who have interviews this week! Almost at the end of the process!

sooooooonowwhat · 22/01/2018 13:04

Thanks Firefox and yes, agree, we should use this thread to hand hold through this stressful time rather than denigrating each others preferences. Good luck to all dc's and may they all end up somewhere they are happy!

IntheMotherhood · 22/01/2018 13:21

I hope no one thought I was denigrating DC! I agree it's poor form to castigate a school that another family believes is the right school for their child. Equally, I am put off by schools that try to enhance their attractiveness by castigating 'rivals'.
This seems to have ebbed.
I think we're all critical consumers and can make up our own minds!

sooooooonowwhat · 22/01/2018 13:29

Inthe don't worry, I didn't mean you, I just meant that in general we will all have our preferences and I think we're agreed that dc who get to attend any of these schools are fortunate! So far I haven't come across any school that has been critical of another, if anything, I have been told by staff at DC that there are 'many excellent schools for boys around here, such as Whitgift and Trinity'. In fact, the head of lower school mentioned how nice the head of T is today again and when ds sat the Trinity exam they wished him good luck in his exams for the other schools he is sitting, all seem to be positive and very sporting.

Lotsofsighing · 22/01/2018 13:32

100 offers for 75 places? That's seems like too few. Are they saying that only 1 in 4 boys will opt for another school? I'm up in North London and even the most sought-after schools offer at least two for every one place.

I call fibs!