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Secondary education

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

Original poster

As the Tiffin deadline looms, is there a girls SW London grammars / indies thread yet?

969 replies

FlumePlume · 26/08/2018 18:15

I just realised that I need to get the Tiffin Girls form in ASAP, and wondered if anyone else is in the same position? I could do with company in this process!

We’re not yet decided but probably applying to Tiffin, WHS, SPGS, Sutton High and maybe one of PHS / Emanuel / KGS.

OP posts:
FrettyFifties · 20/01/2019 11:33

I might be in a minority but I like the new WHS process.
I don't think you can tutor VR/NVR in the same way as intensive maths and English tutoring. (Apparently some memorise essays that can be adapted to different topics!)

My DD wasn't tutored in either and is not an extrovert but she enjoyed the WHS assessment day so for her it was less stressful.
I doubt they are looking for a school full of type A extroverts, I hope not!
From what my DD said there were 6 very different stations for the assessment and lots of different skills required.
The head was very much in evidence spending time with each group and one member of staff and one 6th former was with each group plus staff at each station.
They seem to have put a huge effort into this process trying to make it fair and lower stress which is to their credit.
That said, I think the whole 11+ process is brutal.

Original poster
FlumePlume · 20/01/2019 18:09

I agree, Fretty. It was certainly less stressful at stage 2 than stage 1 for dd. And I’m sure they don’t want a year full of the same character types, I suspect part of the point of the interactive stuff is to get a balance rather than relying on chance because you can’t tell personality from an exam paper.

We’ve just had an offer holders’ taster session invitation from Sutton High. Does anyone know, are these sessions purely marketing or is there some other purpose (maybe gauging how likely you are to take up the offer)? It just so happens to be the day after the WHS offers will be posted, which makes me wonder...

OP posts:
winterishereithink · 20/01/2019 18:18

Flume- we went to a couple and they were purely marketing exercises but in a nice way! We were never asked about likelihood of accepting etc

Jimjam68 · 20/01/2019 18:29

A bit of both I’d say FlumePlume. Shall we take a moment to feel sorry for the schools competing for the same pool of girl? No? Ok maybe not 😂

montenuit · 20/01/2019 21:07

There is a surfeit of very clever girls and the WHS approach seems to be to identify all those of a certain IQ level through the verbal and non-verbal tests and then just pick the ones they think will be easy to teach.

THIS!

littlemisslucky2 · 21/01/2019 08:03

Good luck to those doing interviews this week. I’m not sure how much to prepare my DD or just throw her into the lion’s den! It’s a fine balance from being over-prepped to struggling to think up answers on the spot!
Anyone know when Surbiton offers out? This week or next maybe.

Greenleave · 21/01/2019 08:22

Are NVR and VR really for assessing children IQ and if schools only target high IQ children then why not do IQ test(I dont have any idea about the IQ test and known anyone who took it).

Bool · 21/01/2019 08:42

Surbiton, WHS and PHS results out first week Feb. KGS a week after.

KaliforniaDreamz · 21/01/2019 10:04

The Surbiton info i have says last week of Jan decision letters sent.
I don't know about any others.

good luck all kids waiting. and parents too.

Bool · 21/01/2019 10:24

Where was that @KaliforniaDreamz? I have an email post the exam that says:

We will be writing to all parents and girls individually with the results of the Entrance Examination and you should receive this letter by the first week of February, but do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.

I hope it is sooner :-)

KaliforniaDreamz · 21/01/2019 12:26

It was in a flyer i had (on card type paper) with info on the scholarship assessment. Perhaps it's for kids sitting for scholarships only then?
sorry i have binned it....

littlemisslucky2 · 21/01/2019 12:45

On the leaflet that came with the exam details it definitely said by the end of January. I think Surbiton is usually early with their offers.

TheExtraGuineaPig · 21/01/2019 12:55

Oh no! I was working towards first week of Feb so I wasn't compulsively checking everything.. but now I know it might be early 😬😬

KaliforniaDreamz · 21/01/2019 13:02

guineapig i hpe i am right hahah SORRY

FrettyFifties · 21/01/2019 13:41

The original paperwork we had for SHS said late January but then we also got an email after the exams saying early February.
I assumed - wrongly? - that the email was letting us know of a delay to the published dates?

FrettyFifties · 21/01/2019 13:44

Good luck to those with interviews this week.....!

KaliforniaDreamz · 21/01/2019 13:50

am going to set my internal waiting clock to early Feb...

KaliforniaDreamz · 21/01/2019 13:51

We will be writing to all parents and girls individually with the results of the Entrance Examination and you should receive this letter by the first week of February, but do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further information.

yes i just re read the last email they sent to us....

HeadSpinning2019 · 21/01/2019 15:01

So another 2-4 weeks to wait before all the results are out.

Thankfully my DD is coping with it better than I am !

1ndig0 · 21/01/2019 15:07

Does anyone know when PHS results are out?

I’d presumed in the 14/15th like the other schools we applied to but maybe it’s early Feb in line with WHS?

I’ve never applied to WHS, but I do seem to remember friends of my DC in previous years getting results on 2nd Feb of thereabouts?

Original poster
FlumePlume · 21/01/2019 15:22

WHS info says they will post on 6 Feb - I wondered if they had an informal agreement with PHS and others to co-ordinate dates.

OP posts:
Jimjam68 · 21/01/2019 15:28

Surbiton moved the goal posts somewhere along the line from late Jan to early Feb, but I’m still clinging to the hope of late Jan as someone said they sent them early one year, and I think they like to get them out before the likes of WHS. Putney High are vague with “early Feb” so I’m expecting similar to WHS. It feels like a long wait even though it isn’t really.

HeadSpinning2019 · 21/01/2019 15:46

Also, am I the only one who wishes they would send things by email instead of, or in addition to, letters? Our post is often late.

KaliforniaDreamz · 21/01/2019 16:12

for those of you also applying to state schools are you going to wait to tell your children the results?

Jimjam68 · 21/01/2019 17:28

No, my daughter has asked when we will get the results (and has already asked if she can open the envelopes - well maybe if I can steam them open first and then reseal them). Plus her friends will know their results and they talk. Ideally perhaps you would present her with the results all at once, in the hope that any successes will mitigate any "failures" but there is no way my DD will wait until 1 March.