Trinity/Whitgift 2019 thread

[enterparentone]

Is there a thread yet for parents with kids doing entrance exams in Jan? It's been so helpful looking through previous years threads and now we're going through it I'd love a hand-hold and any advice on what to expect!

TurboTurtle, could you please explain what you mean by this:”There will obviously be boys who excel at sport or music or be academically brilliant, but they do also want boys who have varied interest.”

DS is obsessed with music, it’s all he wants to do in his spare time, he plays instruments, sings, writes new pieces, attends rehearsals. He also reads a lot about composers and meets contemporary composers through his activities, and now wants to become one. So if I understood you right, should he downplay and hide his intense musical obsession and talk about other interests during the interview? He probably won’t come across as an all rounder, unless we coach him beforehand.

BlueandPink12 definitely do not downplay your DS musical interests! He should talk freely about them and explain why W or T musical department (not sure which school) will help him continue to develop in this area. My DS is sports mad, he looked through the school brochure, we sent him to the sports taster and he talked about sports in his interview. Main thing at interview is keeping your DS relaxed. The schools are experts at this. Don’t over prep your DS or he will be robotic instead of it being a relaxed process. We asked our DS tutor to do a mock interview just to help him think about how he would answer some of the questions, as we were really worried because my DS wasn’t a particularly good speaker. ! The schools want a selection of boys who can bring different strengths to the school.

Is there anyone who still hasn't heard from Whitgift - either way? We've had nothing from them while all of my friends who also applied have heard. Shall I call the school at this stage to check?

Oh... Just seen your post from last night "Neveragain2019". It's so nerve wrecking, isn't it?!

NeverAgain that's strange that W told you they don't phone. Our interview invitation was by phone just a week ago

I think they phone initially to get the process started. It's nothing to worry about if we have to wait a bit.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, gambaspilpil. That really relieves me, however, I am trying to lower my expectations just in case my son did not get the invitation. I just wish to find out whether or not we need to expect/prepare for the next stage. It is quite frustrating that there is nothing I can do.

I haven't heard from them either, accidentalbride. I did not expect that much for the exam result at first as it was 10+ and we still have another chance, 11+. While preparing for the exam, I kept telling my son that it was just practice, so never get stressed about the result. But I am so surprised that I am so nervous about the result and holding my phone all the time.

My son applied for the art scholarship and I wonder if I would be heard whether or not he would be invited to the assessment before the scheduled assessment day on the 22nd January.

I met the Whitgift marketing manager when I went to collect my son on the day of 10+ exam, and she said that the total number of both 10+ and 11+ applicants was 800. Still a lot, though.

Just had our call about T 10+! Wednesday evening. No mention of seeing the hm though, just that we'd have the opportunity to chat to a parent while DS was being interviewed. So a midweek interview but parents NOT seeing the hm... SoupDragon, PeekaPeeka, Firefox1066 what do you think of this? Sounds like Sat interview format but for a midweek interview!

Personally, I think too much is read into when the interviews are :)

Congratulations to your DS for getting this far!

Neveragain2019 I have a another DS who will be sitting the 10+ next year and considering the art scholarship. As he comes from a state primary very limited to what he is exposed to. Any tips advise you or any one can give me in preparing him?
Also did your DS sit the Trinity art assessment yesterday? How did it go? Or are you just applying to Whitgift?

I have just found the letter from W on our door mat. DS has been invited to the art assessment next Tuesday! Seriously, they should speed up this process. How many of us have to spend sleepless nights?
Well, another challenge is waiting for DS and he's getting nervous again.
DS had an art teacher for about a year to prepare art portfolios. DS is applying W only for 10+, so hasn't gone through all the process yet. Will let you know if we are successful. Wish him a good luck! :)

TBH, it's a huge and complicated operation. I don't think they can simply speed it up.

BlueandPink12 you must - must! - attend the T music information session in the autumn before your DS is due to sit the exam. He will get to play to the teachers informally and be given feedback on whether he has a scholarship chance. Mr Swindon (Director of Music) said that he had once given a scholarship to a boy who was Grade 1 on his main instrument.

What they are looking for is a ‘spark’ - a child they can mould into a musician who can represent T on the international stage for the 8 years he is there. So stamina, discipline, commitment and the ‘spark’ all count. Children should play pieces that show them at their best. So if you are going for Grade 6 then it has to be a bomb-proof performance. Personally I agree that working for the highest possible standard is best. But it is not true that a particular Grade is necessary. Mr S said grades, references etc are simply a starting point. They will make their own decision.

My son had won awards in various competitions (local and national) but I’m still not sure he’ll get a scholarship. On the day he played two contrasting Grade 5 pieces on his main instrument, one Grade 1 piece on his second instrument, sang, had a Grade 5 sight-reading test and an aural test. He also had to discuss what was difficult about each of his main pieces. He was not happy with his performance on his main instrument.

Mr S said he did ‘well’ but he may have been letting me down gently...HTH

Neveragain2019 thank you, any tips at this point is helpful! 😀
I agree the wait is long and painfull, but agree with SoupDragon that they’ve got one hell of a job sorting out interviews and scholarship assessments and communicating this as quickly as possible. And on top of this the running of school and normal lessons. My eldest DS is at W so I’ve already been through this process and feel your pain and completely understand. But glad you’ve heard from W, and all the best for your DS next Tues.

SpaceOpera thank you so much for your post! I was not aware there was a music info session in Trinity. I hope your DS will get a music scholarship, sounds like he definitely deserves it.

BlueandPink12 Mr Swinson not Swindon! The boy also has a W music audition on Wednesday - let’s see how that goes. Re Trinity interview - your son should just talk about what interests him. If he’s music-mad, no point coaching him otherwise because they’ll see through it and he won’t do himself justice. Best of luck, I prepped my son extensively and every day and it’s paid off (my gut feel is that he’ll get an offer but don’t know what kind). I also used 11 plus lifeline platinum membership and scoured the internet for sample 10+ papers. Cheers.

Has anyone had a rejection letter from Whitgift ? Had one sit 11+ on 10/1 and one sit 13+ on 14/1 haven't heard for either. If it's a No would rather know now so can manage it and work out plan b.

SoaceOpera, thank you! And best luck to your son. Please let us know how it went.

I would be a bit concerned about the ‘prepping every day’ . I really don’t think that is necessary. The interviews are relaxed not interrogations. Apart from telling DS to make eye contact and shake hands we did no prep and no tutoring. I am heartily glad of it. The work in year 7 is quite hard . If DS had been artificially groomed to get into the school I was be extremely worried that he would struggle . They make a lot of demands of the boys whether it’s sports; music drama etc. They are expected to join clubs and to get onto sports teams after school sport is required eg hockey training is twice a week after school TIL about 5:15 at the moment. If you scrape in or you are tutored or prepped to the hilt, you may find it all hits the fan.
We did nothing other than a few past papers at home and I can say he got into the school that suits him and that they picked him on his merits .
They are very good at this process: I would bet they can pick overly -prepared vs natural boys.

Wobbles21, yes I agree as my son also started this year. It's full on and we live quite far away so staying late is challenging. Also Sat mornings feels a bit like a school day as we are up early again in uniform for rugby matches and not back until lunchtime - however, that's the case in most secondary schools I think. Hard work and challenging subjects (3 languages in year 7) but the boys seem to love it. What is great is that they get a free period every day after lunch to do a club - all the sports that you could imagine or music or academics. It's all there but your son needs to be resourceful and find it. Good luck everyone - it's worth the stress as it really is a great school and full of genuine, down to earth chaps!

hi, I haven't heard anything for 12+ .

Waterloo please may I ask whether your son has something on EVERY Saturday morning? On average, how many Saturday mornings per month has he had to commit to the school?

If anyone has any additional knowledge of the Saturday commitments I would be grateful. Many thanks.

Don’t know about musics. Choristers have lots of commitments. If you are selected for a sports team you are expected to play . You need to plan for pretty much every weekend although in reality it’s probably closer to 2/3 of Saturdays - depending on the team you are in. Trinity is v organised and give clear instructions re meet ups etc. But des mean some early starts particularly if you don’t live close by. Last week it was an 8 am meet at Trinity for an away match. Planning homework around matches is a must. That’s exactly what I mean about being full on.