City of London Boys

[chalkyc2]

Does anyone have recent experience? We are south London based and have been looking more locally, but have widened our net and I'm interested in CLB. Of course 11+ application deadline is next Friday and we've long missed the only open days they do in September!

If anyone has a general low down on the school (and maybe how it compares to the South London independents!) would be really useful!

Anyone else waiting on the results of the 11+ exams held on Monday? 800 boys!

We are expecting them today or tomorrow, most likely tomorrow with more than 800 boys, that is a lot to mark.

Do you know how many make it to the interview?

No I'm really not sure. Think it's a long shot for us but fingers crossed!

Previously it's been 200 for interview and 150 offers for 55-60 places, although that went wrong a couple of years ago when about 80 accepted and they had to form an extra class (no CLSG-style exploding offers), so maybe they've tightened up a bit.

Yes, @chalkyc2 I'm waiting to hear and feel sick with the anticipation, though I'm not sure ds has much chance as apparently he only did half the maths questions! 🙄

Ah you never know @leeloo1! I reckon they won't come through until much later today. Do you have other options?

You're probably right @chalkyc2, but it's just so nerve-wracking! I shouldn't have put the dates we'd (probably) hear from schools in my calendar, as obsessively checking my emails isn't helping my stress levels!

We applied to Westminster and St Paul's too although ds didn't do well enough in the iseb to sit the second round of exams for St Paul's, so are waiting to hear from them next week. Do you have any other options?

And how did your son find the exams/exam day?

He said it was the hardest one he sat (harder than St Olaves, mum!). We're in deepest south London so the others are all local to us - Eltham College, Trinity and Colfes. This was always a bit of a long shot in many ways!

Bless him, it was such a long day as well! I didn't collect mine, so by the time he got home he didn't want to talk much, but he said he'd finished the vr and nvr, found maths hard "there weren't many questions, but they all had parts a-g" and he said the comprehension was hard and dull!

Tbh when he tried to do their sample paper, on a tale of two cities, I thought it was extremely hard - and I have an MA in English lit! 😂

When do you hear about the local schools? Fingers crossed for those too. 🙂

Darn, just heard its a no from city for us. Oh well, at least I know.

It is a no for us too. DS found it the hardest, English hard and did not managed to finish NVR

And a no for us too! Ah well! At least not waiting the whole day.

It’s a no for us too! DS said NVR was really hard.

@FOVapa - ds said it was harder than Westminster, which seemed ironic!

Commiserations to all the boys who didn't make it. I'm hoping ds won't be too disappointed with the news.

No here as well. DD is at CLSG so it would have been a nice simple solution for us as a family. No from Merchant Taylor’s too. I think it’s v tough.

Does anyone know anyone who did get an interview?!?

@ leeloo1 My DS also found it harder than Westminster too! fingers crossed for next week results, for us Alleyns and Westminster and DC interview tomorrow.

I know one boy who got a 10+ place, Sept 19, he was very self assured and had had a lot of tutoring and paused all extra curricular activities... But it obviously paid off. We didn't go down the tutoring route, just did some past papers, perhaps I'm hindsight we should have found a tutor?

Huh I don't know - I don't want DS at a school that he can only access via extensive tutoring and no sports/activities etc - it wouldn't be the right place for him. Let hope we can find the right place though....!!

@FOVapa - I'm glad your ds agreed. When ds said it was straightforward I did worry he'd missed a trick question somewhere! 😂 I wonder if because Westminster already have the iseb test results they can be a bit kinder?

Good luck to your ds for his other interview tmrw and fingers crossed for happier Westminster emails next week!

"I don't want DS at a school that he can only access via extensive tutoring and no sports/activities etc"

That was exactly my feeling - if you need so much tutoring then it isn't the right school... But if a big enough group of parents do extensively tutor then I guess it skews the chances of the 'bright but not tutored' kids?

Poor children with so much pressure on them!

Hi I know 2 mums with boys who have interviews. I was very disappointed my son didnt get through although practically my husband didnt think it was the right school location wise. My son found VR a bit tricky but was happy with the rest. He is not tutored unlike the boy who did get through. I had always thought City was the school for the naturally inquisitive children but realise it has changed a lot. I also believe if they do not get through it isn't the right school for the child.

The schools are being disingenuous when the y ask parents not to tutor or say they can weed out tutored children. That's not the case. My son and all of the other children we know who were extensively tutored were the ones that walked away with the scholarships and offers. Most of those with a laid back approach didn't receive the offers they really wanted. London day schools are becoming very competitive now although it looks like City might have raised its game this year. In my sons year, boys received offers when they had, for example, not met the Standard for the super selective Grammars.