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!

[confusedmumofboys]

I am so disheartened by the entire system. The boy I know well with interview is heavily tutored as well. I know that doesn't change the fact the boy is bright but I can see how the level of tutoring has polished him without him even knowing. My son is raw and I love that but at the same time I dont feel I can find a place for him in this system. A school where smart boys who love to learn can grow together and learn together.

The schools do not care if a child is tutored they even have tutors who discuss their students with them. They care about the Mark's on the day and the highest scores get called back.

City has definitely had a high calibre of applications this year as in the past it was the school many kids who did not get indie indie or grammar got places.

All the best for those looking for schools for their dear sons and daughters!

[Lightsabre]

It's also not generally true imo that those that were tutored struggle when they get places at these academic schools. Some continue to be tutored all the way through in various subjects but for others, tutoring and the extra work it entailed, set the children up for working hard and seeing the resulting achievements when they put the effort in.

[Knitology]

I am most likely going to get vilified for saying this, but I will say it anyway. If a child sitting an independent, selective or grammar school entrance exam is not currently in a prep school, tutoring is mandatory. Either by a professional or with a parent. I will list the reasons why:

1. Children from the majority of state schools are not exposed to the level of detail covered in these exams. Most of them only teach children within the confines of the national curriculum. In addition, they have to ensure every child in a large class is catered for.

1. Keep in mind, these kids are barely ten years old, have never sat an exam in their short lives, so the whole experience is extremely daunting.

3.Most importantly performing well in these tests is a combination of following:

a. Knowledge
b. Technique
c. Accuracy

You cannot hone the above without repeated, targeted practice. Unfair, yes, but this is how it is.

My son (currently in state school in SE London) sat the entrance exams for both City and Trinity. From October 2019, he had group lessons twice a week and we practiced past question papers every week.
Over Christmas, he did a timed question paper everyday.Yes, it was intense, but the whole experience demonstrated the gaps in state education.
Ultimately, if he doesn't receive offers from either school. I will continue to augment and support his education in every possible.

As I said, the whole experience has been an eye-opener. Most, not all state education (primary and secondary) is lacking. The sad reality is as parents we have no choice but to fill those gaps in anyway we can, if we are able to.

[Justrunningaround]

@knitology just backing you up. If you are in a state primary looking to move to a London indie for secondary (I don’t have any knowledge of other areas) then you have no option but to tutor for the reasons you give. Otherwise you are not putting your child on an equal footing with the prep children who are heavily prepared by the schools for 11+.
Having said that, I don’t think it has to be crazy. My DC have done 1 hour tutor + approx 1 hour extra homework every week for the year up to the exams. It has really helped them prepare but I don’t feel that it has stressed them out, and means they have quite enjoyed the exam process as they were well prepared.

[londonista1]

City has always taken a lot more kids from state schools (and on full bursaries) than the other London indies. That's one of the benefits of City - I won't pretend it has the social diversity of a regular London state secondary but it's much more representative of the city than the other top schools, it's closer to a supercharged grammar school than an old public school.

Yes, you'll need tutoring in exam technique and running through a few past papers if you're applying from state, but hothoused candidates can be spotted at interview, as can prep school kids who've rote-learned for a couple of years. And they'll struggle when they actually get to school. Current GCSE/A level results suggest they don't pick too many of those.

[rabley01]

Does anyone know how many offers City send out this year for 11+?