King Edward VI Southampton- any experience? Any good? How difficult to get in?

[miljee]

Purely a stab in the dark at this stage but HOW academic is this school and what's the exam to get in like? (They don't issue past papers!). DO we need to prep school DS to stand a chance?

don't know but certainly is an academic school. Was listening in to a conversation once about a Mum sending her son to prep school as they prepare them for the entrance exam.

Having said that, a friend has 2 daughters there and they went to a state primary. One of them got a scholarship though.

Have you asked them about past papers etc? I wonder why they don't issue them

Hi, a friend of ours sent all three of her daughters there. I only know that with the youngest, she sent her to a tutor for a while before the entrance exam to ensure her success. She had been at a state primary too. Agree with Tommy, it is a very academic school, I would love to be able to send mine but know it's out of our reach financially. Good luck

it's the only independent school I would consider in Southampton (which we will have to do even more if boys' education doesn't get sorted out round here)

My Dad and brothers went there - when it was a grammar school and not fee-paying

TBH it's out of our reach financially right now, something like 9.5K a year (x2 assuming they'll both get in!) but I'm getting cold feet about some of our other options so am trawling around to see what's 'out there'. Thanks for the input.

My dh went to King Edwards for the 6th form and it is a very accademic school, they encourage students to aim for Oxford & Cambridge.
DH is now applying for jobs with better salaries so that we can send our dc's there
Where abouts are you miljee? What are your catchment schools?

We rent (boo hiss!) so are fairly mobile. Our actual catchmented school is Mountbatten in Romsey. 'Romsey Community' is also an option. I 'aspire' to Kings or Westgate in Winchester..... to cut a long story short, I had a bit of a Road to Damascus experience a few days ago- the recognition that my DSs, esp DS1 (8) NEEDS to be amongst aspirational children. He's almost a Pavlov's dog! Sit him alongside 'trouble' and that's what happens, albeit in a low-key way; put him next to Ms Getonwithit, and he's away. So he's no leader! Like every parent on the face on the Earth- no, I was about to say, wants 'the best' for their child. I don't want a universal 'best' I want a 'very suitable' for my child. Perhaps 'the Best' FOR HIM. He's brighter than I gave him credit for but I'm not sure about grammar school material (I went to the girls' grammar in Salisbury back when ability got you a place, not wealth...) but I so want him to be amongst children who strive, who, try, who congratulate success. I KNOW it exists in state comps (perhaps the ones I've named in Winchester?) but I'm getting cold feet about whether I should be bending over backwards to get DS1 into a 'success' oriented school. Perhaps I should be looking at Hampshire Collegiate? Help! We can't afford any of them!

Hi, we're local, and were wondering about King Edward's. I asked ds's headmistress if I should stand on a street corner in order to raise the money to send ds to King Edward's (not that I would earn much that way, I fear!)and she said that Thornden was superior, and free! The King Edward's exam is not incredibly difficult, I hear. My niece passed easily, although in the end chose to go to St Anne's.

agree with fircone miljee - if you can mocve, try and move to Chandlers Ford and get him into Thornden.

I don't know anything about the HSC but I do know someone who works there who is sending her son to King Ed's - so that might say something!

Thanks everyone, some really helpful advice (and insider stuff, wink wink!). MY only -um- fear with Thornden is is it too academic for my DS? And that from a woman ruminating about King Edwards. Get a GRIP, woman! Maybe I should screw his future altogether and home ed...

Hi I'm looking for tutor for king Edward school southampton entrance exam. Beep help pls if anyone know any thank you!!

Hi need help to find tutor for king Edward school southampton Help please

KES : if your kid is bright enough to thrive, they should not need a tutor. It has recently taken over Stroud to make it into a "feeder" but most of their kids come from the state primaries in the area without tutoring.

Thornden is not incredibly academic, its is just very tactical
and if you have an easily led DC, be aware that it is one of the very few comps that does not set at all

Romsey : I know lots of kids there and its a good solid market town school. MB - my kids are there !

Kings : unlikely to get in from Romsey because of new housebuilding
Westgate : quite up itself

HCS : for the kids too thick to get into KES and in the parts of the waterside that will not get into Hounsdown. Lovely but entrance is by wallet not IQ

and frankly they all feed into BP and PS which most London parents would chew an arm off for !

NB the flow of kids between state and private round here is normal for us but freaks Londoners out

My son was offered a place at KES last year from state primary with just 4 months of Bond papers practice a few times a week. Unfortunately we didn't take up the place as we moved house. It is a fantastic school and I've never heard a bad word about it. I would have been happy for both my DC to go there if we had stayed in area.

My DS is not the most academic (he was turned down for RGS Guildford) but he is bright. KES would have been a lovely place for him, I still wish he had been able to go there.

Have you been to look round the 2 Romsey schools and the (3) Winchester ones? I am a parent at one, and know parents of children at all of the other 4. There are aspirational kids at all of them.

Don't go on outside impressions or hearsay. Go and look at the schools.

My DD has come on in leaps and bounds at secondary. True, you have to work, but they do have systems in place to warn you of behavious issues and I have found it was easy for DD to get moved away from a disruptive pupil when needed.

DDs school certainly celebrates success and has aspirations for all its children. However, for some children, maybe success is less academic than for others. But they do have children coming out with 10+ A/A* which should be enough for anyone really.

Better to save your money for occasional tutors if you really feel the need. If your DS is only 8, he has loads of time to mature, especially with supportive parents behind him.

ps Watch out for Kings. It streams as well as sets, and the streams are very visible to everyone.

Still need tutor in Shirley area because I work long hours so just for little extra sport

Hi I actually attend the school and it is considered quite hard to get into and I certainly know at the 11+ entrance exam a lot of my friends didn't get in. However what I think is more important at the school is not the entrance but maintaining grades. the teaching varies but I seem to be doing okay overall. I am frustrated though at the schools refusal to teach proper healthy living and they also have vending machines at the school which have chocolate and crisps in instead of healthy things. Overall the school is good, I think if you're too worried about the entrance exam don't be. To be perfectly honest, if you don't get in or have to do hours of studying before, the whole experience at the school probably won't be great as you will have to put all that extra effort you put into the exam into all your' homework and half termly exams.

Bumping an old thread to ask opinions on KES now? It seems one of the only decent day options in the area - or have I missed somewhere? Thank you.

Love seeing a thread from 2007

KES is good if you have no good state options in catchment

It’s not worth it if you can go to, say, Thornden, Westgate or Kings (IMO)

Personally I did not like KES near enough to consider it, but then we’re in catchment for a good Comp and an amazing state 6th form

Most people I know who sent or send their kids there are happy with if.

If you have the £15k a year to spare, you could do worse

Child attended from year 5 and stayed for Sixth Form. Fine school, with good results for GCSES. The Sixth form, is really not worth the money. Few students stay on, only about 60-100 per year. In retrospect I wish we'd opted for Barton Peveril and supplemented with tutors.