Upcoming girls’ independent SW London schools 11+ exams

[Oceane11plus]

Are there any parents on this board with DDs due to sit independent school exams in January? If so where do you stand in terms of shortlisting schools, revisions etc Are you planning to do any work over the summer?

We are still in the process of fine tuning the list of schools... We will probably end up applying to about 4/5 schools, of which 2 are in the same consortium which means 3/4 exams max.
As far as I am aware, our prep has not recommended any specific revisions for the summer, but I was still planning to make her write some maths, English and VR/NVR past papers, as 2 months without doing anything seems too much so close to the exams. I was thinking of making her do one paper a week in each subject, on top of reading and boosting her vocabulary, with two weeks in August without any paper/formal work.

Any tips on what we should be doing at this stage and over summer holidays, notably from parents with past experience, would be super useful!

Thank you

@Singingrain1223 thank you. It’s a nightmare at the moment knowing what to prep and how to prep them with this changing environment.

Does this mean that schools like WHS won’t be able to host then ISEB next week for all the girls who weren’t able to sit it at their own schools? How will that impact the whole process?

@Iateallthesmarties894 I have no idea - but we are in the same situation but with JAGs hosting.

I feel sorry for all the girls who had written exams scheduled in January and are now facing so much uncertainty with potential changes of formats or even cancellations.
For those who have continued to work hard lately, tell them it was still worth it as will allow them to “shine” in interviews which are likely to be more academic than usual.
I also wouldn’t worry too much about the final outcome - I believe schools will make more offers than usual (at least WL offers) as they will have less visibility than usual and the ISEB would have made it easier than usual to apply to multiple schools.

DD was supposed to sit the FHSS consortium exam on the 8th but luckily we hadn’t started preparing for it yet - we were planning to start on the 1st of Jan thinking a week of incremental prep after all the work that had gone into ISEB would be more than enough.
We have been fairly busy during the holidays so DD didn’t do much in terms of academic prep but I still managed to make her do a couple of maths papers and one English paper each week to keep the brain ticking in anticipation of interviews, and I guess also for the “principle” so that she still feels in “exam mode”, the process being far from over! However the first thing I did last night is to cancel her Atom subscription (I was keeping it for the consortium exam to ease my conscience but DD hasn’t been using it since she sat the ISEB in November. What a waste!).

Welcome back @Oceane11Plus! I’m glad you’ve had something of a break. We have done the same, a gentle ticking over but nothing excessive. Given I’m homeschooling now, we will leave any further work till next week!

@stellagibbons. SCHS are based in Wandsworth and technically still open. I don’t think they’ve had their ISEB yet so you may be able to switch site if it becomes impossible for JAGS to host. Similarly they ‘may’ help out other GDST applicants.. (could be talking utter rubbish here and Lambeth may be ‘closed’ by end of day but clutching at straws for you!)

@Stircrazyschoolmum I actually looked at SCHS last night on a borough map as I wasn’t sure whether they were in Lambeth or Wandsworth and saw that the school site is actually half in Wandsworth and half in Lambeth, which actually sent me slightly hysterical! The entrance is in the Lambeth part, so I’m assuming they can remain open (as you say, for the time being - I saw last night that Lambeth Council are contesting the decision to keep primaries open).

Hopefully the schools can confirm alternative arrangements as soon as possible for everyone. The uncertainty is not helping!

I am so confused/manic/frustrated and angry! My daughter was due to sit two exams , one of which is now cancelled as part of the consortium....RMS...which has not communicated any information by email or website. I'm so going crazy with the idea of online invigilation. Would anyone mind pm me their schools online invigilation process. I know all may be different but I just can't sit 9n my hands the unknown is really worrying me. My daughter strength was writing so already moving to CEM with the consortium was hard. To add to the fun and games my son has three exams....yes lucky me! Again NO communication.in my tiny one cell brain the on site shouldn't take place even if the school is open because you are asking primary school boys to move from an area where their primary is closed due to high cases. Bothy children go to state and have not sat iseb so even if the school's decide to buy data as i have read on this forum my children won't be covered. I know i sound crazy the fact is i am...and I wish i could run two hours but i can't hahahah instead a slab of chocolate had to do. I understand that maybe instructions might not be able to go on the thread but would appreciate it through pm.

SCHS is in Lambeth - the borough border is the edge of Tooting Bec Common

@stellagibbons that was supposed to read Lambeth not Wandsworth!!! Epic fail on my part!!

@AveEldon you beat me too it.. I need more coffee!

@ambikadi I totally feel for you. You don’t sound crazy.. you sound like you care. I’ve no personal experience of online invigilating but the platform KGS and Ibstock are using is called mettl. I wonder if it’s been used by international applicants who are unable to attend in person?

Big hugs to all of you waiting for exam updates. It’s so incredibly stressful for everyone this year. Fingers crossed for everyone waiting to hear.

I would have expected the schools to have communicated to us by now and it’s quite disappointing that they haven’t. Tomorrow is a bank holiday and some of these exams are still scheduled for next week. At the very least they should be giving us a bit of notice if we have to switch to a different format or invigilate at home? If DD is lucky enough to have more than one offer at the end of the process, this is exactly the sort of thing that will be foremost in my mind when making the choice.

@Iateallthesmarties894 , if the private school is located in an area where primary schools are shut next week they won't be allowed to open as their insurance won't allow it. Moving an exam online at such late notice is a logistical challenge esp as the prep schools are shut too so can't be used as exam centres.

@ambikadi please don't think you are 'mad'. As @Stircrazyschoolmum said, it's because you care and this whole process has become an utter shambles. I really feel for you, especially having two going through the process at the same time. Sending a virtual MN hug! And to Pato DD who has worked so hard and for so long...

I think it's desperately unfair to all those DCs with exams still to go, or that have been cancelled. Like some pp have said, the uncertainty is the worst aspect! And to think that some of these exams are scheduled to take place as early as Monday and Tuesday of next week, i.e. in half a working day's time!

Totally agree with @Iateallthesmarties894 about the ways different schools have behaved - the hubris in the face of a global pandemic - will be a factor when making decisions if DC are in a position to have a 'choice' of schools.

It also occurred to me that it's going to be incredibly difficult to make a decision having not had the opportunity to even visit the schools in person, and that doesn't seem to be a possibility before deadlines for acceptance in early March...

@Singingrain1223 that’s not correct - v surprisingly according to gov.uk travelling for independent school entrance exams is considered essential travel. Regardless of what tier/ hotspot you are in.

St George’s are going ahead with on site assessments next week

@NoToMisogyny , thanks for the update, that is surprising but good to know.

No problem - I was really really shocked!

@Iateallthesmarties894 Totally agree with how schools have behaved through this nightmare will have a huge effect on school choices! For some schools not to even have a plan b in place, when they have known about this pandemic for a year now is crazy!! It will certainly play a part in my choice!

Can I ask if anyone has received an offer from Sutton High? Or has any DD there already?

Hi @Losingthewill01, We received an offer from Sutton High in Dec

Final nail in the coffin...SPGS have cancelled Monday's exam and will not be rescheduling. They will be going on Zoom interview. Effing Zoom which DD hates.
My disappointment is overwhelming & I'm feeling very bitter.

@PatoPato I'm so sorry - I would feel exactly the same. It's going to be an absolute lottery this year as to who gets in.

@PatoPato so sorry to hear this. Didn’t SPGS do the CEM in November as well?

Thanks guys - the support on this thread both direct & indirect has been invaluable. It's not like I can pick up the phone to my mum or friends and wail about the awfulness of it (although actually I have done a bit of that).

I think the pandemic has made this all feel super intense. I've been so much more hands on with DD than I was with DS because I've had the time to work with her (and she's willing unlike him) so I'm probably overinvested in it if there can be such a thing. I mean it's an awful enough process in a normal year but this time round has been shockingly awful

@MumsRule20 - yes thank goodness & that will provide some kind of result to benchmark candidates with but SPGS's quite unique papers really suited DD. She genuinely relished doing the sample/past papers so to not have to chance to sit them for real is gutting.