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

Hello everyone,

I’ve been following this thread with great interest. DS is doing his 11+ exams too. We’ve had St Paul’s boys postponed this week and we’ve both ran out of steam so we’re just waiting. Latymer interview was very hard today...I’m glad I was only listening and not answering. Wishing your children lots of luck!

@stellagibbons and @LittleBlackBear sorry to hear about ISEB changes Re JAGS. It’s all very confusing, how they are going to manage to level the playing fields. I guess somehow they will try to maintain the states schools vs independent schools vs JAGS junior ratios for the past.

For everyone else who has had last minute changes and ‘postponement’ ( I’m not even sure what that means practically), sending you cyber hugs.

22nd of January for Alleyns is quite a way off and late. With interviews and creative writing tasks still to come. I don’t know how to keep DD motivated until then. We’ve stopped all exam related work for now.
I have another DC in year 13. Doing IB which is independent of Uk regulations, so we don’t know if those exams are going ahead or not.

It’s always difficult and nerve racking, listening in on those interviews...

Some of those questions will get adults taking deep breaths and a sigh...

@WarmAndco3y I also struggle to keep DD motivated. She is clearly not in an exam mindset but still very much in holiday mode and we have done the bare minimum through the one month long holidays. The contrast with her mindset back in October/November is striking. At the time she was so motivated and hard working. I can’t blame her as it’s been such a drawn out process with u-turns and disappointments along the way.

I fear her brain is going to be very rusty and I am dreading the interviews (if she is lucky to get any!). Reading the feedback from PP on LU interviews, I am even more convinced that interviews this year are going to be more challenging than usual with a greater academic component to compensate for the lack of written exams.

Like you I also have older DCs in exam years for whom current restrictions have much bigger consequences so in a sense it’s helping us put this 11+ madness in perspective at home. We don’t talk much about it as a result so it’s only on MN I get to vent my frustrations!

@Oceane11Plus
Your point on the challenging interviews also makes me concerned that the schools
looking at interviews + ISEB or own exam results are now likely to hone in (more so than ever or planned) on the academic performance, as the decider for applicants.

Now with education interrupted yet again and those such as us at poorly managed state schools, surely have even less chance in being selected for their potential because further lost schooling means the chasm may just end up too wide for the school to want or be able to fill such gaps come Year 7 2021. In my mind they will want kids really ahead of the curve as they cannot risk their results and rep falling and will not be able to provide tutor group support for any catch up whatsoever?

State schools don’t do testing / CAT scores etc. so there are limited indicators for them to go on, other than a sketchy Yr 5 report due to lockdown 1. Whilst the applied schools all initially reassured they would assess each child individually and look at report, interview not just exam etc. if they can’t get that full picture due to exam changes or cancellations or postponements, where does that leave e.g. those who did manage to the the ISEB early on and results shared with schools who had a later deadline of Jan and what about those kids who are still applying for one of those same school with later deadline but yet to sit the ISEB?

Am I right in thinking those doing CAT4 tests are much better off now in knowing the school will be assessing fairly in our current climate with everything now so very topsy turvy. CAT4 is an assessment of ability and NOT schooling or knowledge. Combined with an interview and report is it a fairer approach?

Does anyone else wonder or whose state educated DC (not those who are exceptionally bright) and state educated feel this way?

Hope this makes sense? Am rather tired and stressed out by it all. Like you Oceane11Plus we it is hard to discuss or have an outlet at home, so only here that one feels sane and supported.

I take it for granted that there'll be far more successful candidates from prep schools this year. DD is bright but not super-bright, and she's not where she ought to be at this stage after nearly a year of disrupted or no school. These institutions are all about the results and they're going to select the kids they think will keep the results up and won't need much extra support in Year 7.

@ProfessorRadcliffeEmerson Thanks for your insight as always, I am totally with you on this.

What do you feel got “fluffed” in your daughter’s LU interview? How did she find it? What sort of things did they ask / do? I hope she takes it as great experience and you never know of course, which way things will turn out and such a merit she got offered interview, as you know many didn’t including my DC. Keeping fingers crossed for you and expect you are relieved to have it done. Is that it for you now?

I did feel ours would have had a good chance and feel her academic brightness has been totally dampened this past year and had she been taught crucial formula (impossible for her tutor to identify and cover all in time we had), she would be in better stead. The whole ongoing shambolic overturn and U-turns in the assessment process this year means that chance gets slimmer by the day. I guess not long till we find out once and for all and will be in a better position to have a clear overview, but for now wondering on impact of postponements too.

Good luck to those with exams / interviews today

Has anyone spoken to PHS.. getting twitchy!
I can’t remember if it will be email or post?

Best of luck to those today. x

I think schools always want the kids with the most potential and the right fit for the school. A genuinely very bright child will catch up on the missed learning quite quickly.

I suspect the tough interview questions are to test true intellect and resilience (how a child thinks and handles a challenge rather than what they know). Its how we interview graduates in banking as often times they have no specific knowledge as we recruit from any degree background. If they think creatively or insightfully we know they'll be able to pick up what they need to know. Usually a wrong answer that is thoughtful is just as compelling as correct answer.

Please don't worry about 'wrong' answers in interviews. When I heard what DS said in his LU interview I was convinced he didn't have a hope but he got a place. I know its hard but I'd try not to listen and try not to grill them afterwards! (Impossible I know!)

Well, that KGS exam was very stressful. Still glitches.

@Stircrazyschoolmum I have also refreshed my mail multiple times but I think it wouldn’t come today as they have scholarship assessments . Maybe email tomorrow or day after .
Does anyone know when LEH sends the postal letters ?

@ProfessorRadcliffeEmerson

I take it for granted that there'll be far more successful candidates from prep schools this year. DD is bright but not super-bright, and she's not where she ought to be at this stage after nearly a year of disrupted or no school. These institutions are all about the results and they're going to select the kids they think will keep the results up and won't need much extra support in Year 7.

I may be wrong but I don't think this will be the case. Both my DCs are at secondary schools which year on year have a similar ratio. One is about 60/40 and the other 50/50. They have also continually told us (and the press) that our children are lucky to have the lockdown provision they have and have helped local state schools with devices etc. If this year's intake were to be much more prep school heavy I don't think it would be in their best interest. I wouldn't worry about the state school children necessarily needing more support either. Months and months of past papers and 11 plus preparation in prep schools doesn't necessarily translate into an easier Y7 experience! Good luck everyone.

I’ve just spoken with PHS and they say they will be informing successful second stage applicants early next week. Interviews will be online and will remain on 25th.

@Normalisboring

Well, that KGS exam was very stressful. Still glitches.

The webcam that tested fine last night would not be detected, no matter what I tried. DS was getting increasingly nervous next to me. Had to uninstall the blurring/background software last minute (well, 2 min to spare), to proceed...

Exam itself was fine for most of it. Had to guess last maths question, and creative writing was up his street, thankfully.

Thanks @Stircrazyschoolmum for the PHS info, the wait has been so long since DD sat the ISEB, we just want to know either way and move on.

Yes thanks @Stircrazyschoolmum! Good to know we will hear by next week. Agree the waiting is so painful! The ISEB was ages ago and we still have no idea how it went.

Thanks for the update @Stircrazyschoolmum

2 updates I've had today are that our school is hosting the final sitting of the ISEB at the end of this week (mostly for WHS & SCHS). If we'd not sat pre Christmas I'd be weepily grateful to them - those parents affected must be so relieved
What's happening for anyone else left to do the ISEB elsewhere - have arrangements been made?

Secondly, SPGS just emailed to say having cancelled Monday's exam they have decided to run a much shortened online exam in 2 weeks' time. I'm so grateful to them as the applicants will get their chance to 'have a go' and for us it also means that all the work DD did over the Christmas holidays was not in vain. Plus it's just a more rounded approach to candidate selection so just feels more fair. So kudos to them.

We are riding an emotional rollercoaster in the Pato household!

@PatoPato that is some good news for you. Sounds like Emanuel have done similar to SPGS in putting their paper exam online (slightly adapted for online), but subjects and time allocated same...

I just wasn't expecting it at all because they were very clear in the cancellation email that it would not be rescheduled.
It's very much a shortened version and it's 2 weeks away!

Was Emanuel all typed up? I'm going to have to scroll upthread and read. I'm just wondering how an online maths paper works - do you do your workings out on rough paper and then just type in the final answer? I'm so impatient - I could just wait for the next email with further details to come out but I seem to have made worrying about this process into a full time job

Has Emanuel happened?!

@ PatoPato we did Surbiton recently online and for Maths it was just type the answer and save . Rough work not to be uploaded .
English was reading online , single word or single line answers typed online and creative writing on paper and hence not sure about how it would b for a completely online paper .

@PatoPato one Emanuel sitting on 9th and we have ours on 15th. Yes workings to be done online and working outs now just on rough paper not submitted. Final answer to be input online for Maths. For the English & VR papers, that needs to be typed in full and submitted online during exam.

@PatoPato, so odd they said it would be cancelled and now they are going ahead. I guess the realised how crucial it is to their very specific selection as even I was so surprised to hear from you the other day (of all the schools) that they weren’t going to do the exam. U-turns and uncertainty everywhere it seems...I have to say Emanuel have stayed pretty consistent and despite the late NY Eve email, have been very clear in their updates for which I am grateful for.