What does Aspirational senior school really mean? And if your DC got in, how did/is working out for her/him?

[Coachmum]

Hello All,

I am new to the 11+ process and I find myself overwhelmed by it all. I tried to ask other parents from school about it but there is so much secrecy and competition that I have not find anyone willing to help. I cannot believe it is this ridiculous.

DD is in Year 5 at a London prep and she has her heart set on one senior school. Last week, we met with the headmaster with a list of our considered schools for her, including the one she prefers, and he guided us narrowing it down to a back up/probable/aspirational (DD’s preferred). He was honest and took one out because it was above her level and he explained that even if she got in, she would be lowered quartile and most probably not be able to keep up.

I understand that an Aspirational school would be one DD could get in if she works very hard for and does well in the exams. But I would like to ask you: what does it really mean? If a DC gets in, is it probable she/he will still struggle?

We agree that we would not go down the over-tutoring route and will have a tutor to help her with exam technique and reasoning. Wherever she get it will be in her own merits.

If you have gone through this in the past, how did it play out? Would you do it again? Or, is it advisable to manage her expectations now and focus her on the probable? I know every child if different but I would really appreciate some stories to get the context.

Many thanks

If you don't tutor her maniacally, then if she gets into her aspirational choice, then I think you can be pretty confident she will be fine, provided you don't expect her to be right at the top of the class, and she and you are happy with that. The schools generally know what will work.
Personally I don't think that just three schools is quite enough, especially now so many of them are in consortia etc, so adding extra schools doesn't add much extra work. Are there more you could add in the middle category?

I fear that you are going to have to name some of the schools in question to receive valid answers.

I would trust secondary schools make offers to the right DCs. Between the reference from your headmaster, the CAT scores, the exams and the interview, secondary schools have enough information to make the right decisions so it’s unlikely your DD would struggle if she was going to her aspirational choice.

However it really depends on DCs. Some need to be top of the cohort to thrive (I was one of those, it was a virtuous circle). These children are better off going to the middle or even back-up school.
Others (like my DCs) need to be surrounded by very able DCs to give their best. These DCs would probably coast (or at least under achieve vs their potential) in a lower ability school and would therefore be better off in the aspirational school (provided they are resilient).

I agree with PP, I would do 1 aspirational, 2/3 probable and 1/2 back ups, ie 4-5 schools but in reality no more than 3-4 exams if you are applying to several schools in the London consortium.

I remember being concerned that DD could be bottom of the aspirational school. I ask the head of the aspirational school after she’d passed their exam about my concerns. She replied that they only offer places to girls who they considered able. They also interviewed to help ensure the ‘right fit’. It was DD’s choice & She attended the school for a couple of years before we relocated and found it absolutely fine. Yes, there were some super smart girls, but in the main most were like her. Unlike the local comp, the difference between a top quartile child and bottom quartile child at the aspirational school is likely to be pretty small. Fifth set maths still got mostly A grade gcse.

If you don't over tutor then you will be assured that your daughter will be fine academically. If she makes it through the exam process you could also discuss further with admissions staff to understand where your child ranked among other applicants.

Although schools claim to weed out the tutored children in their applicant pool, it just simply isn't true. They are more the rule than the exception. Advice of heads would be reliable if it weren't for this obvious fact. And so you need to take their advice with a pinch of salt and go with your gut. I agree with previous poster that you need more than 3 schools.

I think it depends on the child. At every school there is always going to be a bottom quartile and you need to ask yourself if your child would happy to be in that bottom quartile? Some children don’t mind and their performance is actually pulled up by being in a very academic environment whereas for others it can be demoralising. The grades they actually achieve will probably be the same regardless so it’s more about the journey? I would also consider the other strengths of the school...my DS’ are both at a very academic school which is very strong in sport and drama. Some of the boys who are in the “bottom quartile” are also very talented sportsmen or actors and get their positive strokes from achieving highly in these areas - hence they don’t mind not being “the very clever ones”.

For us aspirational school is achievable but not struggle after she get in.

We also narrowed down aspirational/probable/backup with headteacher when she was year 5. At that time he also ruled out a grammar school because it is beyond her ability and doesn't fit her. He said that the aspirational school is a realistic option that she will thrive academically and the ethos fits her.

So we didn't count a school as aspirational which she needs to be heavily tutored to be offered a place and would struggle or be in the bottom cohort after get in.

We never had an aspirational school. We just visited them and applied to the ones we liked the most. They felt like best fit - where DD could see herself fitting in and being happy. Happily, all the schools we went with were those that were achievable without any real extra preparation, apart from one that was a definite for a backup.

We didn’t like ANY of the high flying schools recommended as a “good match” by our head which for many are seen as the aspirational schools in our area (Habs, NLCS, St Albans High). So we never applied.

I think sometimes we get caught up in the mindset of what are the schools with the best reputation as opposed to which school is right for our child. It honestly made the whole thing so much less stressful. We were confident of several offers, got them all and my daughter is thriving at a school several others poo pooed as not being ambitious enough.

How on Earth you could even possibly be able to do the same with lockdown and not being able to properly visit and get to know the schools though I don’t know. I really don’t envy anyone going through this at the moment.

Aspirational at our school was achievable on a good day, a little bit of a stretch, but your child being at full potential;
Middle ground was what was most probable on thr day;
and banker was off day - safety net.

Every child does find their school, sadly covid hasn't enabled the natural progression and process to occur. Good luck

In addition to all of the comments above, I also really wouldn't get too hung up on where they are at academically at age 11. I mean, the system is the system and we have to work within it but honestly, my son (y10) is unrecognisable now academically if I compare him to when he took his tests! He probably entered just below the middle of the year group but are is now in the top 15% 9f the year and is in the academic scholars stream. They change so much. Assuming she gets in, and it's where she wants to be, that will probably give her the motivation to apply herself well. I honestly think that application is 80% of success up until GCSEs - and for that they mainly need the right environment.

@VeronicaVanHoopen
Thanks for this message
I’ve never understood how some people seem to assume a child’s academic ability Is defined by their primary school results and will remain unchanged in 7 years.

In your shoes, I'd go back to the head and ask for some more guidance, explaining that she loves the school and getting a bit more detail about his concerns.

Also worth thinking how she would feel being in a lower quartile. Not being the strongest academically isn't necessarily a recipe for unhappiness - let's face it, at every school some kids will be less academic than average by definition. If she's fairly robust and willing to put the work in, it might be fine- especially if she has other strengths such as sport. OTOH if she struggles with confidence etc, it's less likely to work (and NB how she seems at 10 is not necessarily how she'll be at 14).

I think that the differences are so fine at that point that it just doesn’t matter that much. My dd got into her aspirational (our opinion, she was at a state primary so no teacher input) secondary school, and I warned her she wouldn’t be anywhere near the top of the class. Turns out, she is for some things, not for others, and that’s all OK. The only thing they set for is maths, so presumably the school’s view is that the ability mix in other subjects is narrow enough not to be an issue.