Tier 4 January entrance exams going ahead?

[mrsTC]

Do you think the January entrance exams will go ahead in Kent under Tier 4? DS has two in the first week back. Lot of children from different schools will have to mix.

And with so many children likely to be in self isolation remote exams for 11 plus are the only way.

See if Eltham college had had remote exams then it would mean that those people who were self isolating as part of a burst bubble - could participate from home.

The more I read and hear, the more I wonder whether some schools were just wildly over optimistic in planning to go ahead with their own January exams! I suspect many are now wishing they’d simply opted for ISEB /CEM.

My guess is that a lot will end up doing a variation of Radnor’s approach and/or online assessment with remote invigilation at home. This is a potential minefield though as it means the playing field cannot possibly be level for DC!

Any of the following could be an issue and yes, I know you could make the assumption that parents applying to independent schools are likely to try to move heaven and earth to help their DC sit the exams fairly but even so...

-potential poor WiFi connection for online assessment (especially with recent poor weather!)
-problems with an assessment connection not working / exam pages not loading properly etc at home, which could be sorted easily in a school setting but how stressful for a dc and parent trying to do it from home!
-disruption at home from siblings, pets, just general household noise - with the best will in the world, not all families will have an ideal space to set up an exam
-parents struggling to juggle their work, conference calls, other dc etc whilst trying to monitor dc sitting exam
-dc highly anxious at the entire scenario - it will possibly be more stressful for them than being in an exam room with lots of other dc as at least then they can see that others are in the same boat.

I would not want to be an admissions officer in one of these schools that’s for sure. Can you imagine the fall out (and requests for special dispensation based on any of the above) when DC don’t get offers and parents try to claim that the exam arrangements weren’t actually fair?!

I feel for everyone in this scenario but especially the poor 10 and 11 year olds trying to cope with all this uncertainty.

Next week we've got SPGS, IPS & FHSS - all of whom are hosting on site

SPGS is fiercely protective about its unique exam material using a 3 stage process to both weed out overly tutored kids & select the very specific type of characteristics they are looking for. There are hardly any old papers in circulation, only those it posts on its website.

IPS use a CEM based one hour online & one hour written reasoning test for which there are no past examples in circulation - it is even more secretive than SPGS!

FHSS is part of the London Consortium which sets its own test. Again there are none of these in circulation and no practise papers. Godolphin & Latymer, also part of the Consortium, had the good sense to avoid next week's nightmare and jumped ship to a pre Christmas ISEB and are probably feeling pretty smug about their decision.

For the first three schools mentioned, any kind of off-site process completely compromises their selection methods both now & going forward. I think that's why they have held so fast for so long - finding an alternative is near impossible for them. I do really feel for these poor registrars who have probably had no kind of Christmas at all this year.

It would be fascinating to see how it all pans out were we not part of it all!

All our schools are eerily silent on interviews and updates yet for 3 exams over the next 2 weeks.
I have taken to review each of our school websites for latest updates (with BAU for exams thus far), and have noticed two schools are updating the school website with who is returning and exam details. I suspect this is easier to communicate with admissions teams on leave.

Ours told us last week that it’s online on a weekend and not on site

@FlyingPandas totally agree with what you say in your last post and why the other schools did not prempt in the same way as those changing tactics at last moment. Some schools knew it would get worse come January and put measures into place promptly. To leave it until the last moment is unfair on all to say the least. I dreaded every computerised exam CEM / ISEB that my Dc has to sit at the school. In one case a huge number in a room. We have Emanuel left for Jan and the last thing we want is for her to have to sit with others and they haven’t placed all in school bubbles. Lucky schools who are hosting at their own with an Emanuel invigilator. One poster on the SW Independent Girl’s thread mentioned this was happening for them.

@PatoPato it amazes me that FHSS did not opt for ISEB like FHRP did at later stage when some of the other London Consortiums opted for same and FHRP requested this be sat by December. They are sister schools. Makes no sense...

We can only adapt as we have been, not worry too much and keep things calm for the children sitting. It really all does seem much more of a gamble and lottery than ever before. Guinea Pigs in the process and definitely will wonder on the fairness of assessments with all these different up health and disruptions in the process

@MumsRule20 FHSS have just emailed to say they are pulling next Friday's exams totally and will just be selecting based on school reference and online interview.
I am furious - I wanted DD to have the chance to sit the exam to show that all her hard work was justified. They could at least have requested the ISEB results that many will have already sat.
I don't feel confident about our school reference as all our school reports reference her confidence levels. She's not shy, she's just quiet...and bloody good at cognitive tests
There is a virtual scream going on in the Pato household right now!

PS I appreciate that many will be happy that there is no site exam and that I might be in a minority in having wanted these exams to go ahead. It's not a cavalier attitude, it's just that our household has had covid & come through the other side (and so far I think there have only been 25 confirmed cases of reinfection)

@PatoPato OMG that is majorly drastic!! No exam for a selective school. Try not to be disheartened - the interview is a great judge at seeing a child’s potential despite it being virtual. I expect they may ask some arithmetic / logic based questions. I wouldn’t worry about her being “shy” etc. They will anticipate all the children may be nervous and all have their own personalities and this will work in her favour not against her. I personally would have favoured this approach and no exams for all. See it as a blessing, as take the pressure off what was a very very testing week otherwise. It will be a great experience and honestly much better to have one less paper exam out of three in a week for a 10/12 yr old.

@PatoPato *sorry meant 10/11 year old in post above

@PatoPato I’m so sorry to hear that-so frustrating for you and for DC who have presumably been slogging hard with exam prep over the holidays

I have to say I really don’t feel some schools have handled this situation well and come across as being rather arrogant and insensitive to the current situation. They must have at least suspected that something like this would happen! A few of our local indies (we are SW not central London) have been similarly insistent that they have to go ahead with their specific exams and of course it’s now causing huge stress and anxiety for the applicants who don’t know what can and can’t go ahead. Really doesn’t give a warm welcoming feeling at all.

I am so grateful and relieved that the two schools we are applying to switched to ISEB early on and stressed in their communications that they really wanted to “do the right thing“ - both in minimising stress for DC and parents, and in ensuring that there was limited movement between schools to minimise the risk of cross infection given that we’re in the middle of a pandemic.

I really don’t know why the schools didn’t all do the same thing. These specific individual exams can’t be that important if some schools can now decide to ditch them completely! And as for some of the stuff I’ve read on other threads (dc needing access to three separate devices?!) words fail me.

Is anyone waiting to see what St George’s in Weybridge might do? They are supposed to be on site on the 5th, I can’t see that happening.

We have Emanuel left for Jan and the last thing we want is for her to have to sit with others and they haven’t placed all in school bubbles

I don't think Emanuel have updated since before the Christmas break. The plan then was to use its main date and fallback date with candidates evenly split between the two. One is a Saturday anyhow, and the Friday one they have put the school onto online learning so there are more classrooms available for well spaced exams.

With school re-opening announcement expected this afternoon, I dare say Emanuel (and others) are waiting for that new guidance and will then be working their socks off to re-organise January

@TheExtraGuineaPig we are waiting to hear from st Georges and Halliford school as well. Our other school, St. John’s , sent out an email last week saying they have a plan B and they will let us know by 31st December . It’s the not knowing that is a nightmare

Popping over from the girls indie thread to offer a hug and a hand hold.

I reckon a bunch of schools have their emails written and are waiting to push the ‘send’ button after today’s announcement is announced..

All the SW London boroughs seem to be in the 'contingency plan' area, so expect new guidance soon!

Much sympathy to those grappling with this

Not Kingston, bizarrely, which has higher rates than Richmond!

@NoToMisogyny - I agree. Very weird about Kingston.
I reckon we will all have emails within a few hours from the schools involved . This is the announcement the schools have been waiting for

@After8itsgrownuptime @NoToMisogyny

I posted on the Indie girls thread:

^^Just thinking as it says:

“ Secondary schools and colleges will continue with a staggered return but with one week’s delay, providing face-to-face education for exam year groups from 11 January and the return of all students on 18 January. Vocational exams scheduled for the first weeks of January will go ahead as planned.”

This might mean that the schools will still accommodate the exams as planned if they are not affected and won’t be closed as such...

I can’t see them letting kids from the ‘hotspots’ travel to the schools though. It’s all so uncertain!

I don’t see the government as seeing private schools entrance exams as being that important...I mean putting this into perspective covid has prevented people from saying goodby to loved ones in hospital....

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.

Wow, just found out ours is going ahead in person in school (with some changes) despite being in a Tier 4 contingency area. Not sure how I feel about that yet .

@warfinch I think many will be unhappy about the situation but doubt many will voice it to the schools and expect some may withdraw as a result but that won’t bother them much particularly if high number of applicants. Still waiting on news from Emanuel re: onsite exams planned 9/15th Jan and expect they won’t surprise me if they carry on as planned with exams on site :(( as the school will be empty of their secondary pupils delay returning back.

@warfinch, what school is it? I have to say i'm very surprised!