We came from outside the British school system, so not prep or state school. Not even a British school overseas, which meant we were totally on our own without teacher/parent/friend support. Thus our experience is different than most people here.
What I have learnt as an outsider:
Practice:
The children do need to be familiar with the test content beyond the samples on the ISEB-Pre test/CEM websites. Atom was a recommendation we got on here. If they're not doing
Timeline:
We started much later than it seems like many people did. I felt I was being too much thinking about it last year, but in retrospect I wonder if that would have made the process less stressful. It looks like people start thinking about it in year 5 with some prep starting then. We started our daughter on Atom in October and then did a pre-test plus practice run for the CEM. It was, in fact, absolutely fine. Our child didn't miss play dates or parties, though I'm not sure if those rumours are true. We did opt not to go on holiday over the winter holidays as she had 3 exams in early January for which we wanted/needed to travel back to London (after traveling there for the CEM and ISEB pre-test). Point being: familiarisation is key, though I do also think test taking tips are useful whether learned in school or from a tutor or online (as in our case).
Content:
'Creative writing' papers are not what I would call 'creative' but rather 'descriptive' and we read online that schools are looking for specific devices like synonyms, antonyms, etc etc in specific amounts (something like MOUSETRAPS53 though I can't remember what that stands for or even if it's the right word!). In other words, the writing is less about the story and the child's imagination and more about the child having learned descriptive devices, many of which are being tested in the Verbal ISEB Pre-test/CEM and/or Comprehension papers.
Advocacy:
-Our daughter went to one of the London Consortium schools to do the ISEB pre-test. Her computer was broken. That particular school waited 6 weeks to schedule her re-sit. We turned it down as she'd already got through to second round in the schools outside Consortium and interviews at a few ISEB schools (two that don't interview all candidates). HOWEVER, in back and forth with the test site and the one school that didn't choose to interview her given her scores, I learned that parent advocacy is vital and can make changes. As a foreigner, I didn't want to intervene and trusted the system. Don't make my mistake. Advocate for your children, especially if you don't have a prep school head who would advocate on your behalf as they know both your child and the admissions teams/heads of the schools. Advocate early and often - apparently they take it as not being committed to the school if you don't.
- Lucy Elphinstone at FHSS is head of London Consortium. If you have any problems, go straight to her. We didn't apply to FHSS but I've heard amazing things about her. She is now dealing with what happened to my daughter, and is aware we turned down London Consortium school offers because we were so troubled by the problem (and were lucky enough to be able to choose). Go to her should you have any issues.
- London Prep school children take the ISEB pre-test in their own schools over a couple days. Non prep school children go to the test site and take it in one sitting (with breaks). This really troubles me as it seems the children best prepped get the best test taking situation - I assume this will generate controversy on this site but as a standardized test developer, this is lack of test standardization is quite indefensible. If your child isn't taking the ISEB pre-test at their own school spread over a couple days, store this information in your back pocket.
Perspective:
Keep in mind always that the difference between the schools most people here talk about is quite small. They are all good schools and if parents are clued in and engaged enough to be having these discussions, their children are going to do just fine.
Fit:
-Know your child. Would they be inspired if they're no longer the best, or would they start doubting their intelligence, or, even, would they push themselves too hard? Do they need sports and outside space? What are the sixth formers like, and do you see your child both fitting in now and going down the school's trajectory? What are the other parents like? etc etc
- If you can, visit the schools and after results are in, ask your child his/her preferences. We visited all schools when we came in to take the SPGS, City and LUS written tests. The schools were all really accommodating with interview and tour arrangements given our schedule. It turned out our daughter had pretty strong feelings about where she felt most comfortable (which luckily aligned with our preference for her - phew!).
Summary:
Try not to get too caught up in the stress. It is stressful but there's more within our control than I realised. Familiarise, advocate if/when necessary, know your child, remember all the schools are good, and, finally, that if you care this much, your child will do really well wherever she goes because you're an engaged parent who values her education.