DAO admissions prep

[magicbeanie]

My DC is a bright cookie and we'd like to try for Dame Alice Owens, particulary as it has a sibling policy and we're based in Islington. However from reading these threads I fear we are way behind prepping for the exam! She's mid-ranked in her English classes, and mid-top in maths though very mildly dyslexic. I'm thinking of getting a tutor as I literally have no clue where or how to start prepping other than doing all the test papers on the website. I really think I need some external guidance - does anyone have any tutor recommendations (who don't cost the earth)?

Also she's pretty musical but hasn't done any exams because (maybe stupidly) I've never believed in them as I just wanted her to learn to play for pleasure. Does anyone know what standard they expect in the musical aptitude test?

I would be very grateful to any souls out there who can help me!

You need to familiarise yourself with the Hertfordshire (north London and other) region section of the forum of
elevenplusexams.co.uk.
Don't let it stress you out but there is lots of info.

I can give you some idea about music places.
DC1 is musically gifted (just back from a residential with a national orchestra). He auditioned for a music place a couple of years ago. he played grade 6 pieces on 2 instruments though had a slightly sub-par audition because of a technical issue with one instrument. He was offered a music place, but only just, whereas he fairly easily got music scholarship offers elsewhere. He got talking to the girl who auditioned just before him at DAO and they realised they had played in the same (national level) orchestra not long before.
I've read DAO have had up to 12 kids in the national youth orchestra at a time (and are perhaps the only school who have).
As another benchmark, Latymer grammar specify a distinction at grade 5 as a criterion for their music places, as do some other London schools, though for DAO you don't have to have taken any exams - it's all based on the audition (or was 2 yrs ago).
If she's up to grade 5+ standard on at least one instrument and is genuinely musical, the music place is worth a shot, though the standard is very, very high. Otherwise I'd focus on the academic places - there are far more of them anyway.

Thank you hockeygrass - have just checked it out and am trying not to freak (gulp). I fear that we're way too late getting started but will try. Any views on tutors? I saw on that forum not to look for recommendations on there and advice that it's actually not that scary to do it yourself (and save cash).

piisnot3 thank you as well. That is so helpful, we won't bother with the music. My DD is definitely not in that calibre! She learns mostly to play pop songs!

Having been through it last year, my advice would be to get loads of GL verbal reasoning papers and get your DD familiarised with the type and format of the questions until she can answer them as quickly and accurately as possible. The DAO exam has a VR paper as its first round (they use GL) and candidates can only progress to the maths and english papers if they score highly enough. Unfortunately DS didn’t, so didn’t get to show off his maths whizz skills. He saw a tutor once a week for 45 minutes throughout the summer term and over the summer break. Even though he wasn’t successful I don’t regret not tutoring for longer or more intensely. I think some parents get carried away!

I'd say mid top isn't anywhere near good enough for Owen's. They take the absolute cream of the crop for the academic test. Many children top of their state school don't get in. Lots of verbal and non verbal reasoning practice.
Grade 5 standard at least for the music exam also.

The stats for years up to 2019 are here:
damealiceowens.herts.sch.uk/?dlm_download_category=student-audit-report
Roughly 1100 apply. There are 65 academic places, but the places typically extended to the student placed around 110th. So you have to place roughly in the top 10% of the kids who sat the test to get an academic place, and that population is also likely to be skewed towards high ability.

Mid-top might be OK now. My DS has just left DAOS. It's not as good as it was, so you might get in with a lower level of test score. Many of the great longstanding top teachers have recently left, some of those who are still there and some new teachers aren't quite up to it, and the lackluster leadership now is a bit of a washout compared to the days of the old head, Dr Davison. But with a mix of some able teachers, a strong teach yourself spirit and tutors if you need them your kids can make it.

I know lots of kids who tried to get into DAO locally. Only one got in and he was tutored for about 2 years prior and has very pushy parents

The standard is incredibly high. My son is very bright (top one or two in his year at primary) and although he got into another grammar he was nowhere near getting a place at dame Alice. Without intensive tutoring your child will need to be exceptional.

There is a random element for most kids in entrance tests. A few get in everywhere, but most have good days and bad days. These entrance test are really a test of early development and submission to being drilled at age 7-10, and there is plenty of time to either catch up or fall behind until GCSEs.