11+ Exams - Are we being realistic? / Waiting List offers

[Greenstheword]

This is my second time going through the 11+ process. Eldest DS was a breeze - academic and enthusiastic about revising for exams.

My 10 year old DS who is now sitting exams is mildly dyslexic and scoring 100-120 on CAT tests, depending on the day.

He has problems with spelling and his handwriting is slow and untidy. His Maths is great but he rushes and makes mistakes. On ISEB papers he generally scores in the 80's % On Atom he's scoring on average 115.

I am worried he will end up without any offers at all. We just learned he did not make the second round for Kingston Grammar. Our other schools are:

Hampton, Reeds, Emanuel, Ibstock and Radnor House. Realise he's unlikely profile for Ibstock but didn't want to leave it out as we live very close by.

Has anyone had WL offers from the above schools and did your DC have a similar profile.

@LoveMyADHD The traffic around there is really bad once the park gates close early in the Winter months. I've had a few occasions where it has taken me an hour to drive down Priory Lane. Took us an hour to go one and a half miles yesterday!

Oh wow!

were you there yesterday for catch up session?
that road was crazy wasn’t it?

DS2 is in a prep 8 miles away and it takes us 20 mins… Ibstock is 4 miles away from home and took us 2 hours… massive put off

how did your kid find exams yesterday?

@LoveMyADHD hard to say. Easier than Radnor but that could just be because Radnor was her first experience of CEM. We warned her a Ibstock would be awful and so she was expecting the worst. How did yours find it?

Well he had a toilet accident at Radnor so his experience is not very objective 😉

He loved Ibstock he thought the test was easy but not sure I believe him ! 😆

you have Emanuel tomorrow!!?

Yes Emanuel tomorrow! You too? It seems very long! DD will be very unimpressed! Think it’s going to be busy!!

that’s great that he enjoyed Ibstock! (And found it easy!!)

He always says it’s easy so that he doesn’t get interrogated 😉

good luck for tomorrow ! Hope you guys nail it!!!!

you have many more after tomorrow?

@LoveMyADHD my DS says the opposite to avoid being interrogated 😂. Maintains it was the hardest exam he's ever done despite his school friends saying different. I'm pretty sure it's a no.

@Daydreamscometrue 😂😂😂

can’t wait to celebrate the end of this crap with 4 bottles of vino 😎

yesterday I had the weirdest dream…. a huge NVR book was chasing me 😂

@LoveMyADHD I totally hear you! The thought of sinking countless bottles of wine and sleeping in without a care is so appealing right now. I've had some really odd dreams too 😂

We ll get there!! 🤗

if you’re doing Emanuel tomorrow good luck xxx

We are and thank you 🤗

if thé behaviour of the students and the incompetence of the staff at the theatre I attended this evening is anything to go by, you dodged a bullet by missing out on kgs. It was appalling.

@Thelondonone what happened?

@Thelondonone yes please do tell us!

@LoveMyADHD @secondaryquandries I’m in education, previously a teacher, not one now. So first rules of taking children to the theatre in a big group is put in the letter, no eating, no using mobile phones, no talking. Confiscate family sized bags of crisps and phones used during the performance. Don’t sit all staff on the end of rows as you have 30 kids between you, always have some staff in the middle. . Take staff that don’t just sit there putting their hands to their mouths in horror but doing nothing about the poor behaviour. I personally wouldn’t have taken ks3 to see six as part of a school group. Fine as a family as you can set the context (age limit is 10+ but recommended 12+). I don’t really believe in censorship but you can imagine a group of 13 year olds and the singing including, cunt, threesomes and sexual exploitation. Interestingly they didn’t know what patriarchy meant…. They crunched shouted and clapped (at inopportune moments and out of time-their music department needs to work on percussion!). So much so that the theatre staff had to come and have a word and shine their torches multiple times. It was totally embarrassing but the staff seemed unconcerned that a show that you actual need to hear, dialogue at pace during songs, to fully enjoy the show. I think the group i was with may email the head-it was really that bad! I’ve done a lot of trips and about 5 theatre trips and never had this happen. It is our role as educators to teach acceptable behaviour in the theatre and kgs fell extremely short.

@Thelondonone ash that does sound less than ideal. Sorry that your show was spoilt. Was it good and would you recommend (noisy children aside)?

I only really like musicals that emotionally involve you (blood brothers and come from away are my favourites) but it was very cleverly done and I would go and see it again.

That’s not great @Thelondonone is it? Thank God we got a No then !

did anyone get Ibstock results? It was a No for us. But not sure I’m really bothered about this one!
how did Emanuel go? It’s such a gorgeous school!!!

@LoveMyADHD Emanuel feedback from DS was good. He enjoyed the food and cookie on the way out. He now also has a pen and a highlighter which will join the coffee mugs we got from KGS 😄. We got a yes from Ibstock. Have you got more exams or a preferred school?

@Daydreamscometrue sooooo happy for you! One step closer!! Yes apparently they have them donuts with jam 🙄!
do we hear from Emanuel in January ?

we have Latymer (no chance!) and st Benedict next week and that’s it!!!
you have more to come? x

Yes we hear from Emanuel on the 9th of January apparently. We've got LU, Dulwich and Whitgift too

.

Has anyone had an Emanuel email today?

@hollyferry we haven't. Have people heard?

No we haven’t heard, it’s definitely Monday
just Radnor and st Benedict today