SW London Private & Grammar: applying for year 7 in 2023

[QuiteAJourney]

Following up from
www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4716365-sw-london-private-grammar-applying-for-year-7-in-2023-part-iii?page=40

Sharing the journey

Hmm, maybe my dd forgot. I asked her again and cannot remember. They probably did tell her and she forgot.

She was always told at the beginning of the interview who the interviewer was….

But you're not just using the interview to differentiate. You're usually looking at exam performance in more than one subject area + interview + group assessment + reference + any additional tasks (creative writing exercise, e.g.),. The interview is not the one and only discriminator - it's a valuable additional channel of information that you use as part of a holistic decision. Although you may get kids with results in the same bands exam-wise, they will have performed differently in different parts of the exam, and even within broadly similar bands there is variation, so that you're not dealing with an overwhelming number with exactly the same results.

Re: interviewers, it should be SMT and experienced staff interviewing, unless perhaps you are a school who interviews every applicant where it's simply not feasible. You would never get an NQT doing it though!

@readingcat

Would you be able to shed any light on how interviews are actually ‘marked’? Different scores for different elements that are being sought e.g. engagement, listening etc? I’m sure it varies by school, but I’d be really interested to know how it worked from your personal experience.

Imho and looking at successful applicants that I know and advice from our prep (I would never claim to know about the whole universe of applicants, prep and offers)

Epsom is less competitive academically than KGS and probably around same level as IPS. But they really value DCs keen to be involved in the wide extra-curricular programme and longer days.

St John's usually considered a bit easier to get into than Epsom but, as parents have realised, it is becoming more popular.
Both Epsom and St John become significantly more expensive in later years, so that is something to factor (and it puts some parents off, including after offer day).

I agree with your categories.

I took objection to your reference to few hours. One hour per day is not a few hours, that is intensive prep work for a 10/11 year old.

If you went to the gym one hour per day, you wouldn't stay you go few hours a week.

@readingcat does SMT mean a Senior Teacher? If so, which positions would fall under this category?

@Running247 I can only comment on how it worked in the schools I worked at, but generally they did not operate a scoring system for interview - that doesn't mean that some schools don't do so, of course. The interviewer would take notes and form a view (not necessarily a yes/no). Sometimes they would then have a conversation with the staff running the group assessment (in which, typically, one person runs the task and a couple of other staff observe and take notes). In one school I worked at, the group assessors were required to score the kids on different aspects of their participation in the task and this information was then passed on to SMT without a conversation taking place. There was always the scope to note anything specific or unusual. Usually there is a reasonably consistent fit between exam, group and interview performance.

@FriendlyMom yes, SMT = Senior Management Team, also SLT (Senior Leadership Team), so deputy heads (schools often have more than one), assistant heads (ditto), head of sixth-form etc.

@readingcat thank you. So any department head and deputy head (English, Math, PE, Drama, etc) can be part of the SLT? Therefore, it is the position, not the subject which falls within the definition? TIA for clarifying!

Technically, a Head of Department isn't SMT, but they might well be involved, and certainly if subject expertise is required for scholarship applications, e.g.

in the good old days of covid 11+, I listened in to all my daughter's interviews and group assessments! at times amazing and inspiring, but at times I was almost hyperventilating! 😅

This year Reeds did an online interview still. They interview everyone (guessing as it's the ISEB it's v little work for them before the interview). It was 12 minutes (with a counting down timer!) and was the first one we did. My son found it stressful watching the timer count down and felt he couldn't give longer answers as he was worried he would run out of time. Something for others to bear in mind for next year! I tried not to listen, but hats off to those covid 11+ parents cause my heart was pounding in my ears!!

(Have NC for this because I don't want the schools to be identifiable)

As parents we spend a lot of time in the 11+/13+ process worrying about how our DC come across to the schools during interview, but I do think schools could pay more attention about how they come across to the applicants and their parents.

My DC interviewed with 4 schools for Sept 2023 entry.

Schools 1, 2 and 3 - in-depth, personalized interviews with engaged members of staff who appeared interested in what DC had to say, left the impression they really wanted to get to know DC, what made them tick, what DC had to offer the school.

School 4 (less academicallly selective than the other 3 schools) - interviewer came across as rather patronising, seemed unaware of key information relevant to DC's application, and the few personal questions that were asked during the interview gave almost no scope for DC to talk about what they had to offer the school in a couple of areas they are very talented in. Most of the short interview was taken up with academic testing. That might had been a positive sign as DC is very strong academically (CAT 135+), except that the interviewer expressed surprise that DC was doing so well on the questions. DC wasn't offered an opportunity to ask any questions themselves.

Overall, that interview left the impression that School 4 weren't that interested in DC and were just going through the motions. That may not be true (will have to see what happens when results come out), but solely on the basis of that interview our enthusiasm for School 4 has cooled considerably (and it was previously one of our top contenders).

We are a subset of all three groups and it was a difficult balancing act tbh, particularly with his sports and activities which he kept on all through - well I should say “is” as the process is far from over!

Just created new account to post this, as did not want to out my DS on other threads.

Having looked at some of these comments, and having done the 11+ last year, I just wanted to add the data point that DS got offers from LU and Emanuel, as well as the other schools we applied to, and we chose Emanuel over LU for many reasons, but mainly for the difference in pastoral care and the feel of the school. Academically we knew it was great, and DS had just as much chance of getting amazing results there as LU. We also know a number of people with kids at LU, some of whom have pulled those kids out already. Ultimately, when looking at academics, all these schools have such high percentages of kids getting incredible GCSE and A-level grades, the fact that one may come higher on the Sunday Times rankings for results, really doesn't mean that much in terms of your kid's experience and eventual outcome. There is also the dirty little secret of how many of those top schools manage kids out to keep their scores up...

I make this comment just to point out that we, and some other parents we know, turned down offers from schools higher in results rankings, so waiting lists can move for all sorts of reasons.

I would also say we have not regretted our decision for a second so far, and for anyone here considering Emanuel, I would say that we have been incredibly impressed (and I am an ex-teacher myself, so know what to look for). They seem to be managing that delicate balance of academics, sports, extra-curriculars and pastoral care very well.

Good luck to all your DS and DDs. The whole process is just horrible and I am very glad we never have to go through it again!

Oh and I should add DS does pretty much nothing in terms of extra-curriculars. No clubs, no sport, he got grade 1 in piano a few years ago, so neither Emanuel nor LU seemed to care too much about that. I think he did very well academically in the exams and with his CAT scores and school report etc and then came across well in the interview. I say this just to make the point that I think the schools try to get a year group with a range of types, so not all kids have to be ones with CVs as long as their arms. So there are so many factors going in to acceptance and rejections that I think it is impossible to know how things will ultimately turn out (and whether after all that, the top choice school your kid gets into after all this hard work, will actually turn out to be the right fit after all! There is more movement in years 7 and 8 than you would think...)

That was me a couple of years ago… the pressure is real and didn’t want to pass it on to DD2 at the time.
Both happily at JAGS now.. which is the ideal for us

Not more than an hour a day (7 hours a week) is a number much more than "a few hours a week"......? It that is what you mean, then I really just can't comprehend, my poor English.

My view is the interview process is partly for the schools to assess whether the child would accept a place if offered a place. One of the common questions is what other schools they have applied for. This is useful information for the admissions team. The schools with amazing sports/music are also trying to match with children who will make good use of the facilities/clubs. The interviews can also be an opportunity to sell the school both to the children and the parents. These are their top candidates and they want the best ones to choose their school rather than their competition schools. A short interview is plenty of time to assess a child’s enthusiasm for learning, sports, music and a desire to come to their school. It has crossed my mind that they could potentially be weeding out the over tutored bad ones who have over rehearsed for their interviews.

Notanotherone2, I agree with your view about what the interview process is (or should be) for.

At the school with the underwhelming interview, my DC wasn't asked any of the questions that might be useful for the admissions team to know. DC wasn't asked which other schools they had applied to (and without giving too much away, DC already has a firm offer from one school which would have told the admissions team something relevant about DC, had they bothered to ask that question). Wasn't asked what their hobbies/interests were either.

Did anyone make the LEH information session online? Was there anything important? I think I’m going to struggle to make tomorrow’s too at that time. Perhaps I can ask for a recording??

Which part are you finding it hard to comprehend?

You said a few hours a week is sufficient for Emanuel, Ibstock.

I told you this was not true. You then said few hours a week means 7 hours a week.

Noone would think one hour daily prep equals few hours.

One hour daily prep is a real intensive commitment.

You're welcome to look into dictionary - few means a small number and 7 ain't small.

I wonder what made you so mad?!

Not more than 7 hours = few hours

That is what I mean and I stick to it.

I don't mean to demean Emanuel if that is what gets on to you. It is a great school and there are people going there and forsake King's but the reality is that it is an all-round school that not only looks at academics and attracts people with this mentality, and they are not those that will sacrifice a lot of their kids' activity times for the sake of tutoring.