Independent schools

[Teene]

How do independent schools decide who to admit and who is involved in the process?

Competitive exam and interview, usually, plus school reference and report. Why?

It can vary slightly, but in the 2 major schools I’ve taught at, it comes down to an entrance exam, school reference and interview with the Head. All of these things are scored according to a matrix of some sort and then any borderline cases are discussed by a panel of SLT. Sometimes the SENDCO might be involved in the process too to give an opinion on whether the school can meet a child’s needs well.

How long is a piece of string?

The way an Uber competitive, London single sex selective do it will be completely different to a small rural mixed non selective.

Some will have exams, interviews, aptitude tests, some won't.

Also, sport, music, art, drama scholarship routes which each school will state what they expect eg. Portfolio, music performances, sport activities etc.

My DC was interviewed by the school registrar, I wonder if they are involved in / have any influence in the admissions discussions?

Surely yes in that particular case - otherwise what was the reason for the interview?

Completely normal, and yes, if they interviewed your child, it's likely they have a say.

DS attended the primary (prep) feeder to his senior school. All the schools in the foundation are academically selective. DS had a type of IQ test at 3yrs of age. I thought it was a formality and to check he was ready for nursery level but speaking to others who tried to get in they really do select.
In Yr 4 they quietly advised the parents of those children that were not likely to pass the entrance exam to senior school to start looking at alternative schools. This meant that all those who took the exam got a place although a couple were accepted on probation and had to leave at the end of yr8. This coincides with entrance to some non selective independents.
Again in yr 11 they further filtered, and about 20% didn’t meet the criteria for yr12.
And that is how they streamline for the higher A level results. It’s pretty much all about the schools performance in Alevels as that is one of their main marketing strategies.
I would still do it again because DS was academically bright and very sporty so the school was a good fit for him. They have also supported him well during yr11/12 when DH and I had serious illness that had a direct impact on his exam results. He has just sent his UCAS in for uni this year. School made sure that the extenuating circumstances part of the reference was accurate and reflected the difficulties he faced. He is on a gap year but they contract to support his application even after he left school.
Just remember that when you apply your child’s ability is what the school is assessing and throughout their education they will expect your support. The parents who assumed that as long as they paid the fees and their child’s place was set in stone had a bit of a shock. By yr 4 a significant number of DS’s year had tutoring outside of school in order to keep up.
If DS had needed tutoring then I would not have kept him at the school. No child should be put under that sort of pressure. If they are not progressing naturally then it is the wrong environment for them.

Interviews are done differently at different schools. In some schools, the Head will do all the interviews - but if it's a big, oversubscribed secondary with hundreds of applicants each year, it may well be other teaching or admissions staff who interview. If your child was interviewed by the registrar (which in itself could be a more or less senior role, depending on the school - sometimes registrar means 'head of admissions' , sometimes it means admin person), and there isn't another interview, then yes, that interview is likely to play a fairly key part in the process.

DS passed the entrance exam at 11 and was interviewed by HT who said he was looking for 25 boys who would get on and work together. Nearly 40 years later DS is still in a friendship group with at least half of them. Unless you are super bright, they are looking for contribution to the school and the ability to work with other people as well as a good brain. GD is at high profile private school. At 4 there was a ‘coaching free’ test. They went into the hall without parents and moved round a number of tables demonstrating the ability to colour in a butterfly, write her name etc/ We knew she would be accepted when she told us that at the ‘food’ table she had made a pizza out of play dough and told the teacher that ‘if she ate it, she would levitate’. Another private primary expected each child to go with a teacher when their name was called and if they wouldn’t go, that was that. All that said, a member of our family was accepted in-year at a highly competitive/ selective school despite that the fact that he refused to work with anyone else and never did PE/ games. He was just brilliant and they knew he would get straight A*.

It all depends on whether the school has a high demand for places/waiting list. If it does, exams, interview etc. If not, can you pay may be one of the few questions!

What are you actually asking, @Teene?

Did you not like the Registrar?

Is there some reason why you think a specific school’s admission process will be unfair / unsuitable for your child?

Have you received a rejection with no feedback?

It’s really hard to make any helpful comment without a little detail …

Depends on the school. Most use a combination of exams, observation, interviews and reference. The process should be transparent though, ds was interviewed by the chaplain

Hey, I really liked the registrar. She was very warm and welcoming. She went onto say that she could see my DC doing well at the school. As such I wanted to know whether her opinion would be considered when selecting applicants

It depends in what context the interview was. If it was a school tour probably not, if it was a formal assessment probably.

Didn’t you ask the school what their admissions process is? Every school is different so you need to find out from that specific school

It would be a bit odd to have someone interview him, and not have that taken into account. Wouldn’t it?

I would add that in particular any negative interactions would be taken into account. If your child was rude to the registrar and it got back to the head that would count against them. But as it's positive then I'd be hopeful!

Currently doing the process with DS (y6). Seems to be a combination of test scores, interview with a member of the SLT (parents and child) and a reference from their current school.