Emanuel Vs Year 6

[Moreconfusedbytheday]

Hi- looking for some advice from people who have done Emanuel year 6 as to whether you would recommend this route. We have a bright all round boy which we feel it could be a good fit for. He is currently at a lovely state with a massive range of extra curricular opportunities and is very happy.

In the last year he’s continually saying he’s bored and there seems little focus to engage the “greater depth” kids.

On the other hand I think it’s lovely to stay at your school to the end and do all the fun year 6 things & it would then give him a chance at the grammars which are much further for us but I also think he would enjoy (and are free!)

financially it would be manegable even with inflation and labour but I do wonder if the money could be better spent on other things.

If we are doing it well obviously have to start some kind of 10+ prep in the not too distant future but tricky to know when it’s all so abstract!

Go to the school Open day and you can find out more and see if this the route or 11+ and grammar where the competition in London can be quite fierce.

If he is very happy, I would not change it. Keep him where he is happy. He can do the 11+

The thing is the school open day is not until Autumn I don’t think unless I have misread. So we’re going off somewhere he has been for summer camps and we’ve driven past occasionally! That’s why I thought it might be helpful to chat to someone who had done the year 6 route and see what their views are before we start prepping.

i think 11 plus grammar will be crazy competitive but my son doesn’t really get anxious around exams and I think would be quite happy to give things a shot and see how they go. I think he would stand a good chance but is certainly not a shoe-in!

The prep for 10+ would benefit 11+ so maybe sign up for the Open day in either summer or autumn and decide?

The website says they will offer open events in the summer term Open events - Emanuel
I suggest you register on their admissions mailing list
Have you considered any other 10+ schools?

Yes you’re right- not sure where I saw only the autumn! I will sign up. Thank you :)

Either way if we’re going to do it I guess we would need to start looking at a tutor now especially given coming from state….

Not looked at any other 10+ schools because Emanuel is walking distance and not sure how we would get him there otherwise! If going at 11+ we’d obviously cast the net wider…

We're going to put our son in for the 10+. Have the same mixed feelings on missing Y6 at lovely current state school, but think it would be worth it to have school sorted! Good practice and intel for 11+ as well. I hear lots of the spaces go to siblings - anyone know any stats? - so seems fairly unlikely to get in

I don't know what proportion to go siblings.

Siblings (and art/drama/music/sports) scholars only have to meet the exam pass mark to be in. For first-timers, they have to be far enough up the list, so the effective score for that group is likely to be higher. The basic pass mark has been rising (certainly since Mr Milne arrived) and it is the case that there are siblings to whom a place is not offered because they do not do well enough.

But because there is a cohort in every year who have only met the basic pass mark, the school has a wider range of academic level than those which select by highest score for all. Some people value this, because they think it makes the school rounded in a different way and less of a hot-house. Others see that it makes the GCSE and A level results a bit less stellar and swerve.

@AnotherNewt , just check sibling policy on their website as friends are signing up for 10+ for their DCs and it is not quite just basic pass mark:

Emanuel School has a sibling policy.
Applicants who have a sibling currently at the school need to meet the minimum pass mark in the entrance exams and have a good report and headteacher’s reference to be offered a place. The pass mark is 65% in English and Maths. For Verbal Reasoning the pass mark is 115 (this is a standardised score).

The bit about needing to meet the minimum pass mark is what I meant - because no matter how good the interview, even a sibling won't get in without at least a basic pass in the exam. If they do something like bite the interviewer or have a previous school report that is back to back disciplinary issues, then Emanuel might not offer, but that's rare (or at least not talked about - those who have siblings who do not get an offer say it's exam, but yes I realise that might be face-saving, however those DC do get offers elsewhere so I doubt it's a big problem with the reference)

Emanuel do take interviews very seriously, but it is often much more use in sorting out which of a group of similarly performing first-timers they most want to see in the school, looking at the life of the school in the round (which I know is a bit of a woolly phrase, but again it's a reflection of ethos - though I think they might be less different to other schools these days than they were a decade ago)

Thanks all- Definately food for thought. I think probably giving it a go but with absolutely no pressure is the answer- sounds like the chances of getting a place are pretty slim (I had heard it was easier at 10+ but sounds like this is not necessarily the case!) As someone said the prep will help for 11 plus anyway & we’re lucky that he is very happy where he is (albeit a bit bored!)

Hi OP just wondering if your son ended up getting a place in year six and if so did you take it? And are you happy with the school? We are in the same position but have an actual offer in hand . Just trying to decide whether it’s worth jumping ship .have a bright all round DD who is very able academically but can be very nervous in interviews et cetera so thinking it might be worth taking the year six place seems hard to find any negatives on Emanuel from people I’ve spoken to before which I’m finding quite suspicious. Not keen on the new head so any current families feedback would be amazing

Current Emanuel parent here, although joined from Y7 so can't comment on Y6 decision. It is a lovely school and honestly there are no negatives - you could nitpick very minor things but you could do that in any school. On the new head, there is a very strong SLT in place and the school needs to continue on its current trajectory compared to the turnaround project the departing head very successfully led so an internal promotion should not be a cause for concern.

Hi- We didn’t apply in the end (he would have been applying this year so the same year as your daughter) A number of reasons but mostly we felt that we hadn’t seen all the other options and wanted to make sure it was the best fit and also he wanted to finish year 6 with his friends and do all the leavers stuff. A bit mixed about it as I think he’s very ready for a change but the right decision for us on balance.

If you’ve got a place I would def go for it though as it seems like a fantastic school and I understand if you turn it down you won’t be able to apply again at year 7

Thank you so much for your replies - all very helpful