Any experience of Kings Maths School vs LAE for 6th form?

[JusteanBiscuits]

My son has applied to KCLMS for 6th form and also to LAE Stratford.

He wants to study Maths at University, and truly loves the subject. His heart is set on KCLMS, but as that is entirely maths / physics, I wonder if going to LAE (his second choice) would be better for the all round experience? Meeting a wider variety of people, a much wider selection of extra curricular clubs etc. I worry the excitement at 16 of being immersed in maths might wear off, and being somewhere with a wider curriculum might be better?

Any experience would be appreciated. Thanks

Wow, that's a small cohort. It'll be so interesting how different it is from other school. Sounds ideal for an introvert.

We know quite a few kids going to LAE. Son would definitely have chosen a place there (it's closeness to home would have also taken the commute concern away from him.. he regularly cycles to that area so things like tube strikes / issues wouldn't have been an issue. With tube strikes already being called for September his concern at getting to KCLMS seem well founded now!).

He's still quite gutted he didn't even get an offer there, especially as two of his friends are going on worse results than he got! But it is what it is :) If we knew a year ago what we know now he would have applied to other places too - it's been a huge learning curve this year!! Though younger sibling is very determined about where he wants to go for 6th form in two years 🤣🤣 That just requires a house move and a new job, but hey, why would he worry about that 🤣🤣

AFAIK even the biggest maths schools like Kings and Surrey only have around 70-80 kids per cohort.

From what I’ve heard about my son’s new school, the kids become quite a tight knit group and it’s a very collaborative atmosphere between students.

Interestingly, the question about integrating kids who are quite introverted came up at several open evenings we went to with DS. I think the various maths schools are used to having a higher than average proportion of introverts.

I feel your pain @JusteanBiscuits. Two years ago we had no idea how best to support DS. It’s only through extensive Googling, research on Mumsnet, Student Room, Reddit etc that we found out about summer camps, outreach programmes etc but none were quite right or obtainable and eventually we stumbled upon the maths schools network.

Schools aren’t really incentivised to help students and parents with this highlighting other schools, they obviously don’t want to lose bright students.

DD is a lot less academic than DS but her secondary school put a lot of pressure on kids in Yr 11 to stay at the school.

By contrast, DS’s school is losing several of their brightest students to other schools as they just can’t seem to be able to provide enough support for STEM subjects; their priorities seem to be in other subjects, which TBF they are outstanding in a couple.

Not sure I should tell you this, but on results day when we enrolled, DS bumped into a friend outside trying to get in to LAE. He missed the original application deadline so thought he'd just pop in there like you can do to other sixth forms with your results sheet. I said to DS, "No way will be get in as LAE are so strict that you have to have an offer" - but apparently they told DS friend to email in his results. He had great results (7 or so 9s, the rest 8s) and they gave him a place. He had another very good offer so he didn't need LAE but the commute is better for him and he's also great friends with DS - but anyway, just shows they are more flexible than they advertise.

I'm sure your DS is going to have a great time in sixth form and at the end of the day, I'm not sure it is going to set the direction of their lives or anything. It's great they are able to make these decisions, with some advice, for themselves and stay living by and owning their own life decisions.

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but I was wondering what maths/physics GCSE grades your DC who are at (or are going to) Kings maths school? We didn’t even think about applying because my DD has always dismissed herself as not that good at maths (despite a lot of evidence to the contrary as a young child). She has just finished GCSEs and got 94% in GCSE maths, an A in OCR FSMQ. She has always been really strong in physics but got bored and decided she wasn’t going to bother from this year and got an 8. It is probably impossibly too late for Sept 2025, but we are wondering if we should ask them if there is any chance she could do a late application. She has wanted to do economics at degree level but she is now thinking about maths too. She thinks everyone at Kings would be considerably more brilliant than her.

DS got 9 in maths, physics and further maths GCSE’s and didn’t get in. I don’t think they accept late applications.

You're not going to be able to do a late application. The grades would have been okay but the application process started last Autumn and was lengthy, with an application form, test at Excel centre and subsequent interview if you passed.

You're not going to be able to do a late application. The grades would have been okay but the application process started last Autumn and was lengthy, with an application form, test at Excel centre and subsequent interview if you passed.

@Onvacation it's not just the GCSEs - there is an entrance test too and then scoring based on their interview and the widening participation criteria

You can try but results day was the time to ask surely? There was a waiting list and the OP’ DS got an offer, he was about 10th on the list IIRC.

Maybe try Surrey Maths School - they were calling on social media for any late applicants to contact them on results day.

FWIW DS got 9s in Maths (93%) and Physics.

Based on my own extensive research of several maths schools, I got the impression that the Kings cohort as a whole would be a little bit behind the Imperial one ability wise but a bit ahead of Cambridge’s. However, there is some variation within the year.

As one student put it, Kings have a core sub-group that are very talented, one group that is exceptional and a few that are off the scale.

I’m sure your child could fit in - the GCSE grade requirements outside Maths and one science are not that high. But I’d be very surprised if they’re considering applications so late.

As @Digimoor days, there is an entrance test. It’s not a run of the mill test, some of the questions are ‘problem style’ which many children will probably never have seen before unless they’ve done the UK MT Maths Challenges. It needs some prep going through past papers etc.

Also the maths schools put quite a lot of emphasis on widening participation. Some of the funding they get is specifically to address this.

Anyway, good luck of you decide to try!

Thanks for the replies. I agree it is probably way too late, but if you don’t ask you never know, and I think they say they could make a waiting list offer until 1st October somewhere. So we may as well ask 😊.

@Dangermouse999 that description of a core very talented, some exceptional and a few off the chart is hugely helpful and fills me with some hope. IF she passes the test (in that fantasy world where they let her sit it this late), then I would imagine she would fit with the core.

Imperial Maths School specifically said at the open day presentation that you don’t have to be a genius or the finished article.

The real differentiator apart from the entrance test is the problem solving interview (there are two short interviews.)

They are not looking to catch the student out but probe their ‘teachability’ for want of a better word, plus adaptability.

The style of teaching at the schools differs significantly from typical A level maths teaching and is more akin to early undergraduate teaching, especially Oxbridge.

Hence the long application process including writing a personal statement for example.

@Onvacation depending on where you live there may be other maths schools with vacancies that are accessible to you.
There are also other maths enrichment opportunities available. My DS didn’t get in but it’s worked out well for him with a shorter commute, local friends and plenty of time to do extra maths in his own time.

I am very thankful for sons decision in light of next weeks tube strikes!! He would have had to leave for school at 5.30am and get five buses 😮

@JusteanBiscuits that sounds horrendous!! Thank goodness!

I feel like I'm being a real dunce but have admissions opened yet?
I'm sure they opened in July last year but I can't find a clicky link to the application form on the website.

IIRC, last year applications for KCLMS opened the same day as the virtual open evening which was at the start of October.