Entrance Exams - am in purgatory with waiting!

[Mrshighandmighty]

Hi there - My eldest son (yr 6) has just sat this week the Hampton, St. Benedicts and KGS entrance exams, with Latymer Upper and Emanuel next week. Does anyone have any experience regarding how long you have to wait to find out after the exam whether your child is going to be offered an interview?

Also - what is an interview like? What should we do to prepare him in the event that he might get an interview?

I have four boys altogether, and I know it will be so much easier next time around - but right now, I'm in a purgatory of ignorance!

Help anyone?

No - we're in East London. He has offers from Forest and Bancroft's.

SoupDragon, thinking of where you are it would appear that your ds and my ds will be going to the same school!!!

Ooooh. How scarey stalkerish exciting

He sat T, W and the 2 W grammars in Sutton (which he clearly managed to fail spectacularly!)

Well done to your ds1 Soup . Can I ask why you preferred T to W (friends are aimign fro W, seems more do firm ours than T, although very similar distance) - presumably not just cos of the scholarship ? We've looked at T for ds but he was already stressed by the journey into a more urban environment !

My heart was with W (what's not to love?) and the journey would basically involve a bus down the hill but I decided that T would be better for DS2 as he would rub against the traditional nature of W more. DS1 would fly in either of them as he is that kind of boy.

Then I decided that, as DS1 is a keen sportsman but not gifted, he would have better sporting opportunities at T as they said they cater for however many boys want to do a sport rather than just concentrating on the best.

T came across as far friendlier and inclusive when we went to the exams and later for interview. Results wise, there's nothing to choose between them.

Also, I quite like the idea that T are admitting girls into the 6th Form which shows a willingness to progress/change from tradition.

I would say W is far more urban than T though.

Sorry SoupDragon - I realise now that sounded a bit stalkerish.

I don't know where you are but when the Sutton Grammars and a school beginning with T were mentioned I assumed you may be in the same borough as me!!!

Absolutely agree with your comparison of T and W - not that ds had a choice as W gave him a big fat "no"!!!!

When I saw thru' the big window on the Hampton letter that you could clearly see 'Offer for advance place' I let DS open them. He was very pleased, also offered exhibition @ Emmanuel, so his hard work which occationally required breaking off early from the playstation was worth it...
Well done everyone - looks like we've had a good crop on here!

I was joking about the stalkerish behaviour it's a small world. I will be the tall,thin, glamourous one with the devastatingly handsome son at all the events. [arf]

"his hard work which occationally required breaking off early from the playstation"

I'm sure that was cruel and unnecessary! I can imagine the complaints.

clearly mumsnet children are exceptionally bright children.

My son received a place at Latymer Upper today (technically yesterday), but we had applied for a bursary because of my long term ill health. Son did not get that and I cannot really afford to send him there without selling my flat (we live with my parents and flat is rented out). Son says it is THE school he wants to go to, am awaiting St Benedicts', John Lyon, Tiffin's and QE Barnet results. Son & I feel quite down, he passed exams for the school he wants to go to, but may not be able to go there! Latymer say 18 children applied for bursaries with only 9 available. I will be utterley penniless if I send him there, but he is only child. Am still awake thinking of way around this, will try to see head next week, doubt if much will come of it though. What a mess. Any mums able to guide a confused dad (and heartbroken child).

LOL SoupDragon. Surely I will be the tall, thin, glamorous one with the devastatingly handsome son.

Actually I will be the perpetually late, totally harassed looking one with the lazy child!!!

Agreed. Latymer is a lovely school but I dont think there is so much difference in the schools that it is worth stretching too far financially.

If you can get a chance to see the Head, do go. It may be that not all those offered bursaries will choose the school as they may have other similar offers. And if you get the Tiffin place do consider it seriously. In the longer term less pressure on you will be less pressure on your son.

If you already have health issues you really dont want excessive stress over 7 years and then University.

Your son is a lucky boy to have a dad who wants to put him first in this way.

DadonMN . At 11 I had my heart set on one particular school (it had an indoor pool and they played lacrosse) but didn't get the required scholarship so went to the cheaper one. It was fine and I really did get over it. I'm sure your ds will be fine too, however it turns out.

Make a mental note of what the positives are of the other schools over his favoured one. Be prepared to sell your favoured offered school to him as being the better choice and a great result.

DS1 wanted one school, I knew the other would actually be a better all round school for him. I put forward my arguments, explained why and did point out that, at the end of the day, it would be my decision to choose the best school for him. he came round to my way of thinking and is delighted with the results of the offer letters (although heaven knows what I would have done had the offers been the other way round!)

Caoimhe, we can both be slightly dishevelled tall and glamorous together

However, DS1 already has several marriage proposals on the table (along with a few mothers who wish to marry their daughters off to him) and £4k of orthotropic treatment will ensure he is kissable in his teens when everyone else has braces Although I admit that may not be a good thing...

Yay! Away until today but just found out DS got place at his KGS. Dying to know what happened to Mrshighandmighty and the other early posters....are you out there?

LOL SoupDragon - so your ds will be the one with the beautiful teeth and the tribe of groupies following him wherever he goes? My ds will be the one hiding during rugby matches!!

Congratulations stillfeel18inside!! [smile)

I hope Mrshighandmighty and others have also had good news.

anyone know what % scholarships are available at hampton?

Well done stillfeel18inside. I'm just about to ring KGS and turn the place down (ds going to CofL Boys) I feel really guilty about this and keep putting it off, we wanted the YES letter so much, it now seems very wierd to be saying NO.

well done to your ds stokeytiger - CofL Boys is meant to be fantastic and I seem to remember it's easier for you to get to? I know what you mean about turning things down - just been composing two nicely-worded letters for offers we're not taking (think we overdid the applications in retrospect!) but since I have a slightly less academic DS2 coming up behind (yr 4 at the moment) I want to leave that door nice and open with these two schools!

SF18inside - that is exactly what we did after DS1 !!!!!

DadonMN - Good luck with whatever you decide.

So sorry Dinosaur.