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Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 9:36 pm
by mynameisbond
Hi - back to this fantastically helpful site after a short break...now time for DS to take grammar tests this year. DD very happy at Tiffin Girls so happy to answer any queries any of you have about that school. We are planning for our son to take Tiffin test in November and wondering any of you out there with boys how well they need to be doing in the general practice papers to have a realistic chance and wondering if it so different from the girls ? He is young for his year - still 9 - but is achieving around 90% on Bond NVR and same on Learning Lab VR and Daughtrey at the moment. Any words of wisdom please would be very gratefully received. We are also planning for him to sit the Wallington, Wilsons and Sutton Grammar exams so if anyone can offer any words of wisdom on those that would be equally great. Many thanks

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 4:22 pm
by la boume
Hi, i think it is absolutely the same for boys or girls. I have this info: child with the early birthday (sept to dec) should be achieving an average 90 percent, if they have later birthdays, an average score of 84 per cent is on target. That's all I can help you with, with DD already in TGS you are much more knowledgeable then me, the first timer

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 6:32 pm
by cinnamon
If anything, it should be easier for boys, based purely on the facts there are more places available and the cut-off entrance marks are consistently lower than for Tiffin Girls. The marks you quote certainly sound on track. Can you remember how your daughter's marks compared?

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Thu May 05, 2011 11:06 pm
by mynameisbond
Thank you both for your replies. My daughters marks were very similar from memory. Am finding it quite difficult to seek out other Tiffin boys parents who are happy to share thoughts/advice. Also very hard to work out percentage scores needed for Tiffin schools as raw scores are never revealed - only standardised. Has anyone ever discovered the raw scores necessary - maybe some ace mathematicians out there can work it out ?!!

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 7:50 am
by la boume
I think raw scores for Tiffins may be revealed only at appeal? There have been many attemps to understand standartisation, but as i am not a matematician, i found that rather difficult to comprehend. Do they send you one score or VR/NVR scores separately?
What I find disheartening, at Tiffins website they said that you can buy commercially published tests, but none of them is close to the real exam in difficulty. So Tiffins exam is harder. Which of the papers are more close to the real format then?

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 10:35 am
by runningmum
I have children at the girls and the boys school. The boys school provides a much better all round education than the girls school and gets the best out of the children. The girls school relies too heavily on the talent that enters, resitting of modules to raise grades and outside tutoring. The teaching at the girls school is often uninspiring and in the 6th form is often cancelled; that at the boys school seems to be better.

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 1:02 pm
by la boume
hi Runningmum, is the teaching getting worse now, when the new headmistress have come to TGS?

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 1:10 pm
by runningmum
I don't think that the new Head has changed things for the worse. I think that the school is pretty good up to GCSE but for 6th form I have been less impressed.

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 2:35 pm
by bessiebunter
Hi Runningmum, if you had another daughter would you choose Tiffin for her now, based on your experiences with the school? How does your daughter feel about her education at Tiffin?

Re: Is Tiffin realistic ?

Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 10:14 pm
by mynameisbond
Hi bessiebunter - our DD is nearing the end of Y7 in Tiffin Girls and we can honestly say we have been delighted with the school so far. The new head seems very approachable and kind. We have been very impressed with the teachers we have met so far, the extra curricular activities and also the stimulating lessons our daughter tells us about. The homework hasn't been too bad either despite what we had heard before. I think the overwhelming feeling we have had is that the pastoral care has seemed excellent and we (and our daughter) have always felt that if we needed support or advice we would know where to find it, and it would be forthcoming. We were a little concerned that before she started at the school it would be work and little else. Our worries have proved unfounded - she has had lots of fun this year and made some lovely friends. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend the schoool to anyone. Please pm me if you would like further info.