Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

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tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by tiffinboys »

If you live so near to Nonsuch (and your DD has done well in TGS tests), have you considered appealing for the Nonsuch, if you have put NS on your CAF? Are there some possible grounds for appeals?

Your DD has very high overall score for ic applicants. If you win the appeal, then NS may be a good option for you due to proximity from home.
Fruty
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Mar 03, 2013 11:20 pm

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by Fruty »

Hi, I am new to this forum. Can someone please explain me how the waiting list work... As my dd is just below the cut off marks that is 49.20
somum
Posts: 34
Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 6:10 pm

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by somum »

tiffinboys wrote:If you live so near to Nonsuch (and your DD has done well in TGS tests), have you considered appealing for the Nonsuch, if you have put NS on your CAF? Are there some possible grounds for appeals?

Your DD has very high overall score for ic applicants. If you win the appeal, then NS may be a good option for you due to proximity from home.

Hi Tiffin Boys - good point but my DD prefered Tiffin and Wallington. I also have another one taking the exams in September so limited time and also trying to make sure that my DD is happy with were she is going.
tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by tiffinboys »

In that case, you already have Wallington and you could get TGS from the waiting list.

But also think about the commuting..for next 7 years. What is more convenient from your area? Is it Wallington or TGS? I think TGS would take atleast an hour on a good day. How is travel to Wallington HSG? Is there a direct bus or easy transfer? Definitely, by car, WHSG is very convenient to travel to when needed and you would need that atleast a few times every term, if children are involved in sports and other extra-curricular activities.
tiffinboys
Posts: 8022
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by tiffinboys »

Fruty wrote:Hi, I am new to this forum. Can someone please explain me how the waiting list work... As my dd is just below the cut off marks that is 49.20
If you haven't got your higher preference, your DD will already be on the waiting list for TGS. When places become available, places will be offered in the rank order. Your DD is so close to the cut-off score that I am pretty hopeful that she will get a place in due course. Good luck to your DD.

I hope that those who do not wish to take up place in TGS or any other school, would decline the place as soon as possible so that the waiting list would start moving sooner.
tiffinboys
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Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:00 pm
Location: Surrey

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by tiffinboys »

One of my colleagues' DD also got into TGS.
Ela
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Sep 28, 2012 2:31 pm

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by Ela »

This is not about the admissions...As we are in, I started to study their curriculum in depth and was looking for any info from insiders. Well, I did this before a bit - read only good things (pastoral care, strong music department etc) on this forum. In other place I have found this:

londongirl5 Sun 24-Feb-13 15:08:00
I just left Tiffin Girls' School and I'm so glad I did! They only girls they allow into the school are either extremely clever, or extremely hard-working (at their tutors). This means that all the girls going to the school will get good grades at GCSE and A Level naturally. Therefore, as all girls will do well anyway, the teachers don't need to bother teaching them properly. The teachers see their only job as making sure every girl gets an A* in everything which leaves no room for creativity, or even a thing called fun, which you don't seem to hear about at Tiffin. The rules are ridiculous, the workload is unbearable, their methods of dealing with bullying are non-existent. Everybody I knew at the school with me hated it and it seems like a massive taboo that the school is, in fact, awful. Now I'm at college my eyes have been opened to the REAL world and I am happier, enjoying working, and making friends with normal people. I just wish I'd never gone to Tiffin in the first place.

Add message | Report | Message poster potatoprinter Tue 26-Feb-13 20:32:40
Londongirl5, I am sorry you had such a bad time at TGS. My daughter is in year 12 and some of your comments sound familiar.

I especially agree about the school being unable to deal with conflict and bullying; I have personal experience of an incident when the victim was blamed and the perpetrators believed. My DD reports there is a lot of cliqueness and bitchiness in Sixth Form.

My impression was that the pressure for grades comes from other girls (parents?). The teachers I spoke to didn't seem bothered if DD got an A or A*. Yes, a lot seem to be tutored. Some of the teaching is quite lazy and I think teachers at my younger child's comp try a lot harder.

I cant stop worrying! :(
Thriny_00
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 12:04 pm

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by Thriny_00 »

Ela wrote:This is not about the admissions...As we are in, I started to study their curriculum in depth and was looking for any info from insiders. Well, I did this before a bit - read only good things (pastoral care, strong music department etc) on this forum. In other place I have found this:

londongirl5 Sun 24-Feb-13 15:08:00
I just left Tiffin Girls' School and I'm so glad I did! They only girls they allow into the school are either extremely clever, or extremely hard-working (at their tutors). This means that all the girls going to the school will get good grades at GCSE and A Level naturally. Therefore, as all girls will do well anyway, the teachers don't need to bother teaching them properly. The teachers see their only job as making sure every girl gets an A* in everything which leaves no room for creativity, or even a thing called fun, which you don't seem to hear about at Tiffin. The rules are ridiculous, the workload is unbearable, their methods of dealing with bullying are non-existent. Everybody I knew at the school with me hated it and it seems like a massive taboo that the school is, in fact, awful. Now I'm at college my eyes have been opened to the REAL world and I am happier, enjoying working, and making friends with normal people. I just wish I'd never gone to Tiffin in the first place.

Add message | Report | Message poster potatoprinter Tue 26-Feb-13 20:32:40
Londongirl5, I am sorry you had such a bad time at TGS. My daughter is in year 12 and some of your comments sound familiar.

I especially agree about the school being unable to deal with conflict and bullying; I have personal experience of an incident when the victim was blamed and the perpetrators believed. My DD reports there is a lot of cliqueness and bitchiness in Sixth Form.

My impression was that the pressure for grades comes from other girls (parents?). The teachers I spoke to didn't seem bothered if DD got an A or A*. Yes, a lot seem to be tutored. Some of the teaching is quite lazy and I think teachers at my younger child's comp try a lot harder.

I cant stop worrying! :(

Thanks Ela for this message!

We are very much confused whether to send my DD to TGS or Pates. She got into Pates luckily as that was our first choice due to my DD's experience on 27th Sept 12 in TGS Stage 1 test - which really put her off to join TGS! my dd scored 63.. which we received on saturday and was trying to convince my DD to put her on the waiting list for TGS but she doesn't want to go to that school. Your message is very useful for us!
TiffinGirls
Posts: 134
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:19 pm

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by TiffinGirls »

Thrinny and Ela, I hope your concerns are genuine and not an attempt to frighten parents from accepting places. I wonder why you didn't comment on Mumsnet?

I am a TGS parent with a girl in Sixth Form. I will make the following observations:

There is bullying in every school. There are cliques in every school. Some girls are nasty in every school. There are unhappy girls in every school. Unfortunately my daughter was the victim on one occasion in TGS. The school dealt with it extremely promptly and to our satisfaction. There are some spoilt entitled "brats" at the school (as at most) and the school did its best to mitigate the problems caused by that.

I don't think TGS has the same provision for dealing with behaviour as my younger daughter's comp for example - they have counselling, a psychologist, police officers and dispute resolution processes etc. It is an everyday event there. It is a good school in the top 3% but they have a lot of bad behaviour to contain. I assume TGS is not as good at dealing with bad behaviour because it is rare and the occasions are more straightforward to deal with. I have friends with daughters at Godophin, SPGS and Latimer Upper among others and these problems occur there too.

I sometimes think the problems could be solved somewhat by having a mixed Tiffin Girls' and Boys' Sixth Form but I cannot see that happening at any time in the future.

My DD made a positive decision to stay at TGS. Generally it is a good school but it does not exist in a bubble away from the rest of society. Unfortunately all of us have to deal with difficult people at some point in our lives and while we would wish to protect our kids as long as possible, I think part of schooling is to equip them with the strategies of how to deal with them.

I am very happy to answer any questions or concerns on the forum or by PM. It is a good school. I am very sorry the poor girl who posted on Mumsnet didn't get on very well there but most girls do seem to enjoy it a lot of the time.
TiffinGirls
Posts: 134
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 3:19 pm

Re: Tiffin Girls - 2013 admissions

Post by TiffinGirls »

Having re-read the post - a couple more comments.

*The workload is relatively light in the lower school - my DD2's comp gets loads more.

* Most teaching is very good - occasionally it isn't but those teachers don't last that long. I think the teachers at DD2's comp are more creative and put in longer hours but I guess they have to, to get the results.

* The teachers (and defintely the Head, Mrs Ward) say that they want girls to do their best to fulfill their own potential. In some cases that does not mean a haul of A*s. In one subject my DD found difficult, the teacher at parents' evening told her to aim for an A instead. Some girls are predicted lower.

* Yes there is tutoring. Often it is the cleverest girls who are tutored. I am not sure if parents fear their daughters will not get the magic number of A*s for medical school or if girls are genuinely struggling - few of the latter I think.

* There is a spectrum of ability. DD thinks some girls were overtutored to get in but that is her opinion.

* A minority of girls look down on those who seem less able - I must stress they are a minority - most girls are supportive of each other.

* I dispute that individuality and creativity are discouraged - I think the opposite is true.
Last edited by TiffinGirls on Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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