Anyone heard from CRGS?

[ToadMum]

Re the "personal statement", I can't recall either school DS1 applied to (and got offers from) actually calling any part of the application form this, exactly and I am quite sure that DS1 declined to offer anything much other than he thought that he would like a change of venue for sixth form.

[moved]

Some of the girls from DD's school described the interviews as daunting and one was petrified by the head of sixth form.

[Minesatea]

DS says everyone is scared of the head of sixth form. At least the girls won't get " boy get a hair cut" yelled at them across the playground!

[KB]

hmmm - think this may be a bit of an exaggeration. There is someone much more scary they will come across.....
If I wasn't so discrete I could relay a few amusing tales.

Its a shame if the girls found it daunting though - I guess its the first time most of them will have done anything similar?
Guess in the long term they might look back and see it as a helpful introduction to the long trail of interviews that lie ahead.

[Amber]

What a shame they felt intimidated. You are hardly going to get the best out of children (I guess they are 15-16 year olds) by being daunting. And as it isn't meant to be an interview so much as a chat...why do that? How unpleasant- I hope your daughter finds it better, moved. Sorry you've gone a funny shade of green there, but it is late.

[moved]

I've told her that she can have her pick of schools. We've put a list of things together that CRGS may lack compared with our two local grammars: excellent flute teacher, gold DofE, competitive swimming and running.

But, CRGS is the only school to offer Spanish at A level, so she really does want to go!

[Minesatea]

Oh no, DD wants to take A level Spanish. I wasn't aware that CCHS didn't offer it.

[KB]

Please don't be put off by feeling uncomfortable in the interview.
Clearly I don't know what happened but I do know that there are very few teachers who are 'scary' and the vast majority are caring and have a great relationship with the pupils, especially in the 6th form. Even ones who are a bit scary lower down the school get on well with 6th formers.
It is possible that the girls just found the experience difficult because of the situation - location, one to one with an older male adult they don't know etc. Certainly when my DD went it was a pretty informal chat rather than the interview styles she has since experienced but she was at least familiar with the school surroundings.
However they felt in the interview please don't think that will be how they will feel once having joined the school.
I know that staff make a particular effort to make the girls feel comfortable and gently encourage them to contribute in lessons - they usually know a lot more then the noisier boys!

There have been some developments with D of E at the school recently so if DD gets in and is very keen she may still be able to do the Gold through school. It would be worth enthusiastically asking at least!

Best wishes to all the DDs going through the process right now.

[Warks mum]

We're in a completely different area but we went to an parent's evening last week at DD's grammar when the Head Teacher explained about the sixth form admissions process. He pointed out that it was illegal to make decisions based on the 'interview' but the school used it to help confirm how many places to offer.

For example, they have lots of students wanting to take maths and science subjects but relatively few doing languages. They could, therefore, offer a few more places for borderline students who showed at the interview that they were definitely doing French, German, Latin and Philosophy and Ethics, for example, as there would be extra spaces in the classes. A similar borderline student who wanted to do further maths is unlikely to gain an offer as they already expect to have filled the classes.

He also said the personal statement was irrelevant to the admissions process but gave the staff important information on the students when they started at the school. It meant the teachers would already know something about their new external students when they entered the classroom, making it easier to build a relationship with them quickly.

This made sense to me!

[ToadMum]

We're in a completely different area but we went to an parent's evening last week at DD's grammar when the Head Teacher explained about the sixth form admissions process. He pointed out that it was illegal to make decisions based on the 'interview' but the school used it to help confirm how many places to offer.

For example, they have lots of students wanting to take maths and science subjects but relatively few doing languages. They could, therefore, offer a few more places for borderline students who showed at the interview that they were definitely doing French, German, Latin and Philosophy and Ethics, for example, as there would be extra spaces in the classes. A similar borderline student who wanted to do further maths is unlikely to gain an offer as they already expect to have filled the classes.

He also said the personal statement was irrelevant to the admissions process but gave the staff important information on the students when they started at the school. It meant the teachers would already know something about their new external students when they entered the classroom, making it easier to build a relationship with them quickly.

This made sense to me!

SHSG had a question on their application form along the lines of "Do you know anyone at the school, and if so, whom?" We both found that one a bit odd, but were assured by the Head of Sixth Form that it was so that they could place friends doing the same subjects in the same classes etc. In the end, DS1 answered "Yes" to the first bit but left the second blank, I think; one of the reasons being that most of the girls he knew there were younger sisters of his friends, and their friends, so not going to be in the same classes as him anyway. (In fact, at the beginning of year 12, they get a chat along the lines of, "Don't touch the green ones - they're not ripe yet"!!).

I think the WHSG discussion was just checking subjects and confirming that they fitted. DS1 was applying for the three sciences and maths; I don't know what the general spread of subjects chosen by internal candidates is - possibly (but not necessarily) fewer choosing that combination than at the boys' schools.