Habs' Girls today

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

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Middlesexmum
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Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:54 am

Habs' Girls today

Post by Middlesexmum »

How did everyone find it? Not sure how much we can say as I imagine there is a second day for those who were ill et..?
Daogroupie
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Location: Herts

Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by Daogroupie »

I have posted on this in the Herts forum. Probably best to say that it was hard and an unexpected format. Need to find out when the back up day is so we know when we can talk! DG
Iq7767
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Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 10:22 pm

Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by Iq7767 »

Disorganised arrangements. Was it a SATS paper or an 11+? Or did it have a severe identity crisis? Maths was expected at this level. DD sat North London last week and girls in her room today told her that they were sitting North
London tomorrow as they missed the original date due to illness. Since the new Head has come to Habs Girls, theirs seem to have been radicle changes. This new format was considered 'tutor proof' I guess. Ms O"Connor seemed to labour the point on the open days!
Daogroupie
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Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by Daogroupie »

Total nonsense! What on earth did they think was tutor proof about that format? Or are they going to change it every year so the only girls who know what the format is going to be are the Habs prep girls who have been busy rehearsing the format. Why can't they do what every other school does and put a past paper on the website so it is all fair and every applicant has access to the same information. They have really let themselves down this year. DG
pabrighton0
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Location: Herts

Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by pabrighton0 »

Maybe Habs, like other top schools, ends up having to deal with the result of over-tutored children being admitted.
They seem to have clear views on what education should look like. Well done to them for standing for what they believe in (in this as in other areas...).
kenyancowgirl
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Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by kenyancowgirl »

pabrighton0 wrote:Maybe Habs, like other top schools, ends up having to deal with the result of over-tutored children being admitted.
They seem to have clear views on what education should look like. Well done to them for standing for what they believe in (in this as in other areas...).
I'm not from this area, but it seems to me that if, as Daogroupie says, the Habs prep school girls knew about the format change but no-one else did, then this is not a reaction to coping with over-tutored children being admitted. This sounds VERY much like chequebook entry power....ie where parents who have paid for a prep place assume that their girls will automatically get in to the secondary and get very annoyed when they don't. By giving the prep girls an unfair advantage, Habs is soothing the ruffled feathers of parents. It happens in our area too - very prestigious boys school - roughly 60% of them get in from prep school - trust me, some of these boys pass the entrance exam with a much lower score than the external candidates but they get a place....!

Bottom line is, Habs did not appear to be transparent with their entrance exam yesterday. If you're not transparent, it's because you have something to hide. Nuff' said!
Middlesexmum
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Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by Middlesexmum »

Prep school girls are given priority at other schools too, however subtle it is. Habs isn't unusual in that.
scary mum
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Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by scary mum »

Habs have always prepared their lower school girls. At least certainly for the last 40 years :D
It certainly used to be the case (& I imagine it still is, otherwise they would have a huge turnover at 11), that internal applicants had to achieve a certain score and external was competitive. I'm sure someone (daogroupie?) can confirm if this is still the case.
scary mum
Daogroupie
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Location: Herts

Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by Daogroupie »

St Paul's girls school used to not publish any past papers and be very secretive about their format. They were not aware a local tutor had got hold of a past paper and had made other papers from it and was teaching his girls to the exact format. Parents of this tutor then played God and "decided" what other girls they wanted in the school and only gave his details to those who they liked so they could create their own little school made up of girls socially acceptable to them. Fortunately the school found out and all credit to them that they then put past papers on the website and a level playing field was restored. Habs girls is now the only school I know of that does not put past papers or some type of specimen paper on the website. This year they announced they were changing their format but refused to give any more details than that. I know the Heads of several other prep schools in the area have contacted them for details but no joy. Meanwhile Habs prep girls have told me the format they have been revising which was the format that came up yesterday. Is this Habs standing up for what they believe in or basically preventing other girls from being able to compete on a level playing field? It is time for Habs to do what all the other schools do and put a specimen paper on the website. I would say that the alternative would be to change the format every year and not reveal it to their internal students. But I am not going to say that because that will not happen. Parents pay for the prep school to get the "preparation" advantage. The best policy will be a bunch of past papers like the North London Consortium that preps and externals can all prepare with. Students went into North London Consortium Group Two last Friday knowing what the format would be and will go into North London Consortium Group One tomorrow with the same confidence. That does not mean they will do well as the passage could well be very challenging but at least they know that everyone. including all the preps, St Albans, City NCLS etc, has access to the same information going in. There appears to be some sort of issue with the Habs prep school. Students at the secondary school have told me that you can tell who the preps are and they are not the strongest students. I would be interested to know how many of the preps do not get a place, if any. At St Albans there are several girls each year who are not allowed to continue to the High School but I have never heard of any Habs prep girl not being given a place at the secondary school. I do not subscribe to the "over tutored" myth. Students work hard and gain a place. When they get there they either continue to work hard and do well or they lose focus and do not. This is not over tutoring but is the personal work ethic of the individual student. DG
Iq7767
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Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2013 10:22 pm

Re: Habs' Girls today

Post by Iq7767 »

The Habs prep school can't be doing a great job of preparing its Yr6 girls if they are going to tutors to get ready for their own 11+ . Daogroupie mentions that she heard from the habs prep girls yesterday, that means they too are being tutored!
My friend has 2 nieces in the senior school and she said that every year at least 10 girls are politely requested, at the end of yr5 , to look for another school as they are struggling with the pace at Habs. They then get tutored externally to stay at the exam in the school or they go elsewhere at the 11+. In addition, she said the Junior school there is nothing like a conventional Prep school. They have much shorter days than the preps and a great deal more extra cric. activities after school. Also, they are not taught by doing numerous past papers, they sit mocks in Oct of their yr6 and do one other past paper, which they are asked to mark themselves, after a teacher has put the model answers on a screen.
They are streamed in the maths and the middle and lower maths groups have never even done any of the long questions that are on the ends of Consirtium papers, only the top maths set have. They believe it is incumbent on the parents to get their girls ready, they have never done VR in school. It is hardly a breeze to get through the Juniors to the Seniors.
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