Kes Interview

[overanxiousmumof3]

I was hoping for some useful advice and only informing of KES borderline interview calls. I wasn't trying to provoke a debate on suitable reading material for 11 year old boys. I would have thought DOAWK too 'lowly' for KES and Lord of the Rings a bit pretentious for a ten year old and possibly a bit beyond most!! Frankly getting my DS to read anything a bit of a challenge! (Hence a borderline interview I guess)

[WindowGlass]

Just a minute! Can we not have just a little deviation, repetition or hesitation on this forum?

Back on to the topic though...

One of the reasons why we went for KES at all, was the personal attention to the individual boy during the selection process: he liked the school, but also the school liked him - not just his test results.

After a wobbly first term report - which the recent parents' evening went a long way towards clarifying matters and reassuring us - we think their selection and our choice was a good one, and therefore the boy being himself, polite (smile and maintain eye-contact), able to talk about interests (both academic and otherwise) and possibly some awareness of the wider world and the school is probably enough.

I think they're looking for boys with the potential to do well in their system - quite what that is. Having said that, KES seems to be a broad church: a variety of boys, not replicated automatons! So it's either a flexible system and/or they think they can shape the boys into it, almost all, if not all of the boys selected seem to benefit from the school.

[mike1880]

It's very easy to "overthink" these things as parents (that's just so easy to say at the moment because I'm currently at a relatively relaxed point of the child-rearing process...as long as I don't think about AS levels and our son's unerring ability to limbo-dance under whatever bar is set for him). I don't think an interview would be unduly swung one way or the other by whatever a boy happened to be reading unless perhaps it happened to be Mein Kampf.

[overanxiousmumof3]

Thanks re advice for KES. My feelings are very similar so hope he gets in.
Interview was short and DS thinks was OK. They gave him his essay and asked him if he would change anything in his first paragraph - obviously not the best of essays!!
They did ask him what his favorite books were to which he replied adventure, which is close to the truth.
Only a week to wait though.

[clearsky]

All the best to your Ds, I know how you feel, but I really don't think you have anythink to worry about if for some reason he doesn't get offered Kes, 226 is still a great score and he should hopefully get FW or if not Aston very easily. We are also waiting for the results after AP interview. My ds always wanted to go to Kes really badly.However I keep on reminding him that he has done very well and I'm really proud of him no matter what happens and either way he is very lucky to have scored well on the grammar test too so he doesn't need to feel sad if we don't get the Assisted place. The message is starting to get through as Ds told me today that the results doesn't matter anymore as he was just happy he did well to get interviewed.

All the best to everyone waiting for Kes results next week

[Natalie74]

I really know what you guys are going through. Just 1 week to go, how exciting! Good luck to you all.

[JaneM]

Thanks so much to all of you for your wise and funny replies - both equally useful. My DS also had an interview with the Head of English at KES this week. We were told almost word for word what overanxiousmum was told so clearly there is a script! DS was also asked about what he read: currently Ray Mears 'Essential Bushcraft' - not sure what that says about him! and one of the Rangers Apprentice series. Have no idea if this will impress but he does read at least, which is something that cannot be said for DS1 (currently in Yr10 at CHB and doing fine despite never going near a book - for pleasure anyway). He was also asked what he would like to do that he has never done before and asked to look through his essay (which he said was rubbish!) and make corrections where he felt they were appropriate. He found plenty I think.

For other parents - next year now I guess - my DS scored 230 in the 11+ so should make KEFW without a prob, however his handwriting and spelling are very poor and obviously these do not show up in the CEM test. On SATs results he is 2nd in his year group of 90 at Maths on Lvl6. He was asked in the interview whether he has ever been taught handwriting - he replied 'yes, in Yr 3 and 4!' so clearly this is felt to be an issue at KES. Come results day of course he may still get in, and I hope he does because he really wants to go there and also because I think they might actually have the resources to help him with the problems he does have with his written English. In addition if they admit him they are under no illusions about his problems and presumably will have some strategy in mind to deal with them. On the other hand KEFW may get quite a shock if he starts there in September, and he may flounder ...

My point is though that the two systems are very different and you could actually be extremely good at maths (or conversely at English skills) and your overall mark be good enough to get into one of the grammars but when it comes to KES (and Solihull I think, which he also sat and has not had a borderline interview for) both sections have to be decent even if neither necessarily stratospheric and old fashioned spelling and handwriting skills do count.

I am not too hopeful at this stage about the indies but I will keep my fingers crossed, like the rest of you, for next weekend's envelopes. I promise I will post to let you know what happens - even though I fear that when the time comes I won't want to tell anyone!

[clearsky]

JaneM last year I was in that position with ds who had a very bad handwriting and I was so imbarressed at the parents evening, when I saw his handwriting and the comments from the teachers throughtout the year. I had many sleepless nights worried about his handwriting as it was really bad and even the numbers and I worried that he would lose marks in the grammar test. However this year he had a very strict English teacher and she focused on his hand writting, its still not the best but such a big difference, also he still struggles writing in pen where in pencil its so much neater.

Its going to be hard on all of us when we get the results, because we know how much the ds really want Kes, its a school many boys fall for when they see for the first time.

[um]

I feel that children's handwriting has deteriorated in general - and that includes some of my own children - and although this seems counter-intuitive, I feel it is because schools and nurseries are expecting children to write at a far younger age than they used to - before the fine motor strength and development they need, is there.
This often results in them holding the pencil incorrectly (a difficult habit to ever undo) and losing confidence in their writing.
Later on (at the age of seven and eight) when handwriting really should be taught in depth at school, teachers are then too busy jumping ever-increasing hoops and changes to the curriculum, to give it the time and focus that it deserves.
I feel a good pen can work wonders too and would recommend the Lamy handwriting pens.

Getting back to KES, I have known children with awful handwriting gain places and even scholarships to KES so I don't think it precludes entry. But I would also imagine that having good handwriting will help.

[kenyancowgirl]

Surely the main reason for the deterioration in children's handwriting is the fact that there has been such huge advances in technology that more and more children do less and less writing and instead use keyboards/tablets/screens?! This coincides with a general deterioration in grammar and spelling because of the use of online spellcheckers and predictive text, taking away the need for a child to "learn" the correct spelling.

Although poor handwriting makes it harder for a teacher to read a piece of work, and some marks may be lost for presentation/grammar that is misread or not there, I suspect doing well in any test will be as important to a school (if not more so) than good handwriting. Handwriting can improve with practice...and if not, the child will surely make a good doctor!!