Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
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Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
This is my first post but I’ve been reading your posts for some time. I think this is a great site and I only wish I knew about this a bit earlier. You all helped me vastly to keep my sanity during the stressful time of waiting for the March 1st outcomes. Therefore would like to say a huge thank you to every one on the site who kept things lively. The outcome for us was a very happy one because we got our first choice school.
Based on the posts on Surrey forum it is clear that Tiffin boys and girls’ schools are the most sought after grammar schools in Surrey and Kingston. However there are few other good grammars in the borough such as Wilsons, Sutton Grammar and Walllington G for boys. And the Ofsted reports for these schools suggest they are all “outstanding” schools. Therefore I’m a little puzzled by the lack of interest shown for Wilson’s and even Sutton Grammar school on this forum.
It will be really interesting to know your views on why there is not as much interest in these other schools in Sutton……..
Based on the posts on Surrey forum it is clear that Tiffin boys and girls’ schools are the most sought after grammar schools in Surrey and Kingston. However there are few other good grammars in the borough such as Wilsons, Sutton Grammar and Walllington G for boys. And the Ofsted reports for these schools suggest they are all “outstanding” schools. Therefore I’m a little puzzled by the lack of interest shown for Wilson’s and even Sutton Grammar school on this forum.
It will be really interesting to know your views on why there is not as much interest in these other schools in Sutton……..
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
I agree with you totally in your view here.NRJ wrote:You all helped me vastly to keep my sanity during the stressful time of waiting for the March 1st outcomes. Therefore would like to say a huge thank you to every one on the site who kept things lively. The outcome for us was a very happy one because we got our first choice school.
Why more people don't post about SG, Wilsons and Wallington, I do not know. But at my DC's primary school more children preferred SG to Tiffin including my son (even though Tiffin is closer).
The admissions lady from SG actually reads this forum and has been known to seek opinion and answer questions here, so the info is to be found.
Good luck to you and your child.
Last edited by 999 mum on Fri Mar 11, 2011 3:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
There has been relatively little discussion about the Sutton boys grammar schools all year compared to previous years, and as you say none at all since allocation day. Well done to your son. Hopefully the silence on the forum is because everybody got in to one of their choices 
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/ ... 30&t=18920
here is someone else who prefers SG to Tiffin
here is someone else who prefers SG to Tiffin
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
Hi All,
Yes, Wilson's, SGS and WCGS are top performing boys schools in England but for some reasons parents of DSs who got in this year are a bit silent on the forum although many parents were really vocal in Sep-Oct last year. We have accepted offer from QEB Barnet as our 1st choice, DS also passed tests for these 3 schools as well and his 2nd preference was Wilson's that offered us to put him on reserve list ,as we accepted our 1st preference, that we politely decline to make way for others. We also got letter from SGS giving detail of progress in the test.
Congratulations to all the parents whose DSs have been offered admissions in these school, it will be good if they could share information for knowledge of others.
Yes, Wilson's, SGS and WCGS are top performing boys schools in England but for some reasons parents of DSs who got in this year are a bit silent on the forum although many parents were really vocal in Sep-Oct last year. We have accepted offer from QEB Barnet as our 1st choice, DS also passed tests for these 3 schools as well and his 2nd preference was Wilson's that offered us to put him on reserve list ,as we accepted our 1st preference, that we politely decline to make way for others. We also got letter from SGS giving detail of progress in the test.
Congratulations to all the parents whose DSs have been offered admissions in these school, it will be good if they could share information for knowledge of others.
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
I am sorry, if DC is offered a place on 1st March SG does not give any information as to how they did in the tests. So I have no information to share.Kukoo wrote: it will be good if they could share information for knowledge of others.
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
This my first message to the forum having joined recently. My DS is in Y4 and we have been thinking about the grammar schs in Sutton. I was really surprised about lack of information after the March 1. I was looking forward to reading people's experiences.
Is anybody prepared to share their journey? How were their DCs prepared? What should I be doing to prepare my Ds? Any recommendations of materials will be welcomed.
Thank you all!
Is anybody prepared to share their journey? How were their DCs prepared? What should I be doing to prepare my Ds? Any recommendations of materials will be welcomed.
Thank you all!
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
Hello,
I did post on one of the threads (I think it was the Tiffin waiting list one) but that might have been missed.
Basically our son did get into Sutton Grammar. It was our top choice because we felt that the academic standards and the amazing sports facilities suited our son down to the ground. Sutton is primarily a football school and that influenced our choice because he doesn't like rugby. The reason I liked it the best was probably silly, but it was when I walked into the science labs and they smelt like proper science labs - all that Copper II Sulphate - ha ha - that I remembered from my old school.
We don't have any information about how well he did in the test. If your son failed the test, or passed but didn't get a place, then you do find out the mark and where your son is on the waiting list, but I can't tell you whether my son did exceptionally well or was the last person to be offered a place straight away.
I will admit that I didn't want to start a thread proclaiming his place because although we are incredibly happy and proud of him, I'm aware that other people didn't get their first choices or were on the waiting list ... and I guess I didn't want people to think I was bragging.
If you want to ask me anything, I'll be happy to help, but off the top of my head ...
We did have a tutor for him. It was one of his teachers from school - but it wasn't for long (Jan-June 2010) and it wasn't nearly as intensive as the tutors some of his friends had. Over the summer, I went through papers with him and comprehensions. I carried on in September instead of re-hiring the tutor because he said he preferred me!
I'm not totally convinced how much difference the tutor made. The two extremely well-regarded tutors around here may have got some of their pupils into grammar schools but they had an equal amount of children that didn't. Tutoring doesn't guarantee a place, just as not tutoring doesn't guarantee that they won't get in.
Incidentally, our son didn't do that well on the Sutton mock test, failed to get the pass mark for Wallington, and missed Tiffin by a wide margin. The Sutton test suited him because it doesn't have a non-verbal reasoning paper. The essay he had to write was largely non-fiction and involved the use of persuasive arguments - which is something he's very good at. Other kids that I know passed the Wallington test but put Sutton as their top choice, did not get offered a place - so it isn;t a case that the Sutton test was easier ... it's just different. We didn't take Wilson's because it is just that little bit further away (we live in LB Merton) but we thought the school was amazing.
Hope that helps a bit.
I did post on one of the threads (I think it was the Tiffin waiting list one) but that might have been missed.
Basically our son did get into Sutton Grammar. It was our top choice because we felt that the academic standards and the amazing sports facilities suited our son down to the ground. Sutton is primarily a football school and that influenced our choice because he doesn't like rugby. The reason I liked it the best was probably silly, but it was when I walked into the science labs and they smelt like proper science labs - all that Copper II Sulphate - ha ha - that I remembered from my old school.
We don't have any information about how well he did in the test. If your son failed the test, or passed but didn't get a place, then you do find out the mark and where your son is on the waiting list, but I can't tell you whether my son did exceptionally well or was the last person to be offered a place straight away.
I will admit that I didn't want to start a thread proclaiming his place because although we are incredibly happy and proud of him, I'm aware that other people didn't get their first choices or were on the waiting list ... and I guess I didn't want people to think I was bragging.
If you want to ask me anything, I'll be happy to help, but off the top of my head ...
We did have a tutor for him. It was one of his teachers from school - but it wasn't for long (Jan-June 2010) and it wasn't nearly as intensive as the tutors some of his friends had. Over the summer, I went through papers with him and comprehensions. I carried on in September instead of re-hiring the tutor because he said he preferred me!
I'm not totally convinced how much difference the tutor made. The two extremely well-regarded tutors around here may have got some of their pupils into grammar schools but they had an equal amount of children that didn't. Tutoring doesn't guarantee a place, just as not tutoring doesn't guarantee that they won't get in.
Incidentally, our son didn't do that well on the Sutton mock test, failed to get the pass mark for Wallington, and missed Tiffin by a wide margin. The Sutton test suited him because it doesn't have a non-verbal reasoning paper. The essay he had to write was largely non-fiction and involved the use of persuasive arguments - which is something he's very good at. Other kids that I know passed the Wallington test but put Sutton as their top choice, did not get offered a place - so it isn;t a case that the Sutton test was easier ... it's just different. We didn't take Wilson's because it is just that little bit further away (we live in LB Merton) but we thought the school was amazing.
Hope that helps a bit.
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
The lack of discussion about SG, Wallington, Wilsons perhaps because boys have better chance to get one of them rather than the very long odds for Tiffin - less hysteria, easier to understand what the exams actually require?
For what it's worth my son sat the Wilsons exams. We also loved the football (vs Rugby Rugby Rugby) at Tiffin and old-fashioned ethos - certainly felt more like the (brand new) comprehensive I went to in the 70s than the hallowed grounds of Hampton. Boys seemed very 'normal' for want of a better word (again in contrast to the boys your Mum would love at Hampton). We live very far away (other side of Kingston) so would have had to move. This seemed a bit extreme even at the time but we were very keen on state grammar school in principle.
Didn't use an outside tutor for the exam. DS was doing Tiffin prep which covers the VR (I think it was VR). I did some comprehensions and covered some of the rest of KS2 maths syllabus with him.
DS passed the exam (392 boys out of 1200 or so are deemed to pass). This was a confidence boost, particularly as DS long writing tends to be very weak. DS score wasn't high enough to get a place though. The school did not disclose his score but a phone call on 3rd March elicited a clear enough message that we should accept the independent school place. The whole process was clear and extremely well-organised.
The exam is in September, so organisation and motivation over the holidays quite key to get a high enough score? My impression from open day and visit post exam was a lot of prep school boys applying too. I think we should have started earlier and been a little bit less relaxed (eg had 'home school' for last two weeks of hols). Our DS - quite smart, not exceptional - went on to get academic scholarship at independent school (our third choice) having had, it seems, a blinder of a day in January.
Mumjoe
For what it's worth my son sat the Wilsons exams. We also loved the football (vs Rugby Rugby Rugby) at Tiffin and old-fashioned ethos - certainly felt more like the (brand new) comprehensive I went to in the 70s than the hallowed grounds of Hampton. Boys seemed very 'normal' for want of a better word (again in contrast to the boys your Mum would love at Hampton). We live very far away (other side of Kingston) so would have had to move. This seemed a bit extreme even at the time but we were very keen on state grammar school in principle.
Didn't use an outside tutor for the exam. DS was doing Tiffin prep which covers the VR (I think it was VR). I did some comprehensions and covered some of the rest of KS2 maths syllabus with him.
DS passed the exam (392 boys out of 1200 or so are deemed to pass). This was a confidence boost, particularly as DS long writing tends to be very weak. DS score wasn't high enough to get a place though. The school did not disclose his score but a phone call on 3rd March elicited a clear enough message that we should accept the independent school place. The whole process was clear and extremely well-organised.
The exam is in September, so organisation and motivation over the holidays quite key to get a high enough score? My impression from open day and visit post exam was a lot of prep school boys applying too. I think we should have started earlier and been a little bit less relaxed (eg had 'home school' for last two weeks of hols). Our DS - quite smart, not exceptional - went on to get academic scholarship at independent school (our third choice) having had, it seems, a blinder of a day in January.
Mumjoe
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admissionslady
- Posts: 46
- Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2010 11:07 pm
- Location: Sutton
Re: Wilson's School & SG boys - why isn't any one interested
Just a quick wave to everyone! Nice to know you're thinking of me.
You're quite right, we don't give scores to boys who get offers, so that everyone joins on the same footing. This does throw up some anomalies (subsequent entrants to the waiting list etc) but we are happy with the system overall.
You may be interested to know that the lowest standardised score achieved by a boy who received an offer on the 1st March was 336. The pass mark is 326.
Nice to know you're thinking of me.You're quite right, we don't give scores to boys who get offers, so that everyone joins on the same footing. This does throw up some anomalies (subsequent entrants to the waiting list etc) but we are happy with the system overall.
You may be interested to know that the lowest standardised score achieved by a boy who received an offer on the 1st March was 336. The pass mark is 326.
