What might my daughter (age 4)/me be asked at interview?

[sj355]

SJ355,

I have a friend whose daughter is 10 months old and in a year she will have her interview to go to the nursery at HABS girls. Let's hope she can talk by then!

Ok, it is the twilight zone after all! Glad we have established that!

[fairydust2010]

"agreed mystery - I deliberately chose early schools who did not want to see the child!

I had leg-clingers who would not have said a word to a stranger - despite day nursery etc - they just took a long time to warm up! "

There are NO schools round here that don't want to see the children. They all do play assessments and some do second stage interviews.

Yes although my daughter thinks she is in High School Musical most of the time (singing, dancing, gymnastics) she has been very leg clingy at the assessments. I am really hoping she does n't just clam up at the interview and say nothing. I don't think the schools have really seen what a live wire she is. Anyway it has got us this far to date.

[Chelmsford mum]

SJ355,

I have a friend whose daughter is 10 months old and in a year she will have her interview to go to the nursery at HABS girls. Let's hope she can talk by then!

Not good old England but good old London when it comes to independent schools!

Barmy (sorry)

[fairydust2010]

agreed - but that is the way it works round here

[zee]

I knew a prep school head who, 20 years ago, would reject some applicants without interview purely because the child's name was "common" (or "chavvy" might be the equivalent now). I won't say any of the names on the black list lest I offend anyone here!

[Milla]

Good God this is incredible!!
Also, frankly, what ARE they looking for in this playground thing? My younger boy (11) is pretty much of a loner, happy with his own company, plays footie with the others, but not a mover or a shaker. He would probably have been marked out as weird at 4, yet is academically VERY bright. My older (less academic but still at a good, selective grammar) has been Mr shmooze and socialise since birth, always in the middle of things, but less, er, interested in physics and chemistry. So what makes them choose?? And if all the hot housing sort of comes to nothing, that "our" "ordinary" children elsewhere in the country get there just the same, then what's the point??
Sounds like these schools need a heavy swamping of real life. Poor parents. Poor children. Crazy. Oh, and Good Luck to FD! Rather you than me, love!

[Sue123]

Sadly, I am afraid nothing on here surprises me - though I would say that our first prep did not interview children and made no assessment at all (first xx cheques though the door were in) - "great" I thought at the time "totally agree with that approach" - and it was an awful school - very rigid, highly competitive, huge pressure to perform, mountains of homework even for 5 and 6-year olds.... The moral of the story is that, with 20/20 hindsight, I would not now be put off schools than assess very young children, even though looked at it rationally, it seems a nonsense.

[T.i.p.s.y]

I'm going to try and give these schools the benefit of the doubt.

When they are young I assume that they are looking for behavioural problems. DS2 - who has got into every school recently - would have failed as he was a biter/pusher/spitter!

Then if they are very over-subscribed they probably want to hand pick a group that will gel well together and that means understanding the parents to see what the child's true personality is like.

[sj355]

Then if they are very over-subscribed they probably want to hand pick a group that will gel well together and that means understanding the parents to see what the child's true personality is like.

[/quote]

Oh, come on!

[hermanmunster]

used to know one school who took all the "most assertive" girls at the age of 4....

goodness knows what the whole set up was like a few years later!!!