11 Plus Exams Forum

Hello all,
I know this question has been asked previously, but it didn't seem to generate any answers...

I'm looking at Eltham College, as they offer sports scholarships. I couldn't afford the full fees.
However, there isn't much information on how applicants are assessed, and the level they need to achieve in order to gain a scholarship. My research suggests that applicants should play at county level - but I'm ashamed to admit that I'm not sure what this means .
My DS is very athletic and plays football, rugby and cricket - but he attends a state school and doesn't play competitively...

So, I'd appreciate it if someone could please give me some more information on this - and how I can get him to play at county level .

Different sports will have different pathways to reaching county level but basically it means being selected to represent the county. You really need to be playing competitively to get noticed.

The best idea would be to contact some local clubs and get advice.

Hello

My ds recently applied for eltham and was offered a place recently for year 7. I did not apply for the sports scholarship as the info they sent suggested they are looking for boys with a high level in rugby and cricket. Although my ds is quite sporty, I did not put him forward as he is not into rugby or cricket. My strong advice is that you apply for the sports scholarship. Coming from a state school is certainly not a bar as they do take kids from state schools. My ds attends a state school and still got in.

Thanks for your replies mitasol and lefol.
Yes, I guess there is no harm in applying for the scholarship - but just wanted to get a 'heads up', as he doesn't play competitively.
I'll look further into rugby and cricket, and see what I can find out.

I can give you a bit of info with regards to county cricket but this may vary slightly depending on region. Basically your son will need to join a club or play in the school team with a hard ball. He will then need a recommendation to undertake county trials for the U10/U11 county team. During the trials which usually last a number of weeks they will look at his fitness, stamina, catching, throwing, coordination, fielding, batting and bowling.

If your son makes it past this he will join the county squad and may be selected to play for the county.

Some counties will have regional and district teams which bridge the gap when moving from a club team to the county setup. The best players from regional teams are then invited for county trials.

Hi Malibu whereabouts in Kent are you 'cos I may be able to help on the rugby front.

Thanks HBShope.

doodles - I'm not far from Bexley/Dartford.

I don't know specifically about the level Eltham College are looking for but similar schools which offer sports scholarships ask for at least county standard (i.e. playing for the county team), if not regional - some schools need at least two sports, others will settle for one sport if your child is truly outstanding. Check which sports are eligible for sports scholarships too - at some schools, they only offer scholarships to boys who are fantastic at rugby and cricket, for others it's football, for others it's swimming or rowing.

How old is your ds? because if he hasn't been playing competitively and he's y5 or so, then I suspect he won't have a chance (sorry to be blunt) as the standard of all the other boys will be so high

The other thing to factor in is how much are the scholarships? Schools often say sports scholarships can be 'worth up to 30%' of the fees but in practice, most awards are for much less, typically 10% or so, which, while nice to have, is not going to make the difference between being able to afford the fees or not. However, if your income is below a certain threshold (some schools are more generous than others) you may be able to get a scholarship topped up with a bursary

Don't know anything about sports scholarships, but the level required to get to junior county is quite high these days. DS is a county level tennis player and he trains 5 days a week (sometimes before school, sometimes after) and plays tournaments at weekends about once or twice a month all year round. Most county level sportsman will have been playing competitively from the age of about 6 or 7 I would have thought.

Swimmers and gymnasts I know do similar, athletes train at least twice a week and compete every weekend. A regular poster called Freya has a DS who plays international rugby, it would be interesting to know how much he trains/plays now.

That said, the way to get your DS's skills assessed is to join local clubs - they will pretty quickly be able to give you an idea of his potential. What HBShope describes is also the way the football system works whereas for individual sports like tennis most of the talent spotting is done at tournaments. Good luck.

Hi, there are rugby clubs at both Dartford and Bexley and both have junior sections.

Why not go along for a trial morning and see how your DS finds it. At most clubs they will have established teams in most age groups but are keen to encourage new members as well and experience is not always necessary. The junior contact details are on both the club websites. Don't worry most rugby clubs are pretty friendly places.