SHHS interviews?

[CerranoGreen]

Hi - the results started being emailed out before 2pm today and I know a fair few who have made interview. None as yet have not got through to my knowledge in my friendship circle. Makes me think that the school don't want to miss any girls that might get scooped up by FHS and Channing who both interview regardless of test outcome.

[MHM]

Hi all, is that everyone's experience - all have interviews? how many have they interviewed in the past compared to offers?

[Elma]

I know of a number of very bright girls who haven’t made it to interview stage at SHHS this year. It’s a shame as this is the first year that they haven’t interviewed everybody who sits the exam. I did ask about how many would be interviewed when we attended an open day earlier in the year. They weren’t quite certain at that stage but thought it would be around the top 300 scores from the exam. They thought around 750-800 would sit but I don’t know if that’s accurate as it was a while before the exam.

[MHM]

Thanks, it's hard to unpick the Consortium numbers and likelihood of getting a place, and how they pick the top 100 or so based on a 20-25 minute interview. Do you think it is weighted to the exam score?

[miller]

My experience today was a rather short generic interview for all the girls that were there, there was no ‘group activity’, just a two minute chat with Headmistress, where she asked if they had any siblings. The next 20 girls were waiting in a room to be allocated interviewers. Whilst there is the possibility of missing good candidates by not interviewing them all, the flip side is that by interviewing them all (Channing) has the interview become a bit of a conveyor belt?

[MrsChips]

Miller was that for Channing or SHHS? I found Channing to be very impersonal and wondered what anyone was getting out of it. But from the invitation letter it doesn't sound as if SHHS is going to have much more depth.

FH Regent's Park, on the other hand, felt much warmer despite interviewing everyone.

I agree with previous post that SHHS isn't interviewing every applicant - at our school it's 2 out of 3 (and one of them is a sibling).

[miller]

Yes, Mrs Chips, was Channing. Very impersonal. The letter said a group activity, which didn’t happen, it was very rushed. My DD felt v flat after it, nothing personal about it at all. Few things I observed. The school has not been very forthcoming about the number of places available this year, they have a double prep class coming up this year, which drastically reduces their places available. Lots of parents were quite shocked to hear this.

The emphasis seemed to be finding out info about siblings, where are they, how old are they. My DD was asked this three times. A couple of parents asked the admissions lady who ran in and out very quickly, about offer date & process. She referred them to the consortium website. Unless you are clued up, you would know nothing about the whole ‘exploding offer’ system. It’s not mentioned on the consortium website.

There was lots of talk about the new exam. Who the new ‘consortium tutors’ are, how the extra work required for the exam had actually put extra stress on girls sitting for traditional Maths/English format exams. This goes against the fundamental purpose of the new exam. After the rather chaotic exam day, yesterday & an offer process which lacks integrity, we were left totally underwhelmed by the whole process. A complete contrast to DD’s experience at the other schools she sat.

[Londonmummy]

When we went to the Open Day at Channings, the head did mention that this year there would be 60 places instead of the usual 90 as they miscalculated the prep entry .. so it is true that spaces at Channings this year is less than normal.

[shootmenow]

Miller, I actually don't think Channing is being stupid when they ask questions about siblings. When DD2 did her interview, NLCS was still in the Consortium. Mrs. Elliot's question went something like this 'So I have DD2's exam marks in front of me and I can see that she has a sister at NLCS. If we offered a place, would you take it?' I kind of missed the first bit and babbled about how lovely it would be to be able to walk to school and my girls are very different and a cosy, small school would suit..... DD2 got an offer and I was walking through my front door before I clocked what she was actually asking. Prep friend of DD2 with a sibling at CLSG was asked the same question and replied ' I don't know if we'd take the offer. We'll have to wait and see.' Her DD who was, if anything, a much stronger mathematician than DD2 did not get an offer at Channing. Both ended up at NLCS.
At the time, I thought this was all a bit unfair but I can see the logic of weeding out candidates who are sitting as a back up.

[Elma]

Re SHHS I would say about half of the girls I know of who sat have interviews. I do wonder whether it does end up being those with the top scores in the exam who get places unless something goes very wrong at their interview. This might be the case whether they interview everyone who sits or just half of them. However, with Channing at the open day I do remember the head saying that there was a girl who hadn’t lived in the U.K. for long and didn’t do well in the exam. Then when they met her they sensed a ‘spark’ in her and therefore offered her a place. After my daughter’s interview there she came out saying the head mistress didn’t seem very interested in her, however there was a girl from another country in with her who the head was very interested in and asked her lots of questions about the country she was from. Noone else got asked anything much at all. The one to one interview was more in-depth though.