OFF TOPIC - but Brentwood exam this coming weekend, any tips
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OFF TOPIC - but Brentwood exam this coming weekend, any tips
OFF TOPIC - But Brentwood exam this coming weekend, any tips or comments?
Thanks
Tony42
Thanks
Tony42
-
essex-mum18
- Posts: 218
- Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 12:09 am
Hi, Tony
The car park in the school filled up pretty quickly due to a lot of early arrivals. From what I can remember, the day was organized well by a lot of help from the senior students and teachers.
In the hall, your child will be standing/ waiting in the area where they are allocated by an alphabet letter before the exam takes place. I could not remember if it was according by their surnames of what. Then, someone will take them to the approx place for the exam.
When you go to pick up your child after the exam, you just go to the allocated area in the hall where your child was staying before.
PS My son really enjoyed the lunch in the school.
Good luck to your DS this weekend.
The car park in the school filled up pretty quickly due to a lot of early arrivals. From what I can remember, the day was organized well by a lot of help from the senior students and teachers.
In the hall, your child will be standing/ waiting in the area where they are allocated by an alphabet letter before the exam takes place. I could not remember if it was according by their surnames of what. Then, someone will take them to the approx place for the exam.
When you go to pick up your child after the exam, you just go to the allocated area in the hall where your child was staying before.
PS My son really enjoyed the lunch in the school.
Good luck to your DS this weekend.
The logistics of the day are not really a problem, we have had a letter and he has been allocated a card which says what group he is in.
We will get there fairly early given your comments, thanks.
I was really looking for some comment on the exam itself. The standard, how it might differ from the 11+. I have read some things on these pages that have been helpful, about the creative writing etc., but anything else would be helpful, so my son will know what he he going in to.
I did hear that the "type" of maths questions are different to what is taught in state primary schools and I wondered if anyone knew specifically what this means.
He has done the two practice papers that they sent, which was helpful and my son did say that there was a more complicated division question there that he had not come across at school. I think it was 75.9 / 0.081.
Thanks
T
We will get there fairly early given your comments, thanks.
I was really looking for some comment on the exam itself. The standard, how it might differ from the 11+. I have read some things on these pages that have been helpful, about the creative writing etc., but anything else would be helpful, so my son will know what he he going in to.
I did hear that the "type" of maths questions are different to what is taught in state primary schools and I wondered if anyone knew specifically what this means.
He has done the two practice papers that they sent, which was helpful and my son did say that there was a more complicated division question there that he had not come across at school. I think it was 75.9 / 0.081.
Thanks
T
Brentwood exam over
Spoke to my boy on the way back from Brentwood and he found the exam much much easier than the 11+.
Maths he thinks he might've got 100% (bar silly mistakes), English he said he did really well and the VR in particular was much easier than 11+.
No time issues, finished 20 minutes early for maths (surely not!).
So, fingers crossed but it does look at though I'm a 24" iMac out of pocket - which is just fine!
KEGS and the 11+ trauma is a distant memory now; the next step is to see if he gets an academic scholarship interview at Brenwood and then the offers or not.
If he gets offers from both we have some soul searching to do, I most certainly have not ruled KEGS out. If he gets an offer, we'll have a family discussion about it but my views have definitely been influenced by the very many positive comments about KEGS on these forums, but we all love the Brentwood package.
Again, thanks to everyone and I hope my ramblings help people looking at all this next year.
T
Maths he thinks he might've got 100% (bar silly mistakes), English he said he did really well and the VR in particular was much easier than 11+.
No time issues, finished 20 minutes early for maths (surely not!).
So, fingers crossed but it does look at though I'm a 24" iMac out of pocket - which is just fine!
KEGS and the 11+ trauma is a distant memory now; the next step is to see if he gets an academic scholarship interview at Brenwood and then the offers or not.
If he gets offers from both we have some soul searching to do, I most certainly have not ruled KEGS out. If he gets an offer, we'll have a family discussion about it but my views have definitely been influenced by the very many positive comments about KEGS on these forums, but we all love the Brentwood package.
Again, thanks to everyone and I hope my ramblings help people looking at all this next year.
T
Update on Brentwood
My son has been invited back for an academic scholarship interview.
Anyone been through this before? I am not sure what to expect or what they are looking for. They say about half those interviewed will be offered a scholarship.
I guess on one level this is brilliant news because if they are considering offering a discount on fees, they must want to offer him a place, so at least he won't end up in the comp down the road!
Anyone here actually get an academic scholarship before? Does it last for a certain time or right through school?
I guess we have a very brief time time between finding out and getting a response from KEGS. Tricky. The AS could make a difference, but we are still not settled on what school is right for him, assuming he gets an offer from KEGS that is.
As always any feedback would be most welcome!
Tony
Anyone been through this before? I am not sure what to expect or what they are looking for. They say about half those interviewed will be offered a scholarship.
I guess on one level this is brilliant news because if they are considering offering a discount on fees, they must want to offer him a place, so at least he won't end up in the comp down the road!
Anyone here actually get an academic scholarship before? Does it last for a certain time or right through school?
I guess we have a very brief time time between finding out and getting a response from KEGS. Tricky. The AS could make a difference, but we are still not settled on what school is right for him, assuming he gets an offer from KEGS that is.
As always any feedback would be most welcome!
Tony
The result
We did the interview. My son said his part went well, English and Maths; the English teacher seemed impressed that he was reading The Count of Monte Cristo - which he is (or was I think he's finished now).
My interview with the Head seemed OK, it went very quickly. I wanted to say so much about my son's interest in astronomy, Latin, judo, computers, Scouts (youngest ever Patrol Leader locally) etc. etc., but none of that came out.
The Head really seems a very nice chap, very committed and genuinely interested in the broad development of the pupils. Which is what I wanted to hear. He talked about the Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, which is exactly the sort of thing that has pushed us towards the school.
Anyway, he confirmed that they would be offering my son a place and a few days later we got a letter confirming this and a scholarship.
The scholarship will push us more towards Brentwood, not just because of the money, but also as the recognition of my son as a potentially advanced student hopefully means he'll be pushed hard academically, which he does need.
We all already like the school a great deal, but I guess we have to see if KEGS make an offer in three weeks.
I wonder if many people turn KEGS down?
Everyone I speak to say we would be mad to turn KEGS down (not because of the money, but because of the academic success - they will obviously push him hard! (if he gets an offer!!)), but part of me wants NOT to get that offer as that makes the decision for us. But in truth, we would like the option - a very good friend of mine, a KEGS old boy from 50 years ago, says he will turn up on my doorstep to try to change our minds if we look like turning KEGS down!
I must say that I probably will need to go around KEGS again (is that possible? We will only have 3 days I believe!!).
I went to the KEGS "talk", by the outgoing Head (I think he is going to Felstead, which also looks brilliant but is too far away and quite a bit dearer than Brentwood), but I got the feeling KEGS is a very small school, with poor facilities and a bus ride away to the playing fields...
Specifically, on the Open Day I remember thinking "Is this THE library??" It was tiny and the range of books available was poor...
I really don't think they sold the school well enough (maybe reputation was enough - but I felt disappointed, maybe there is much more to it).
They may be 4th in the country for A Levels, and everyone on this site speaks in volumes about the teaching and how much the pupils love it, but I was hugely under whelmed when I went round. I thought "Is that it?"
Maybe they need to improve the tour, but then again, if they are 10 times oversubscribed, maybe they don't!!
Roll on 3rd March, but at least we know we have a fantastic option, Brentwood, in the bag already!
Any comments would be VERY grateful. Sorry if you think I am talking KEGS down... I don't wish to denigrate what is clearly a great school, but as with everyone else here, it is all about what is right for my son.
Tony
My interview with the Head seemed OK, it went very quickly. I wanted to say so much about my son's interest in astronomy, Latin, judo, computers, Scouts (youngest ever Patrol Leader locally) etc. etc., but none of that came out.
The Head really seems a very nice chap, very committed and genuinely interested in the broad development of the pupils. Which is what I wanted to hear. He talked about the Combined Cadet Force and Duke of Edinburgh's Awards, which is exactly the sort of thing that has pushed us towards the school.
Anyway, he confirmed that they would be offering my son a place and a few days later we got a letter confirming this and a scholarship.
The scholarship will push us more towards Brentwood, not just because of the money, but also as the recognition of my son as a potentially advanced student hopefully means he'll be pushed hard academically, which he does need.
We all already like the school a great deal, but I guess we have to see if KEGS make an offer in three weeks.
I wonder if many people turn KEGS down?
Everyone I speak to say we would be mad to turn KEGS down (not because of the money, but because of the academic success - they will obviously push him hard! (if he gets an offer!!)), but part of me wants NOT to get that offer as that makes the decision for us. But in truth, we would like the option - a very good friend of mine, a KEGS old boy from 50 years ago, says he will turn up on my doorstep to try to change our minds if we look like turning KEGS down!
I must say that I probably will need to go around KEGS again (is that possible? We will only have 3 days I believe!!).
I went to the KEGS "talk", by the outgoing Head (I think he is going to Felstead, which also looks brilliant but is too far away and quite a bit dearer than Brentwood), but I got the feeling KEGS is a very small school, with poor facilities and a bus ride away to the playing fields...
Specifically, on the Open Day I remember thinking "Is this THE library??" It was tiny and the range of books available was poor...
I really don't think they sold the school well enough (maybe reputation was enough - but I felt disappointed, maybe there is much more to it).
They may be 4th in the country for A Levels, and everyone on this site speaks in volumes about the teaching and how much the pupils love it, but I was hugely under whelmed when I went round. I thought "Is that it?"
Maybe they need to improve the tour, but then again, if they are 10 times oversubscribed, maybe they don't!!
Roll on 3rd March, but at least we know we have a fantastic option, Brentwood, in the bag already!
Any comments would be VERY grateful. Sorry if you think I am talking KEGS down... I don't wish to denigrate what is clearly a great school, but as with everyone else here, it is all about what is right for my son.
Tony
Tony,
Congratulations to your DS.
Of course there is no answer to your potential dilemma, ultimately you only have gut instinct to go on. I would also ask your son what he thinks in all of this. I know a lot of people on this site consider 11 year olds as too young to make this sort of decision but if there is to be a wobble in the future, your then teenager will never forgive you if you can't at least pretend they played some part in the decision.
Lulu
Congratulations to your DS.
Of course there is no answer to your potential dilemma, ultimately you only have gut instinct to go on. I would also ask your son what he thinks in all of this. I know a lot of people on this site consider 11 year olds as too young to make this sort of decision but if there is to be a wobble in the future, your then teenager will never forgive you if you can't at least pretend they played some part in the decision.
Lulu