State primary school transition to top private school

[brockwell_mummy]

Anyone done it? We have a place at an outstanding state primary but would hope to get our son into one of the top Dulwich private secondary schools and am not sure if we'll be drastically reducing his chances of getting in if we don't go for good a private option for primary. Would love to hear of people's experiences

[Mick Mac]

Yes can be done, there are various year intakes, year 5 etc for the Dulwich Private Schools. there will be an entrance exam and an "interview" type face to face meeting - I assume that this info is available on the school website

The issue will be that he will mostly be up against pupils from other private schools trying to transfer to Dulwich schools, so his schooling to that date needs to be good enough to match those other children, or have sufficient tutoring before the entrance exam.

You could ask the private schools what proportion of the children coming in at a later stage are from state schools to give you an idea. I'd have thought it might be quite low. My experience is Alleyns.

[Growlybear]

My daughter went to Dulwich Hamlet and was offered the maximum scholarship to Alleyn's and Old Palace, as well as being offered places at Aske's, Prendergast, and Newstead Wood. At least five children from my daughter's classes got places at Alleyn's, JAGS, or Dulwich College, and I knew of several more from the other two classes in her year group who were offered public school places. The standard of education at Dulwich Hamlet was certainly good enough to equip children for the public school entrance exams, and I'm sure many other schools prepare their children just as well.

[brockwell_mummy]

Thank you so much for your response. Well done to your daughter! Did you have to engage with lots of additional tutoring to do it? Was she top of her class beforehand? How is she finding Alleyns now? My son would be at Corpus Christi school in Brixton n- not sure if she had any classmates that came from there?

[Sue]

I'm wondering whether you may get more response in the Family Room Discussion section of the forum?

[malumbu]

Exactly Sue. You are inviting yourself to ridicule by numpties like me. Fortunately it is Monday so I am in good humour. Come Friday I'll be suggesting appropriate over-sized cars for blocking up the local roads in the school run.

[Pugwash]

Many of my granddaughter's friends in a state primary school applied for an were accepted at private and independent secondary schools, all of which required them to sit entrance exams.

One friend left Newstead Woods school after achieving 12 GCSEs and transferred to a state secondary school as Newstead did not offer the A levels she required for university.

[Growlybear]

brockwell_mummy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thank you so much for your response. Well done to

> your daughter! Did you have to engage with lots of

> additional tutoring to do it? Was she top of her

> class beforehand? How is she finding Alleyns now?

> My son would be at Corpus Christi school in

> Brixton n- not sure if she had any classmates that

> came from there?

We turned down the place at Alleyn's because my daughter was offered a place at Newstead Wood, where she had a superb education which I don't think could possibly have been better at any of the local public schools, and we were pleased to be able to keep her in the state sector. She had about four sessions with a private tutor before taking the entrance exams, which I don't think was particularly valuable, but took lots of practice test papers beforehand. Dulwich Hamlet also recognised that many of their children went on to public or selective schools and prepared them fairly well. My daughter had done Kumon maths for about five years, which really suited her and also helped to prepare her for the more traditional entrance exams; however, the Newstead test at the time was much harder than any of the other exams but was designed to not give an unfair advantage to children who had been tutored extensively. Because the school has a large catchment area, she was the only child who went there from her school, but that was the case with a large proportion of the girls who went there.

[malumbu]

In last night's final of University Challenge St John's (a fairly modest lot) beat Merton. I expect that all were very well educated but that St John's were at the better state schools or less well know public schools where as Merton went to more elite establishments. St John's were surprisingly bad at the bonus points, I did better than them (surely everyone knows "You'll Never Walk Alone" was from the musical Carousel), and Merton excelled at the arts and classics. But St John's did much better at the starters for ten.

UC is a great indicator of the impact of schooling on general and classical knowledge. Sadly no popular music in the final. Gender balance is usually poor and does not represent the university population.

Good review by the Telegraph.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2018/04/23/university-challenge-2018-grand-final-female-dominated-pleasingly/

[Mick Mac]

Growlybear Wrote:

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> My daughter went to Dulwich Hamlet and was offered

> the maximum scholarship to Alleyn's

For the OP's benefit (and my curiosity) I have checked and I think this is ?4k per child per year max deduction from fees.

[Townleygreen]

Mick Mac wrote: "For the OP's benefit (and my curiosity) I have checked and I think this is ?4k per child per year max deduction from fees."

But if your income is low, you can get a bursary which could be 100%

[Quia Differt]

malumbu Wrote :

(surely everyone knows "You'll Never Walk Alone" was from the musical Carousel)

....but does everyone know who the first British Team were who were purported to have sung it on the terraces ( be careful of the red herring and blind alley here ) :)

[Help-Ma-Boab]

Celtic?

Quia Differt Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> malumbu Wrote :

>

> (surely everyone knows "You'll Never Walk Alone"

> was from the musical Carousel)

>

> ....but does everyone know who the first British

> Team were who were purported to have sung it on

> the terraces ( be careful of the red herring and

> blind alley here ) :)

[Quia Differt]

Help-Ma-Boab Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Celtic?

Not my understanding but that was the red herring/blind alley as I , deliberately, mentioned " British" to encourage that view.

Celtic do the best renditions imo and if you put " Celtic v Barcelona" on You Tube and wait for the tannoy to stop midway the song and just hear the 60,000 crowd you will see why :)

No, I have sen more than a few times the surprising answer..:)

[Growlybear]

Yes that would be about right. At the time my daughter was offered the place, the maximum scholarship was for 33% off the fees. A girl in her class was offered a place at Alleyn's with a full bursary, which as Townleygreen said is awarded on the basis of low income, rather than academic ability.

Mick Mac Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Growlybear Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > My daughter went to Dulwich Hamlet and was

> offered

> > the maximum scholarship to Alleyn's

>

> For the OP's benefit (and my curiosity) I have

> checked and I think this is ?4k per child per year

> max deduction from fees.

[Earl Aelfheah]

.

[Mick Mac]

Quia Differt Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Help-Ma-Boab Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Celtic?

>

> Not my understanding but that was the red

> herring/blind alley as I , deliberately, mentioned

> " British" to encourage that view.

>

> Celtic do the best renditions imo and if you put "

> Celtic v Barcelona" on You Tube and wait for the

> tannoy to stop midway the song and just hear the

> 60,000 crowd you will see why :)

>

I was there !! :)

The best one is possibly Celtic v Liverpool Uefa Cup 2003, Jerry Marsden leading the singing on the pitch at Celtic Park.

As regards your question, I'd guess it could be Everton.

[Quia Differt]

Mick Mac Wrote:

>

> The best one is possibly Celtic v Liverpool Uefa

> Cup 2003, Jerry Marsden leading the singing on the

> pitch at Celtic Park.

> As regards your question, I'd guess it could be

> Everton.

Not Everton, Mick Mac.

Funnily enough I did not like GM's version as hismicrophone was drowning out the fans. Contrast that to C/Barcelona when the music stops after 1 minute ?

The answer is as equally unlikely as Everton :)

[Mick Mac]

Growlybear Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Yes that would be about right. At the time my

> daughter was offered the place, the maximum

> scholarship was for 33% off the fees.

>

Interesting, the ?4k would now amount to a discount of only 20% against current published senior school fees of 19,851. Presumably a factor in this is the reputation of Dulwich schools and the need to financially incentivise pupils to attend is no longer thought so necessary.

[JohnL]

Quia Differt Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Mick Mac Wrote:

>

>

> >

> > The best one is possibly Celtic v Liverpool

> Uefa

> > Cup 2003, Jerry Marsden leading the singing on

> the

> > pitch at Celtic Park.

> > As regards your question, I'd guess it could be

> > Everton.

>

> Not Everton, Mick Mac.

> Funnily enough I did not like GM's version as

> hismicrophone was drowning out the fans. Contrast

> that to C/Barcelona when the music stops after 1

> minute ?

>

> The answer is as equally unlikely as Everton :)

All of Google say Liverpool whilst it was in the charts in 1963 (it was on Panorama) -so I'll say Tranmere Rovers LOL

[malumbu]

I was at Celtic vs Forest in 84 UEFA Cup standing with 30000 in the jungle (very hostile). I don't recall 'Walk on' but "Argentina, Argentina" (for some reason they supported Argentina in the battle over the Malvinas). It all went quiet when Forest Scored. I kept very quiet.

[Quia Differt]

malumbu Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I was at Celtic vs Forest in 84 UEFA Cup standing

> with 30000 in the jungle (very hostile). I don't

> recall 'Walk on' but "Argentina, Argentina" (for

> some reason they supported Argentina in the battle

> over the Malvinas). It all went quiet when Forest

> Scored. I kept very quiet.

You lucky, lucky Man. The ONE place I wished I had visited would have been that Jungle.

You were very sensible keeping sturm. When I saw Celtic v Dundee United these 75 year ols Celts spent most of the time insulting each other in the absence of Dundee United fans.

I would loved to have been in the Jungle v Rangers...:)

ANYWAY.................From The Manchester Evening News 2007..

" ONE of the most bitter rivalries in football has taken a new twist with the claim that Liverpool fans stole their famous You'll Never Walk Alone anthem from Manchester United supporters.

Grandmother Jane Hardwick says she was left seeing red after reading a letter in a newspaper which said the song, made famous by Gerry and the Pacemakers, was first belted out on the terraces of Anfield.

Jane, a lifelong Reds' supporter from this end of the East Lancs Road, claims it was originally sung by her and thousands of fans at Old Trafford long before it became associated with Liverpool."........

[Mick Mac]

Alleyn's and Celtic forever linked by the EDF. I'm sure they will be very proud.

[malumbu]

The Liquidator is not owned by Chelski, in the late 60s many teams were using this. And Z-cars? Some good questions for University Challenge. Does anyone like me, does anyone care?

[civilservant]

probably not, malumbu

I wonder, did brockwellmummy realise, when she ventured into the Lounge, that life outside the family room can be red in tooth and claw (and presumably politics?)