apply for Kingsdale School recommendations

[Olgamal]

Hi everyone

We considering to put Kingsdale School as our first choice for year 7 2022 and just wondering if someone could share opinion with me. I notice that they have scholarship programs for Music and Maths, also heard that they have Art scholarship but cant find any information on their website. Also do you need specific tutor to prepare for exam in this school or its take kids purely by lottery? Anything else I need to be aware off? Any advises will be much appreciated.

[Gubodge]

My two kids (very different personalities) have both done well and been happy at Kingsdale.

Their art department is particularly good but the art scholarships are dealt with slightly differently from the maths/sport/music ones. They?re not used for admission and can be applied for in year 7. And admissions (including most of those who get offered scholarships) are just by lottery so I really wouldn?t bother with tutoring.

[redjam]

There's some info about the music scholarship on this thread: https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/forum/read.php?29,2207044,2209144#msg-2209144

Both the Maths and Music scholarships are excellent if your kid is lucky enough to get one, but as Gubodge says they make very little difference to the admission process (I think you have a slightly higher chance if you get a music scholarship as it effectively means you get two draws in the lottery, but there's no guarantee you'll get a place even if your child is awarded a full scholarship, mad as that sounds). The general admission exam they do is for banding purposes only so again there's no advantage in being in one of the higher academic bands as I believe they take the same number of kids from each band.

It is - for good or ill - a genuinely random admissions system.

[theratprincess]

It's worth reading the Kingsdale admissions policy and scholarship appendices, which are on the admissions page of the school website. It is a little complicated!

My understanding is that only the sports and music scholarships give the possibility of a place at the school. Kingsdale offer music or sports scholarships to 15% of their intake, which works out at about 60 children currently. Applicants are tested, scored and ranked according to their scores. Those with scores of a certain amount are offered full or half scholarships. The school then offers places to scholars ranked in the top 15% figure and hold an oversubscription waiting list for the rest, which they work their way down as higher ranked offer holders drop out.

The rest of the available places are offered via a banded lottery. The banding test is a non-verbal reasoning test and the school say it is used so they get pupils with a range of abilities.

Scholars may get a place either through the scholarship list or through the lottery.

The maths and art scholarships are applied after a place has already been offered and are not a means of getting a place at the school. Last year, I found details about them on the maths and art department websites and they were also given out on the school tours.

For the music aptitude test, which is used alongside an audition to assess music scholarship applicants - one of the local music schools offers material to download and practice.

[hammerman]

theratprincess Wrote:

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

> It's worth reading the Kingsdale admissions policy

> and scholarship appendices, which are on the

> admissions page of the school website. It is a

> little complicated!

>

> My understanding is that only the sports and music

> scholarships give the possibility of a place at

> the school. Kingsdale offer music or sports

> scholarships to 15% of their intake, which works

> out at about 60 children currently. Applicants are

> tested, scored and ranked according to their

> scores. Those with scores of a certain amount are

> offered full or half scholarships. The school then

> offers places to scholars ranked in the top 15%

> figure and hold an oversubscription waiting list

> for the rest, which they work their way down as

> higher ranked offer holders drop out.

>

> The rest of the available places are offered via a

> banded lottery. The banding test is a non-verbal

> reasoning test and the school say it is used so

> they get pupils with a range of abilities.

>

> Scholars may get a place either through the

> scholarship list or through the lottery.

>

> The maths and art scholarships are applied after a

> place has already been offered and are not a means

> of getting a place at the school. Last year, I

> found details about them on the maths and art

> department websites and they were also given out

> on the school tours.

>

> For the music aptitude test, which is used

> alongside an audition to assess music scholarship

> applicants - one of the local music schools offers

> material to download and practice.

Complicated! I really feel for people applying to secondary schools in the area these days.

Sports, music, maths and arts scholarships? Whatever that means.

Kingsdale has certainly changed.

[Jellybeanz]

It's only Music and Sports they have before entry - so you can only apply for say Maths scholarship AFTER successfully being offered a place.

Bizarre and very hard to get a place, as complete lottery unless your child plays 2 instruments (at least one should be at grade 5 as so competitive for places).

Not based on distance, good luck!

[BellendenBear]

Jellybeanz, that?s not true. My daughter was offered a music scholarship without having any grades and only learning one instrument. There are others with similar experience on the thread linked by redjam above. I wouldn?t want someone not to apply because they hadn?t reached a certain grade.