Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Good luck to those going to the residential in January! I can remember the anxiety now and the wait afterwards.....nightmare!

Fingers crossed though.......xx

My daughter just did the papers that were on the CH website before the first selective exams. It seemed to me that the emphasis was on potential?

I also believe that if you do too much tutoring/practice etc etc and they end up scraping through then are they going to struggle if it's at the edge of their natural ability? I think it would be very hard to be at a place like CH and struggling to keep up with the pace in all the subjects.

My daughter cried when she was left for the assessment (the only one that we saw!) and ended sharing a room with someone who was a nightmare - she was getting out of bed and knocking on peoples doors, kept turning the lights on after lights out etc so they both ended up with a mark against them. Somehow my daughter was still offered a place! CH told me if they don't behave or withdraw socially at the residential it's a marker that they wouldn't fit in at CH?

The assessment has been postponed for the first time in decades. The snow here is deep and growing as I speak so it is hardly surprising. Very sad for the children who had got themselves keyed up to do it (including my son!) Hope not too many had plans for the first weekend of half term! I imagine some holidays will be delayed.

Argh how frustrating. I'm wondering if the school will be open for Sunday.....

Much will depend on the next few days - more snow is due on Friday night and over the weekend. I think we will be open but missing a good number of pupils.

Wasn't postponed in 81 when the snow was as deep and the exams were over 3 days. I was luckily in ColB but remember falling over heavily next to the common room on ice.

I too used to help with exams as i lived near Slindfold, I think I helped for at least 3 years in LHB under Bob Sillett when it was still a boys house and we were definitely expected to report if we felt anyone had any issues that might cause them to be unsuited. Remember in those days examinees slept in the 26 bed dorms with 2 or 3 of us pupil helpers also in there so we could both keep control and see how people reacted to such an unusual situation for most of them.

I seem to remember on my entrance exams also trooping down to the old gym to do indoor PE with Bob Hailey which i guess was also to assess "team fit"

Ian, I remember having to go down on the train as my mum didn't really fancy driving down to drop me off for the entrance exams, although she did come down to pick me up.

Not sure who did the PE, but I do remember walking the entire length of the school in the tube as we were with Tom Jeffers in Peele A - Ed took us down there, great experience for 10 year olds who didn't really know what they were letting themselves in for!!

I know it was Bob Hailey as I had him for French on the 2nd form and that cemented the memory. I didn't see the tube until we started. i do remember Len Cummings and Tim Slater from the exams though - strange how some people stick in your head.

Sending off the little slip today to book our place at this years open day for our oldest, now he is going to repeat yr6 at primary school to bring himself back to the correct age/year we can get things moving without CH entrance exams being all or nothing with the only other prospect being a distinctly dodgy local comp (see my older friends under the parents bit for the long explanation). Doesn't seem like 30 years since my mother must have done the same thing (although I don't think they did open days at least i never went to one)

my son has just sat the first round assessments ... now were just waiting for the results although im not sure how long we wait feels like for ever is any one else trying for 2012 entry

My dd started this September and I remember quite well what your family are going through now. There is another thread on here entitled initial assessment I think, and in that thread it has been said that letters should start going out week commencing the 7th Nov, so you don't have much longer to wait although I'm sure it will feel like the clocks are ticking backwards by then!

Good luck to your son.

Lots of luck to your ds, I can't believe it's a year since we went through it all!