My ds who started this September only got a 4a in his writing sat, and although i know he was working at above a 5b in maths, I'm sure it wasn't much higher. He certainly couldn't do the 11 plus papers we got for him to try!
Initial Assessment
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pinkhebe
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Re: Initial Assessment
It's no consolation I know, but I'm shocked at the levels you are all mentioning
My ds who started this September only got a 4a in his writing sat, and although i know he was working at above a 5b in maths, I'm sure it wasn't much higher. He certainly couldn't do the 11 plus papers we got for him to try!
My ds who started this September only got a 4a in his writing sat, and although i know he was working at above a 5b in maths, I'm sure it wasn't much higher. He certainly couldn't do the 11 plus papers we got for him to try!
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matthews301
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Re: Initial Assessment
my son bought a mock maths paper home that they did in school and he got one question wrong .. which was a strong 5(a) .. im thinking that your child would probably make the best out of the whole package ch has to offer 
and in that case thats what them places are for. im so sad he didnt get in because a 5 (a) is not higher enough really for the selective schools where i am.. 
still our local school is now offering latin gcse for all level 5 pupils and although there gcse pass rate isnt that great my son will be in the percentage that passes and ill make sure he has the latin not bad for a state school x
and in that case thats what them places are for. im so sad he didnt get in because a 5 (a) is not higher enough really for the selective schools where i am.. still our local school is now offering latin gcse for all level 5 pupils and although there gcse pass rate isnt that great my son will be in the percentage that passes and ill make sure he has the latin not bad for a state school x-
matthews301
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Re: Initial Assessment
mine is a stong level 5 (a) in maths english wrighting and reading .... i loved being a ch pupil and i hope your child grasps everything they can and im sure they willmatthews301 wrote:my son bought a mock maths paper home that they did in school and he got one question wrong .. which was a strong 5(a) .. im thinking that your child would probably make the best out of the whole package ch has to offer
i currently await the results of the first round nvr and my son sits .. nvr vr engilsh and maths on the 2nd dec ( although we dont get results till march) x
Re: Initial Assessment
I feel so sorry for those children who did not get in, the problem with visiting C.H is that you kind of fall in love with the place as soon as you walk around for the first time (well we did anyway) and therefore it must be a terrible blow when your child does not get in. As someone else stated in an earlier post at least you will not have to get used to the terrible wrench of your child leaving home at age 11 to go to boarding school! My son is very happy at CH and even I have got used to it now, however there is not a week that passes when I dont think about my decision and whether I am doing the right thing. I see my sons friends doing well at our local state comprehensive and wonder whether my son would be doing just as well if he was there and yet able to come home to be with us each evening - it's hard sometimes!
One thing I am certain of is that bright children who are keen to learn will do well wherever they go to school. I know from my own experinces with three children that at the time you believe your childs secondary school is the most important thing in the whole world and their entire future rests upon it. Actually I dont think it really is (unless their local school is very poor), as I said above bright children will succeed whatever choices you make at age 11.
One thing I am certain of is that bright children who are keen to learn will do well wherever they go to school. I know from my own experinces with three children that at the time you believe your childs secondary school is the most important thing in the whole world and their entire future rests upon it. Actually I dont think it really is (unless their local school is very poor), as I said above bright children will succeed whatever choices you make at age 11.
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matthews301
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Re: Initial Assessment
a true statmentCHDad wrote:I feel so sorry for those children who did not get in, the problem with visiting C.H is that you kind of fall in love with the place as soon as you walk around for the first time (well we did anyway) and therefore it must be a terrible blow when your child does not get in. As someone else stated in an earlier post at least you will not have to get used to the terrible wrench of your child leaving home at age 11 to go to boarding school! My son is very happy at CH and even I have got used to it now, however there is not a week that passes when I dont think about my decision and whether I am doing the right thing. I see my sons friends doing well at our local state comprehensive and wonder whether my son would be doing just as well if he was there and yet able to come home to be with us each evening - it's hard sometimes!
One thing I am certain of is that bright children who are keen to learn will do well wherever they go to school. I know from my own experinces with three children that at the time you believe your childs secondary school is the most important thing in the whole world and their entire future rests upon it. Actually I dont think it really is (unless their local school is very poor), as I said above bright children will succeed whatever choices you make at age 11.
Re: Initial Assessment
I so agree with CHdad about questioning our decisions on a regular basis! A couple of times I have been very close to driving to CH to pick my DS up and take him home!!
Maybe your children could try for the 13plus?
We always felt the first of exams were the trickiest as in our opinion it was purely passed on academic ability, where as the next stage involved so much more, music, sport, games, interview etc.
I am sorry for those of you who's children did not get in, and hope like someone said on this forum, another door will open now this one has been closed.
Maybe your children could try for the 13plus?
We always felt the first of exams were the trickiest as in our opinion it was purely passed on academic ability, where as the next stage involved so much more, music, sport, games, interview etc.
I am sorry for those of you who's children did not get in, and hope like someone said on this forum, another door will open now this one has been closed.
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matthews301
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Re: Initial Assessment
i have decided to close the door on Ch and open new doors else where .. i think its been a blow for me to realise that ch is not what it used to be ( i dont think i like change) .. gone are the days of the open grounds and not knowing who came from what social background i fear its changing to much ?MW224 wrote:I so agree with CHdad about questioning our decisions on a regular basis! A couple of times I have been very close to driving to CH to pick my DS up and take him home!!
Maybe your children could try for the 13plus?
We always felt the first of exams were the trickiest as in our opinion it was purely passed on academic ability, where as the next stage involved so much more, music, sport, games, interview etc.
I am sorry for those of you who's children did not get in, and hope like someone said on this forum, another door will open now this one has been closed.
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lippizaner
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Re: Initial Assessment
I think Mathews is right about CH changing, with the influx of full fee payers etc. Everything I've read about CH flies in the face of what they are doing now.
Another point I would like to raise is the suggestion I read elsewhere that Presentations go to children less likely to get in academically, perhaps because they have been at a low achieving school, or due to family circumstances.
Now that CH is allotting the Presentee places AFTER the initial exam, surely these poor kids will have been weeded out if they don't perform well at the first hurdle? Or are CH going by what was written on the original application forms, possibly several years ago and making allowances for children like these?
Someone said their DC was only a level 4 and got in. Was this on a presentation?
I once read (in old bumph) that for a presentation a good level 4 was sufficient, but for a competitive place a level 5 was required. Has this changed? Does this preliminary selection made this year BEFORE presentations can be applied for, now weed out the level fours?
Or does the actual exam mean nothing and are our children selected on what WE have told the school about them, and what their head teachers have said.
This puts my DS at an immediate disadvantage as he has no head teacher to sing his praises or shout his needs as he is home educated. And as the only alternative to CH at present is to continue in the isolation of HE abroad (not like HE in the UK) or let him go to a french school and get his head kicked in for being english and not interested in the same things as the other kids (namely football, football, football), I feel he has no viable alternative. Our local schools are very poor (I worked in a couple of them several years ago) as the cachement area is not good. Rural France is nothing like Rural England, I can tell you.
I am pretty certain that we are about to get weeded out due to our living abroad, so sorry if I am a little bitter. It's late, I'm tired and the wait is excruciating.
Another point I would like to raise is the suggestion I read elsewhere that Presentations go to children less likely to get in academically, perhaps because they have been at a low achieving school, or due to family circumstances.
Now that CH is allotting the Presentee places AFTER the initial exam, surely these poor kids will have been weeded out if they don't perform well at the first hurdle? Or are CH going by what was written on the original application forms, possibly several years ago and making allowances for children like these?
Someone said their DC was only a level 4 and got in. Was this on a presentation?
I once read (in old bumph) that for a presentation a good level 4 was sufficient, but for a competitive place a level 5 was required. Has this changed? Does this preliminary selection made this year BEFORE presentations can be applied for, now weed out the level fours?
Or does the actual exam mean nothing and are our children selected on what WE have told the school about them, and what their head teachers have said.
This puts my DS at an immediate disadvantage as he has no head teacher to sing his praises or shout his needs as he is home educated. And as the only alternative to CH at present is to continue in the isolation of HE abroad (not like HE in the UK) or let him go to a french school and get his head kicked in for being english and not interested in the same things as the other kids (namely football, football, football), I feel he has no viable alternative. Our local schools are very poor (I worked in a couple of them several years ago) as the cachement area is not good. Rural France is nothing like Rural England, I can tell you.
I am pretty certain that we are about to get weeded out due to our living abroad, so sorry if I am a little bitter. It's late, I'm tired and the wait is excruciating.
Re: Initial Assessment
Well you would have thought that if there was no chance of you getting a place due to residency abroad,that decision could easily have been made beforehand & they would not have let your son sit the exam! It would be a waste of everyones time, so hopefully you can continue to keep your fingers (and everything else) crossed!
Re: Initial Assessment
CHDad wrote:Well you would have thought that if there was no chance of you getting a place due to residency abroad,that decision could easily have been made beforehand & they would not have let your son sit the exam! It would be a waste of everyones time, so hopefully you can continue to keep your fingers (and everything else) crossed!
The evil cynic in me can't help thinking at this point that things have changed since your son sat the test, CHDad, and the school now charges parents £50 to register for the initial exam ... that might perhaps mean that the school is less worried about its time being wasted, £50 ought to cover a fair amount of time wasting. I keep on wondering how on earth some of the poorer families manage to come up with £50 like that! We would have found it a real problem.
On a nicer note, if HowardH or someone similar is hanging around, then isn't it possible for them to drop Lippizaner a pm with a phone number she could call tomorrow to get her son's results (if they still haven't come in the post)?? It seems so horrible for her to have to hang on over the weekend like this when everyone else has had their letters, and if she can face hearing the results over the phone that would surely not be a problem for the school.
Antinous
Re: Initial Assessment
It is late indeed and I can understand your frustrations, but I feel I want to stand up for CH a bit as to us it's still an amazing place, offering our ds an education that we would not be able to afford at any other private school. Times are changing and challenging and in order to survive, the school might not have much choice but to implement some changes that some of us may feel affects it's original ethos. We also fell in love with it the first time we visited and loved the diversity of pupils, who indeed seem to come from all walks of life. I believe nearly 1000 prospective pupils applied for the 2011/12 academic year. The reality is that only approx 80 or so got a place, so ofcourse that means there are a lot of disappointed people / children, but then surely we know in advance the chance of getting through was always a small one? I wish there were many more schools like CH, offering children a great education at a means tested basis, it seems such a fair system and offering a chance to all.
Re: Initial Assessment
Hear, Hear! I couldn't agree more.
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lippizaner
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Re: Initial Assessment
ONLY 80 or so got through? I thought there were 112 places? Who got the other places then? Paying pupils who don't have to compete for a place, merely pass? (read that on here somewhere)
As regards my DS having a chance, CH only told me in August that they preferred UK resident pupils over overseas ones, LONG after we applied, LONG after we started the run up and preparation, certainly LONG after we told our son about it and went to an open day, and also AFTER we invested in an expensive ferry ticket.
TBH we nearly didn't bother to come.
I think this is discrimination. He is being discriminated against because his parents chose to live abroad, and despite the fact that we are British to our very roots, with UK passports etc, he is not being treated in the same way as those of you living inside the UK borders.
Sad.
As regards my DS having a chance, CH only told me in August that they preferred UK resident pupils over overseas ones, LONG after we applied, LONG after we started the run up and preparation, certainly LONG after we told our son about it and went to an open day, and also AFTER we invested in an expensive ferry ticket.
TBH we nearly didn't bother to come.
I think this is discrimination. He is being discriminated against because his parents chose to live abroad, and despite the fact that we are British to our very roots, with UK passports etc, he is not being treated in the same way as those of you living inside the UK borders.
Sad.
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Mrs C.
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Re: Initial Assessment
I don`t know the policy, but I`m sure there are some non-UK residents at CH at the moment.
Fingers crossed for you .
I know what the wait is like - and we live and work at CH!!
And I feel sorry for the those who won`t be returning in January - but I`m sure your children will do you proud wherever they go.
I`m sure that Howard would tell you a bit more about the first round of assessment, but I`m sure that there would be little chance of getting to the January residentials if, for example, a child tried to distract others in the course of the exam, failed to bring the correct equipment.........
Certainly behaviour is monitored in January - staff and older pupils will be watching for signs of being able to adapt and fit in socially.
any sign of bullying - out.
any sign of rudeness - out
any sign of disobedience - out
............I`m sure you get the picture!
Fingers crossed for you .
I know what the wait is like - and we live and work at CH!!
And I feel sorry for the those who won`t be returning in January - but I`m sure your children will do you proud wherever they go.
I`m sure that Howard would tell you a bit more about the first round of assessment, but I`m sure that there would be little chance of getting to the January residentials if, for example, a child tried to distract others in the course of the exam, failed to bring the correct equipment.........
Certainly behaviour is monitored in January - staff and older pupils will be watching for signs of being able to adapt and fit in socially.
any sign of bullying - out.
any sign of rudeness - out
any sign of disobedience - out
............I`m sure you get the picture!
The best way to forget your troubles is to wear tight shoes.
Re: Initial Assessment
Ok, 112, sorry, do not know the exact figures. What I was trying to say is when a huge amount of prospective pupils apply for a smallish amount of places, then one must surely realise that it's a chance you are given, not a right and that a lot of people / children will get disappointed along the way.ONLY 80 or so got through? I thought there were 112 places?
Also, Lippizaner, am I right that you have not heard yet? So you may well still be in with a chance? But would you still want to proceed as you say the school is 'discriminating'. I again just want to stick up for our school, it's beyond me how it can be called 'discriminating'. It's a wonderful place, giving children from all backgrounds a great education.I can understand you are cross and disappointed but is it right to suddenly paint such a bad picture of CH?