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Showing posts with the label Wycombe Abbey

Scores on the doors - the Sunday Times Parent Power Rankings 2022

 As we all know, there is more to a school than rankings! They don't show the rich cultural or sporting lives of a school or indeed differentiate between schools with selective and unselective intakes.   Every year, the Sunday Times produces a ranking of all the schools in the UK based on GCSE and A level performance. This year, the 29th Sunday Times Parent Power rankings have taken an average of results from 2017 - 2019 for their 2021 results (formal exams were disrupted due to the pandemic so schools used centre assessed grades in 2021) and the top ten schools are:   1: St Paul's Girls 2: King's College School, Wimbledon 3: Wycombe Abbey School  4: Magdalen College School 5: Guildford High School  6: St Paul's School  7: Westminster School  8 (joint) Brighton College - City of London School for Girls 10: Sevenoaks We've had Brandon students going on to all schools! Also enormously popular this year for our students are Eton College (11th), Radley (58th) Downe Hou

Wycombe Abbey 11+ interviews

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Based in Asia? Is your daughter trying Wycombe 11+ entry? Usually, you would be planning at trip to the UK but not this year! Here is what to expect in 2020.  1: An individual and group interview Individual interviews are a chance for your daughter to really show where her interests lie. Is she a musician? Be excited about that. A scientist? What has she been trying recently? An artist? What is she working on.  The group interview is where your daughter will be able to demonstrate her critical thinking skills. As a member of a group, she will need to join in, be active and engage with others. At Brandon, we hold regular debates because many of our students need a bit of encouragement in order to speak up.  2: An online CAT4 test Your daughter will have an online assessment which will test her on:  verbal non-verbal spatial  quantitative reasoning The test is designed to assess aptitude but familiarity with verbal and non-verbal reasoning is helpful. So how do you prepare? Easy! our onl

Visit the UK's top schools without leaving home

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I am deeply impressed by the way in which schools are responding to our new world. Switching to on-line teaching is not an easy transition (try teaching an online class of students under the age of ten if you don't believe me!) but teachers are doing an amazing job of supporting their students.  I have a deep admiration for anyone who is trying to juggle homeschooling and working from home. One new development is the introduction of 'virtual open days' which allows parents to visit the school online, hear from the Heads and have interviews with admissions people. Of course, this is no substitute for seeing a school in action but it is better than nothing! Have a look at Cheltenham Ladies' video and join their open day : For anyone interested in a modern Catholic education, Downside is also doing a virtual open day on the 15th and 16th of May. Wycombe Abbey will be running a virtual Open Day on the 6th June; all the insight with none of the jetlag!

What is a group interview and how do I prepare?

Many selective schools are now using group interviews as part of their selection process. The theory is simple: look at students in relation to each other; do they interact? Do they support each other? Do they stay with students from their own schools or countries? The group interview is a way of predicting how your year group will behave. There are a few favoured styles for group interviews: - the debate or discussion - a teacher uses an article or a few ideas in order to prompt a discussion. This is a feature of the Wycombe Abbey interview - a sports activity - students are expected to follow instructions. Downe House sees how the girls work as a team by using sport. - a science lesson - Tonbridge see how boys follow guidance, work as a team and use their intellect to engage with experiments - a treasure hunt - great fun at Benenden. and my personal favourite... baking at Downe House! As we all know from Gordon Ramsey- a team which works together in the kitchen is always a