Brandon Learning Centre: British Education - process, preparation and practicalities

  Interview Season  If you child is going into year 6 and you are applying to UK selective schools, you will be heading into interview season! Remember these stages:  1: Create your timetable. The first step is going to be taking the ISEB Pre-test (Winchester, Eton, Westminster, St Paul's, Tonbridge) and you need to be ready for this. Try the mock tests on www.pre-quest.com. 2: Think about the different interview styles you might encounter. Will they be group interviews (Wycombe, Downe House, Wellington), individual sessions + testing (St Paul's, Eton) or even academic interviews (Westminster, Winchester). Talk to your child about what to expect. 3: AVOID memorising answers! Schools hate this... INSTEAD... start discussions with your child about their interests and try to encourage them to develop their answers.  4: Choose a book, reading it together and discuss ideas.  5: Look for experiences which will develop your child's interests: visit a museum or gallery, talk about

Here are my top five rules for interviews, none of which are earth-shattering news to most parents but all of which are worth bearing in mind! 5: Understand the format of the interview: will your child be tested (Eton, Westminster) if so, what style is the test? Is there a group interview?  4: Do you have to bring anything to the interview ? A school exercise book? An item to discuss? If so, spend some time discussing the items with your child. Flick through the work book and ask your child to select the piece of work they are proudest of. Ask them why they chose their special item. Choose your own item and compare. Have fun finding out about your child!  3: Is there a dress code? Some schools (e.g. Downe House) ask girls to bring sports kit as part of the day includes a group exercise activity. If you are unsure, call the school. Wearing school uniform is always a safe bet and may help your son or daughter to put themselves into school-mode. If you opt to buy a suit or new

The limp handshake... the avoidance of eye contact... the muttered greeting. Typically not the way you would want to start an interview? Agreed but a poor start does not necessarily mean a miserable finish. The prospective interviewee has their mind on answering tricky questions but the interview has started the second they walked through the door. We all suffer from nerves and this affects the way we behave when meeting strangers. Once we have calmed down, we are different people. Unfortunately, those first few minutes count. So does a poor beginning always result in a total failure? Not necessarily... Be aware of your behaviour under pressure. Do you quake? Do you become aggressive? Do you want to hide in a corner? For adults, once we realise our behaviours we can start to take action. For children, parents can help by observing how they react and make them aware of the effect this has on people. Having to overcome a poor start means you have to work harder to establish a bon

"How do I prepare my child for an interview?" is a common question we get at Brandon Learning Centre. In an ideal world, this question would be "How do I prepare my child for life?" The two aims are very closely linked! Children with no outside interests are children with little to say in an interview. Equally, in later life, they may not have the cultural richness which will allow them to multiple environments. We are surrounded by opportunities to expand our children’s horizons; museums, galleries and plays are all available and are not necessarily expensive. These environments not only provide stimulation but as parents and teachers, we can also use them to challenge children to develop their critical thinking skills. As a child, my parents would take us to libraries where we developed our ability to explore literature and learn about the history of our areas (the Thomas Ashe exhibition at the Dingle Library which included the dessicated remains of the last p

We talk about presenting, speaking and performing but do we ever stop to consider the other side of the equation? How about listening? Today I interviewed a 16 year old girl for a place in a UK school. I asked her questions, she responded and I listened. In return, she asked me questions and I responded. Rather than listening, she said "yes" every two minutes. Now, there are many ways to interpret this. If I want to be generous, I could say that this was a way of showing that she was listening (although it is tricky to listen if you are speaking at the same time) Alternatively, I could assume that I was being tedious and she already knew everything I was about to say (also possible) The third interpretation is that she wasn't listening, just waiting for me to stop talking so she could speak again. Irrespective of the interpretation, my impression of her was that she valued her own opinions above mine. Active listening is a skill. You hear, process and respond to comments

You are wearing a suit you aren't used to, sitting in a room you've never seen before, being asked personal questions by someone you have never seen in your life. yes indeed, it is.... the interview! How can you make the process less painful? Start with adjusting your worldview. Interviewers aren't trying to weed out the people who don't make the grade; they are trying to find the candidates who excel. School interviews are the beginning of the fun. Having been told by parents that you shouldn't talk about yourself all the time, you find yourself being told to do just that! How can parents help their child adapt? One way is to help them to identify their strengths both inside and outside school. Talk to them about what makes them special, University interviews can be a moment of sheer panic. Calm down. Re-read your personal statement or application essays and remind yourself of why the University has chosen to see you (because you sparkle!) I have interviewed candid