15th June 2016 1:00
By Blue Tutors
One of the UK’s top private schools has introduced a six-hour interview process to assist teachers attempting to discern the difference between gifted applicants and those who have been “over-tutored”. Wellington College asks applicants to come in for six hours, during which time they will be able to chat, relax and set aside their “tutored selves”. The college has expressed concerns that applicants behave like robots due to excessive tutoring for school admissions, and claimed that their admissions protocol enables applicants to reveal as many facets as their personalities as possible. Six hours is at least double the time that applicants to other top independent schools are expected to spend at interview.
Wellington headmaster Julian Thomas said that the best preparation families could give to their children is to eat meals together and talk as a family, go to see plays and good films and discuss them, and ensure that they encourage their children to talk and think critically about the world around them. He added that families wanting to get their children into school should ‘dump the tutor and get a life’. The school claims that the interview process allows teachers to spot intellectually curious children with academic potential, and also ensure that they are well-rounded. In addition to looking at academic potential, the school uses the opportunity to look at social dimensions, asking applicants to participate in group tasks.
The school acknowledged that the admissions process was lengthy and expensive, with a staff to candidate ratio of 1:5, and around 540 applicants interviewed each year. The school runs a total of nine admissions days, seven in the UK and two in Hong Kong for ex pat and Asian families, using at least 450 hours of staff time in preparation running and selection. Concerned parents have been reassured by the school that the best preparation is for parents just to talk to their children and discuss the world around them. The school maintains that its thorough admissions process ensures that they accept the most able students.