I offer tutoring for children looking to gain entrance to one of Glasgow's private schools - the most popular being Glasgow High, Glasgow Academy and Kelvinside Academy.
These schools are nearly always fully-booked. They may have a long waiting list of children who want to attend. They tend to take the most academic children, although they will also give preference to those with an older sibling or parent who attended the school.
About Transitus
'Transitus' is usually the name given to the year before secondary school, otherwise known as Primary Seven in state schools*.
Glasgow private schools have at least one associated primary school. Children who attended the primary school will usually have an automatic place at the secondary school, so many children try to get into the Transitus year.
They usually sit an entrance exam in the January before they would go into Primary Seven. They might also attend an interview.
What's in the exam?
The Transitus exam usually consists of English and Maths. The English consists of answering questions on a piece of writing - 'close reading'. They are then expected to produce a short essay.
Download a copy of Transitus close reading for practice; and Transitus maths for a summary of the maths questions they ask. You can ask the school to send you a summary of what will be in the exam.
After the exam
The schools then give school places to the children with the best results. Some schools admit the same number of boys and girls. In most academic subjects, girls do better at exams than boys; but schools try to keep a balance.
Children can also enter the school after Transitus, although there might be less places available. They will usually have to sit an entrance exam for the year they are attending. You can download a copy of the Kelvinside S3 entrance exam from January 2008 for information.
If your child has a particular learning need such as dyslexia or impaired sight or hearing, they might get a scribe for the exam.
If you are interested in Transitus, ask at the school for information, and get in touch with me for advice.
You might ask the school about how many places are actually available. I've tutored several academically able pupils who have failed to get admission; and several more who were successful. It doesn't hurt to try!
* It's called 'Transitus' because private schools love giving things Latin names.