Student story ·
School placement
Ella loved books and hated being looked at. Her parents wanted a school that would notice her anyway.
Student
Ella, 13, Surrey
Applied for
13+ boarding entry
Offers
Winchester, Wycombe Abbey
Advisor
Luca Marchetti
Ella’s parents had a shortlist built from league tables. Luca started somewhere else: with the books on her shelf and the questions she asked at dinner.
At every open day the family asked one thing: how would you notice a child who never raises her hand? The answers narrowed the list from eight schools to three.
“Luca asked about Ella, not about the schools. That changed everything.”
Ella’s mother
Short, regular practice for the pre-test, and interview rehearsal built around the books she loved.
Two offers and a scholarship interview. She chose the school whose librarian remembered her name.
The outcome
Every result from the round, including the ones that did not go to plan.
Offer, accepted
Offer
Waitlisted
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