School Interview Prep

With the Autumn Term looming and interview dates on the horizon for many prep school aged children, families are increasingly asking us how best they can support their child’s preparation at home.

Over six years of 1:1 mentoring and collaboration with leading prep and senior schools to further support the senior school transition process has helped shape our thinking around how best to prepare children for what is often their first ever interview scenario. Crucially, supporting your child to flourish and showcase their authentic self on interview day relies on fostering their self-belief, building their communication skills and empowering them to own their story in discussion with adults. These are highly challenging ingredients for success for any adult, so here are our top tips for your child to guide them on their pathway to success:

Be informed: what makes this school special in your eyes? Try to go a little deeper than the facilities. What jumps out to you about the school and how do you feel your values align with the school’s?
Be you: schools are interested in you and what genuinely makes you tick so practise expressing your passions with conviction. Over-rehearsed responses where you share interests which are not your own should be avoided.
Squeeze the juice: Remember to share your views with enthusiasm at interview and develop all your responses with justified opinions, squeezing everything out of the time you have with the interviewer.

Remember the power of the pause: Lost for words? Harness the power of the pause to buy you some time and allow you to steer the conversation back to your strengths. Record yourself practising questions with family or friends – which words are you overusing? Where might you replace “umm” or “errr” with a powerful pause?
Stay in the driving seat: schools want to learn about your thinking and your perspective on key issues so remember to steer the conversation. You can direct current affairs questions to focus on areas you find most interesting – your enthusiasm will be key to a successful discussion.

Have a go at practising some possible questions: