Returning to W London in 2014 with DD year 10.

31 replies

notforeverexpat · 12/12/2012 18:19

Hello. This is my first time on this discussion board and I am looking for candid advice. DD is currently attending an excellent school abroad and we would like to apply for Notting Hill and LEH. DD is top of class and has a musical talent. Would anyone know if these schools would consider our application? I have heard that coming from a 5 year posting abroad, DD might be placed at the very bottom of long waiting lists and, in our experience, schools do not give good information on the status of UK candidates returning from post. Would anyone have any relevant tips?

OP posts:

Original poster

notforeverexpat · 13/12/2012 13:15

Yes, we have considered year 9 as well, but it looks very unlikely from a work/life balance point of view. We are always somewhat 'outsiders' and our DD always somewhat of an 'eccentric'...at least from the viewpoint of well established families in schools! Also, I think I would be out of time for September 2013...

OP posts:

outtolunchagain · 13/12/2012 10:19

Have you considered applying for a year 9 place in 2013 and your daughter boarding for a year . Year 9 is a natural entry point and you may have more choice that way , plus music scholarships may be available.

Year 10 is a difficult entry point both socially and academically in the UK education system .

Original poster

notforeverexpat · 13/12/2012 09:06

Thank you for your answers! To Leafmould: we are looking at fairly academic schools for a hard working student. WineOhWhy, thank you for reminding us not to count to much on an occasional vacancy...this is exactly the kind of warnings we are looking for. To Easpoint: thank you for reminding us about Hammersmith, however, let me share an incident that we watched last spring during a visit. A group of boys from Latymer (all in full uniform) displayed atrocious behaviour at the Mac Donalds close to the tube station and later on, they were watching pornographic videos on the bus (we were sitting just behind them). I know they could have been from any school and we could have been in any city on the planet, but since then, I keep thinking that something must be really wrong with that school, everything about those boys was out of order: behaviour, langage, attitude, manners, I have been totally put off! My DD is looking for an environment where her academic abilities would be supported, she is also looking at being accepted for who she is -bilingual, musical, well travelled and mature, and she has no patience for the disruption that boys often cause in her class! I will look at SPGS and Godolphin, and the other schools in Ealing, but we are secular.

OP posts:

Eastpoint · 12/12/2012 20:12

Going in at year 10 is probably easier than at year 8 as fewer families would want to move their child unless they had to.

I think you'd be more likely to get a place at NHEHS than LEH as people travel from Kensington etc. I think the LEH families are less likely to move abroad, which is generally why places become available. Sometimes pupils also move to full time music schools at this age as they realise the heavy academic load would be too much with 4-6 hours practice a day. St Augustine's & St Benedict's in Ealing might also have spaces, St B's might be keen to increase the proportion of girls.

Depending on where you will live there may also be places at G&L or Latymer Upper (both Hammersmith).

I know that in the past candidates have won places at G&L and SPGS starting in year 10.

WineOhWhy · 12/12/2012 18:33

My DDs go to a similar selective independent. I think you would be relying on there being a casual vacancy. If there is such a vacancy, they would test and would allocate the place based on performance in the test/interview rather than place on waiting list. There are rarely vacancies at that stage at my DD's school.

Leafmould · 12/12/2012 18:28

They are independent schools, are they not?

Unflip

1 2

Swipe left for the next trending thread