Tearing my hair out over State boarding

TA just got requires improvement from ofsted.

Please please don't tell me you didn't put down Teddington You do realise that if you didn't and everything else falls through all they will offer you is TA (if there are spaces) or RPA, the only one where there will almost certainly be spaces. It is rapidly improving, and I think it does have a Homework Club etc. but it's a shit journey, your DS won't need an after school club because he will be on the 33 and all his friends will live 5 miles away.

Turing is a separate application this year but it is popular, a fantastic leadership team, very well respected locally, all that is lacking is an announced site, but that is in the interests of commercial sensitivity on the negotiations. You might miss out on distance though, it is measured from a point just west of Twickenham Green. Although all the open meetings have finished for now, and they were well advertised, even on the back of buses and across the main street in Twickenham, hardly a low profile, they are very responsive to people's communications and questions. www.turinghouseschool.org.uk/index.php

I need to go to Specsavers! I thought you were tearing your hair out over skateboarding!
Thought you were having problems with a kickflip or something!

but you must have filled in a CAF to apply for Gordon's , did you not list any others ?

I hope you've got a local day school as a back up plan, those odds sounds very tight.

op , you may want to read this before you commit yourselves and raise questions about on-going funding at your meeting. wwyd if that aspect closed down in a couple of years or the school went independent for example?

OP if you are pursuing the Boarding route you might want to look at Holyport College the new boarding and day free school sponsored by Eton. It's not open yet so is a bit of an unknown quantity. It's in Berkshire so not too far from you.

Gordons wouldn't be able to confirm a place until March 2014 as they are bound by the admission rules of the LEA. Have you been able to read the admission criteria as it does state they only take 32 weekly/full boarders out of an average of 400 applicants.

but you can't rely on tc - rules change every year and it won't be the £13k or so (which will increase year on year) you are then committed to for 5/7 years. Did you apply for any other state schools , perhaps one you are more likely to get a place at ?

Did you name any local state schools as a back up ? Fees at Gordon's are still significant so you'd need some bursary to fund that, assuming ds got a place.

Good luck OP I hope you get a place at one of the schools your trying for.

I'm sorry to read that your son didn't make CH - but you still have Reed's and Gordon's and I think you said in a previous post that you would be applying for Richmond secondaries as a back-up? Perhaps you could ring around some boarding preps as suggested but maybe you don't need to do anything until Feb/March when the offers are out; there would still be time to find a day prep for years 7 & 8 especially if you're able to pay half fees.

Sorry to hear that your DS didn't make it through the first stage of the CH selection procedure OP, but I do hope you're not transferring your anxiety and disappointment to him - without wanting to be harsh, it sounds as though he's under enough pressure already! I've known several children who have tried for CH - in every case they were flagged up as academic high achievers by their schools and the parents had high hopes, but some just didn't make the cut. I guess CH simply can't take "every" bright and/or needy child who applies, and from what I've gathered they're offering greatly reduced levels of bursary support in these recessionary times than they were able to a few years ago.

Good luck with Reeds - but I hope that both you and your DS are realistic about your chances, and that you have prepared him not to regard the local state option as a 'failure'. With your obvious love and support, I'm sure he'll do well wherever he goes!

Did you fill an application for Richmond Secondaries. If not you have till 30/11/13 to apply to Turing House as back up

Even a local day Prep school would have longer hours and activities such as sport, clubs or Prep which can extend the day until 5.30-6.00 or beyond. However, in terms of finances can you really afford this, since I assume your ex isn't being supportive of such action and won't contribute ? A 100% bursary is very rare in any school even for the most exceptional child although one with vacancies in Year 7 may negotiate.

And do you really need it ? dd 's peers at Prep school in Year 7 & 8 are still ferried to and fro everywhere and have parental input into their homework and projects whereas those who have moved at 11 are much more independent, get themselves to and from school and could easily cope with an hour or so after school alone, watching tv or doing homework. I think your are underestimating your ds and are perhaps a little over protective which may be where your ex is (in part at least) coming from. You have left this very late to investigate and your options are limited but you seem blind to alternative suggestions. Stand back and check you aren't just doing this to be at odds with him.

Does he actually want to board? There is a lot in your posts about what you want and your "interactions" with your ex but not a lot about what your son wants?

I agree with HG post above. Pause and take stock because you seem to be almost frantically pursuing one option only.