Waiting lists for Independents - who got a place?

Di totally agree with you keepcalmanthengiveup. But what I cannot understand is if any one get their fist choice why they don't drop off the rest of school to keep the waiting list move for other children. Am so depress and just waiting.

I can imagine the wait is hard, and definitely do sympathies but the school does have a responsibility to not to give you false hope either. Imagine if they had gave you some stats from previous years, and led you to believe you were in a better position than reality, it could have led to make an uninformed decision, and I suspect that they do not want to have a backlash from parents on that basis.

I wonder those that are lucky enough to have more than one offer - albeit obviously not your first choice, could you consider returning the lesser favoured offer of the pack, so that could get things moving that way, because if everyone is holding onto their full cards until the deadline date, it will become a gridlock, and the wait process longer.

"I do agree AnotherNewt but they must have some idea based on previous years."

Sorry, I thought I'd said that in an earlier post. They most certainly do, and this informs the number of offers they make.

But they have to deal with the actual responses they are getting this year. And often say if there is no/little chance of the waiting list moving - for example Alleyns send out 'no chance' letters as their picture emerges.

The reason they cannot tell you more is because schools do not know themselves yet.

Especially if in areas with reachable grammar schools or a highly desirable comprehensive.

I agree mandzi it's all very confusing. Although psychologically a wait list is much better in the DC mind than a no! My DD sees her 2 waitlists as a positive but she does have 2 offers as well. It's the juggling of decisions that is so difficult- I'm for example loath to accept and pay deposit for our second choice which we have offer for in case our first offer wait list comes through...and presume everyone else is doing the same so there must be quite a few people who do loose their deposits... How have others in the same position approached the whole dilemma?!

Think they're as open as they can be.

At the moment, all they could say is "We still have families yet to respond. Only when they respond, or fail to do so by deadline, will we know if we have unfilled places we can re-offer"

Or maybe "We have had enough responses that we have been able to offer N places from the waiting list, but cannot predict further movement until those families (both first offer and WL) who have not yet responded do so"

Deadline day is the likeliest time to see movement. I understand the wish to have a crystal ball, but neither you nor the school have one and it's completely dependent on speed of other parents' responses.

You also have to factor in that if a school has over offered by a largeish number e.g.14, that is more than an be absorbed in the current classes but not enough to make up a class on it's own. So that year may see a lot of WL movement as they make lots of offers to try and make the extra numbers for an extra class.
The other thing to factor in is prep schools, some years will see a lot of movement from them. Pupils there only have to give one terms notice so the school may not be aware there is a space until the first day of the summer term.

Because you just can't predict with that level of certainty.

The list might not be strictly ranked anyhow (which is why appropriate intervention by school and parents is useful).

And if they took 6 from the waiting list in three of the last five years, then being in the top 5 is a good place. But if in the other two they took only 1 or 2, then it doesn't sound so good.

Most schools do exactly what you describe, btw. It's not that often that the numbers go really pear-shaped.

But the sheer number of potential pupils is up (because the number of children in London is up) and so I'm getting a general impression that the trend for numbers getting offers from waiting lists is well down. But that is trend, not prediction for an individual school.

They don't mean to over offer. They usually know from history that 8/10 will take up their places and so they offer to the number of applicants that they think will nearly fill the school and then can offer a few from the WL to make up the balance. But its a very inexact science and it does go wrong for all kinds of reasons. I can't think of a single school that hasn't been caught in the last 10 years and has at least one bulge year except possibly SPGS, SPs has at least 2 bulge years!

All schools over offer, because they know that everyone applies to more than one.

'massive' over offering just means that fewer people turn down offers than they allow for, and then it's the school crossing it's fingers for the last few days.

How many they offer is a bit of a black art, but it's based on continual evaluation of responses to offers over the years, plus registrars sharing info on 'how many schools are you applying for?' so that between them, schools have some idea how many actual candidates are behind the applications number.

SPGS went to its waiting list last year....

I know people over the past few years who have got offers from the waiting list at Latymer, LEH, Putney, Wimbledon, Surbiton, KGS and G&L (off the top of my head - I'm sure there were other schools too). Some were actively pushing for it and some pleasantly surprised. So it definitely does happen, and I think the odds are better if you let the school know how much you want the place. But as everyone has said, it's different every year. I know what a horrible position it is - my DS1 was waitlisted for our first choice school some years back, and did get a place about two weeks after the initial offers went out as I recall.

I've just posted on LEH waitlist thread but from what I recall of last year for the girls- Godolphin did not go to waitlist, LEH had minimal waitlist, Putney, NHE, KGS and Surbiton all went to their waitlist - however- we had friends who got offers from those schools after deposits were paid elsewhere- eg after the final dates that decisions had to be made for other schools. So the question is how long are you willing to wait- are you willing to lose your deposit? If a place comes up after Easter are you willing to lose a first term in fees?

KGS went to their waitlist last year. so did Surbiton.

Thank you to all who have shared their advice and wait list stories.

Anyone with experience of wait lists at Queen's College, Queen's Gate or St James Girls' school?

Schools in SW London did not use their waiting lists much, if at all last year.

But it varies so much between years it is a case, as financial ads put it, that past performance is no indicator of the future.

Registrars should have some idea about their numbers by now, but may well not know for sure until the various deadline days. If they have identified a definite shortfall in acceptances, they usually re-offer straight away so that families can decide before other schools' deadlines.

Talking to the registrar so they remember you in a good way is helpful, as is (as pp said) stressing that you would accept immediately if offered. Also, if you are at a prep, have them press your DC's case as a desirable pupil (and find out, in a possibly more frank way than they tell enquiring parents, the view on how many they might be taking from the waiting list).

Friend's daughter got NHEHS off wait list 3 years back. Had rung and said they would accept immediately and how keen and committed to the school they were. Place came free as soon as state offers went out - they got a call on 2nd March almost first thing.

However, another friend's son didn't get any of his wait list places (LU, Hampton or Emanuel) despite constant calling right up to September and in the end they went with their state choice which they had accepted back in March (2 years ago).

There will certainly be some movement come Tuesday but as others have said it is a bit of a lottery.

Two years ago we had waitlists at Francis Holland Regent's Park and NHEHS. Got an offer in very early March from FH - about 48 hours before the response/deposit deadline for the initial round of offers, which we accepted (with the same deadline) - which was great as we did not even lose a deposit.

To FH (our favourite; much easier journey) we had expressed our willingness to accept immediately which may (or may not) have helped: When I called her, the registrar said "you saved me a call, I can offer you" - which nearly knocked me out...

A week or two earlier FH had told me they were not sure they were going to use the WL at all - the schools don't know until around the deadline.

We found both registrars helpful and seemingly interested in keeping us "warm". I expect activity to really kick off next week, good luck!

A parent I know whose child was on the waiting list for Latymer Upper rang up every few days to show her continuing interest. Her child received a place eventually, and is now doing very well a few years on. I think they are more likely to offer places to someone who is committed to accepting the place, whereas there may be those on several waiting lists who waste admin time. I think this is not the time to wait politely for someone to call you.