HELP NO 11+ OFFERS

Now it's past initial acceptance deadlines, and state secondary offers day, I was just wondering if the cryptic progress was indeed still progressing.

Glad to hear it's going ok!

How's it going OP?

We were in a very similar position some years back having returned unexpectedly from abroad after Y7 state secondary allocations were made and when all London 11 - 18 private schools were full. Despite going on numerous state waiting lists, by July we had just the one offer from an undersubscribed, requires improvement secondary. We could have held on until September and would probably have got a better offer but did not feel that was fair to DS. We went down the weekly boarding route - something we had never anticipated - and DS could not have been happier.,Definitely worth a look.

Also try Feltonfleet in Cobham that has a coach and minibus service. It's a popular option for children from central London who dont get an offer. It's a feeder school to St John's Leatherhead at 13.

Another vote for Newton.

My two were there all the way up, but both cohorts added children in Year 7, all of whom settled in really well and ended up well suited at 13+.

Fantastic school - we chose secondaries based on whether they had a 'Newton ethos'.

I'd second Newton. Good track record of helping parents get children into the right school for them. Good relationships with upper schools too.

Sorry about typos.

Pre test not pre teen.

And yr 8 not yr 12.

Given each 11+ application involves an element of luck, there will always be some who get nothing. But there can be silver linings. Some children can really thrive in at the top of a prep, rather than at the bottom of a busy secondary and gain both academically and in maturity. It can also be a chance to review, perhaps investigating the possibility of SPLDs and tailor secondary school choice appropriately.

Somewhere like Newland House goes to 13 and loses most of the girls and some boys (those going to KGS for example leave at 11). They could well have space for yrs 8 & 9.

You don't need pre-teens for London day schools with very few, mainly very academic, exceptions.

You should then ask preps when you do a tour. My guess it will be a range. A few years back now but we knew girls who picked up occasional Yr 12 places at JAGS, employers changed their minds about a planned relocation so she missed 11+, and Francis Holland. And a boy who 'got nothing' for whom it may have been a blessing in disguise as he opted for a sporty boarding school at 13 rather than being towards the bottom at Emanuel, and emerged from school happy and confident. There may also be some newly arrived expat children, who again can end up with good destinations.

Prep heads should know their destination schools and have a good idea what might be possible.

Look at Newton. Yr 7 is a year where you can be fairly sure they will have places. Even when Yr 7 numbers were small they had to run at least two sets because as well as those aiming for standard 13+, they had the pretest kids taking top CE papers, and some less academic boys either planning to board at 13 or thinking about a longer commute to places like Reeds Cobham. It is a happy school and the Head is well regarded by parents and senior school heads. (One told me!)

Dulwich and Alleyns both have competitive 13+ exams.

Make sure you register early Emanuel - they close their list when they reach the maximum number of candidates they can accommodate (which is 150 for 13+). Number of places available falling, as not many pupils leave these days.

12+ would be ad hoc places, so you'd probably need to ask the schools what they do to fill them.

Poor you!!

I would really consider the idea of a boarding Prep to 13 where he could flexi board perhaps 3-4 nights a week, or search for some which have a school bus to London (I know Lambrook & Papplewick do, but they're quite selective).

^ the reason I suggest this is that boarding Preps often have spaces as fewer people nowadays want boarding and the cost that comes with it.

Your current school sounds awful. I'd look at a prep going up to 13+ to 'finish off' the 2 years to 13+. A school with a good track record of preparing the kids for their next step. God, how stressful. I really feel for you.

What secondary schools have you got on your radar?

Your prep school head should be on the phone sorting out alternative options for you.... unless you have had a complete relationship breakdown with the school... this is what you are paying for

How close are you to Christs, Greycourt,Orleans. As a late applicant you will almost certainly get Twickenham Academy but if you are very close to any of the above schools you might stand a chance from the waiting list after national offer day.

Hope you manage to find a school OP. Did I read correctly that you didn't put in a state school application?? Why on earth not?

my friend was in this position 2 years ago, she intended her ds to stay on at his 3-18 school then had a very swift change of heart, right around now.

Many schools were a bit shirty with her - they were at this stage of the process with plenty of applicants, had given offers and were waiting for acceptances/firm numbers. By Easter, they were ringing her . You might have to be patient.

Thames Christian College have a few places - received a letter this morning. We have decided to go with a state school, so didn't apply - but I really liked this look of this place.

Not a well known School, but looks very supportive and looking at their results, they seem to get the best out of the children they get.

I know that Fulham Prep has places - and they are about to open a Senior School. I thought it was a super place.

Did you talk to the Head about which schools you were going to apply to in advance and did he agree they were realistic? If so, then he should be absolutely pulling out all the stops to get your DS to the top of that waiting list and calling around looking for other options too. No head wants parents lower down the school, or prospective parents to know that they have got it this badly wrong so use that to put pressure on him.

If that doesn't work then I think your best bet is, as you say, to find him a prep for a couple of years and then apply again at 13 - I think Dulwich, Whitgift, Trinity all have 13+ entry without needing a pre-test at 11.

The problem you may find is that some of the Preps get more and more picky is the years go on and it becomes easier for them to cherry pick the kids who will go on to bolster the annual list of scholarships - imagine Newton and Dulwich Prep set the bar quite high at that point.

Thomas' is probably out as it's only their Clapham branch that runs on to 13 and it fills up with kids from the other branches wanting to stay on longer. Fulham Prep might be worth a try as I know of kids who've left there at 11 not to go on to their next schools but to other preps that are more focused on getting them ready to board - so they may get unexpected vacancies. Northcote Lodge by Wandsworth Common definitely has places from time to time and may be quite accommodating (the linked girls' school always seems to take in a few girls at 11 who haven't found spots elsewhere).

Fingers crossed the waiting list moves for you.