City of London Girls full and withdrawing offers - anyone heard similar and advice?

I couldn't agree more with Cdstanding. We too r very put off by this. Seven years is a long time and there are occasions when parents need to work out problems with the school. Such an attitude in very beginning is worrying!

Mummy, the list will definitely move as a few parents paid a deposit to keep their options open! What I don't know is how parents can get out of places they've currently accepted if a place subsequently frees up. Personally we were irritated to have the choice taken away but have accepted another very good school and happy to let this go now. City's mismanagement has put me off the school slightly.

Do you think the list will "unlock" at all? or this is it?

Yes that's true. The head confirmed that they are finding it difficult as number of parents showing up & asking explanations!
I still think they could have managed the process better specially considering their location. I believe 2 years ago NLCS was in similar position & they added an extra class to protect their reputation

ah of course! must get a coffee and screw my head on!

It does seem even more competitive than usual this year. I wonder why?

50% of 70 is 35, so they offered around 105 which is consistent with what the Head told kbhwani. I think City must have had a much higher acceptance rate than they expected this year.

This does sound very odd! When my DD was interviewed the question came up about how many offers were made and the deputy head answered "in the region of 100". Which sounds like over offering by 30%?

Well, they told us that they made 12 more offer than places, this doesn't add up to 50% more! We are on waiting list.

We are also on the waiting list and pushed to meet the head teacher. To our surprise we were informed that City have over offered by more than 50% which makes one wonder how they have managed the process and how many parents will loose deposits?? Even if 10-15 parents loose deposits it's a lot of money for school to pocket? Has anyone heard back from them as yet?

Yes, I am - but have not heard anything yet. Has anyone?

Is anyone on the waiting list for City?

NL2016 -
what did you decide at the end? have you signed up for G&L?

They didn't advertise the G&L open mornings but if you contacted the registrar they provided dates. I'm sure they will still be able to accommodate you.

There were still doing some decider tours at G&L this week. Maybe you should try and email the registrar there?

Hi there

I am on waiting list for City (we also got caught up in the 1-hour rush...); however we have an offer for G&L, which is also closer. I didn't know G&L is holding an offer morning...has this already passed?
Thanks!

I find this very interesting because I had the opposite experience. I went to an all girls school back in the days. None of us felt that feminist power thing because we never had the chance of daily direct competition with boys. Society kept pointing at their superiority and because they remained a mystery, it was easier to believe it. It was only when I wend co-ed in my last year that I discovered how non-superior they were in every way

Going off the topic slightly, but Onesunny's point about feminism is exactly the same in my DD's school, which is one of the other high performing girls' schools in London. It's my favourite thing about all-girls education- they come out with the assumption that they can do what they want regardless of gender.

I have 2 DDs at the school one of which is in the bulge year. It is an absolutely amazing school, full of clever, confident and engaged girls. The teaching is inspiring and my favourite aspect about the school is that it helps the girls to realise that nothing is impossible, feminism is ingrained in every aspect of school life.
This is not the first year they have stopped accepting offers early. The same happened last year. In fact a friend's DD this year got an offer from CLSG, it was her favourite school and despite scholarships from other equally academic schools she accepted the same day as they knew acceptances could close early. Happy parents and happy child! The registrar at the school is a lovely and very helpful person and at no time parents are left uninformed or misinformed. Also, children come from all over London, not just east London.

I actually think it might backfire for two reasons:

a) those without any good alternative will be quick to accept the place (and not those with an offer from, I don't know, Goldolphin, NLCS, whatever)

b) those with a reasonable amount of money (which is far proportion of those going to private school) will accept quickly while they make up their mind. Once they've paid the money, they'll be less likely to relinquish it quickly as they'll feel they've bought the extra time. When we had offers for our son, once we'd decided we rejected other schools, private and state, very sharpish but if we'd stumped up some money we might have felt less obliged (which is selfish, I know). So they might end up with far later rejections and then scrambling around offering to far further down the waiting list.

I don't agree with exploding offers, but City seems to be getting far more aggro than Highgate, perhaps because it's all exploded far earlier - it's ridiculous not to be given a chance to revisit the school.

Nightswimming, schools will be aware of the equalities act and will have to offer places in accordance with criteria, though won't need to publish such criteria. I understand from someone in the field that lawyers are engaged more frequently than you might expect. However the guillotine will cause people for whom City is a clear favourite to make up their minds quickly. The Canary Wharf family perhaps. Whilst the Kensington family is still dithering.

Plenty of moneied families working in Canary Wharf and living locally to make CLGS the best logistical choice for school

The school is perfectly able to look east when deciding to whom to make its offers - no need to over offer by a large margin and then withdraw. It's bad planning has led to this point and a grab for the best candidates, nothing so strategic as looking east!