Stircrazy, I don’t understand what your problem is with Emanuel’s ethos? Do you think they should limit their intake to those who live nearby, or to those who are part of some secret club and know to register early, before most people have started to get their heads around Secondary schools? What’s fair about that?
As someone who registered way early (even though it’s not on our doorstep but in the train line, so one of the schools DC can realistically get to), yes I was dismayed to find that numbers went from 600 to 1000 this year. But I won’t whinge about it as IMO children who registered just after the open day in September of year 5 deserve a chance just as much as my child does! I feel bad for DC’s friends whose parents listened to our prep school head and only started looking around schools in Year 5, missing the boat for Emanuel.
The 11+ process has been brutal and I still don’t know if DC has won a place anywhere (couple of rejections/waitlist, couple of long shots still to come including E). I hate the process and have been disappointed by some schools that despite professing to look at the “whole child” clearly decide just on the basis of the exam on the day. DC has had rejections by schools that our prep school recommended as “bankers” based on their CAT scores. DC seems to have panicked on the day.
Emanuel felt different, giving everyone a thorough interview, asking for extracurricular interests and achievements well before exams etc. But I may be reading too much into it and they’ll also just go by exam results, in which case >1000 children for 90 places doesn’t seem good...