As the Tiffin deadline looms, is there a girls SW London grammars / indies thread yet?

Do you think the scholarships for SHS (and other schools) are more likely to go to the juniors moving up? As a sort of thank you for the commitment type thing. i have heard that SHS offer a lot but i don't know of anyone who has...

Huge congratulations 1ndig0!!! Still waiting for the post...

Flume go for it!!!
I reckon if schools are going to use reasoning tests (eg WHS) then state school kids need to be doing them at home on a casual basis from earlier on. I looked at an example of a boy's day at Downsend prep and this year 4 kid was doing Reasoning in lessons..... it's on their website. no great shakes, no pressure, no cramming, just a casual inclusion in the curriculum and oh what do you know by year 6 he's well versed in it.
this is not a slight on any of that i am just saying how we can help those without this in their school day.

Well done 1ndig0 on PHS great stuff. loved that purple uniform.

DD has a place at PHS. Phew!

It’s an A4 white envelope if anyone else is waiting this morning. Good luck!

Thanks so much Indigo and Sweetnhappy.. objectively we should be feeling good about KGS, she said the interview went well, had plenty to say for herself and it was just a chat - didn't sound like any trick questions. On the other hand it's hard not to have the fear!

Well done everyone and good luck to those hoping for news today!

Congratulations to all who got their Surbiton offers today!

TheExtra I'm sure the right offer will come along, I have my fingers crossed for Kingston for you.

Kalifornia - big congrats to your DD on her offer today.

Also, GuineaPig, unless things have dramatically changed in the last 5 years, it was pretty much common knowledge when one if my DC sat KGS that a general interview equates to an offer there. Put it this way, the head told me that’s she had never known it to be otherwise, unless the child literally said nothing or did something particularly bizarre. It’s essentially a screening exercise to make sure there are no reasons why that pupil would be difficult to teach. Also they have to offer more girls places because there are more alternatives for girls at 11 plus in SW London. Most of the ones with subject interviews should at least get w/l places, if not a place. So I do think you have every reason to be confident. Certainly in my DC year, there were about ten with general interviews and all of them without exception were offered a place, plus most of those with subject interviews.

Many congratulations on the offers, great news for the coming weekend!

@PatienceVirtue please don’t feel like an outside. Our DD is at an independent (not a prep) and we are second time around and I still don’t feel there really is an inside gang. Not sure what that can do anyway. It is down to how your child does on the day. They are not going to prioritise prep or independent above state if the results are simply better for a state child. I just have focussed on ensuring my kids are ready for the exams as best I could - I helped them personally with maths (and I work full time) and I do nothing with English (as am useless). No tutors. In the end the kids have got to keep up in these schools and enjoy them so let them fall where they belong.

Phew, finally received the post (so late today!) and we have an offer from SHS. How lovely that they personalise the letter to include what she talked about in the exam and include a letter for the girl too. Well done to those with offers. Sorry EGP about your daughter but fingers crossed for KGS. I’m a firm believer in fate and things happen for a reason. This whole process has been very stressful though!

PatienceVirtue you've jsut summed me up !!
The offer is a huge relief but it doesn't change my mind about the process. it was still awful!!!
And the thought of doing it again with youngest DS leaves me cold.....

Poppy i just reread the letter and it does mention it, yes!

Thanks all and good luck for those waiting x

"Kalifornia" so pleased for you & your dd, I hope the offer letter makes reference to all the info she gave in the "All about me" part of the exam!

"GuineaPig" probably worth getting feedback from SHS but fingers crossed for KGS.

Good luck to everyone for coming 2 weeks & congrats on all SHS offers, make the most of the "open day for offers", it's a step above the normal open day and worth attending. You can directly ask a Year 7 girl questions about how they are getting on, what after school sports clubs they take part in, how do you get home afterwards etc.

Well done for your DC, Patience! It's nice to have a local buddy here.

Plenty of state school DC's in my older daughter's school, incl those who have done very well with academic scholarships. I find parents of private school kids whose children are overlooked can make the excuse that the private secondaries are avoiding the ruthlessly prepped and tutored kids in favour of state students, whereas the state parents then say the gap is too big to bridge against the private competitions. Funny, isn't it? I do think it's actually the outside tutor and the parents and the child's determination that makes the real difference, on the margin. Parents who are as well informed as possible though. That is the key. Also I am sure this is true further down the line at uni applications.

Tbh Patience, we’ll be happy with any offer. This us third time round this process for me and I see the whole thing as a lottery.

In a prep, they track CAT scores throughout the school, but there is a margin for variation term to term. I think they allow 5 marks either way, but generally, if you don’t have the scores for a certain school the head will tell you in no uncertain terms not to apply and guide your DC elsewhere. So I can only presume that anyone sitting for say, G&L from a prep st least, has CAT scores in the ballpark or they probably wouldn’t be there. And that’s hundreds of girls!

Thanks 1ndig0 for backing up what others have said. The friend also said that feedback is that the consortium exam was 'too easy' and that lots of girls have done too well on it. That wouldn't favour dd who's bright but careless. Nor did she find it particularly easy!

Do you want the consortium school?

Ahhh useless speculation is all that's left to us. But I'm very grateful for this feedback.

Patience - my DD is also at a prep and nobody has any idea as to how the new Consortium exams will pan out. One of the schools my DD has sat has interviewed all 900 candidates and I suspect the other one has interviewed similar numbers! You have no idea where you place in that 900. As I mentioned on here, one if the schools did specifically ask if my DD has got through to interviews at SPGS, but they didn’t ask about any other school in the area which is just as well because she didn’t get an interview at the other local one because she messed up on the maths in the day. Even though I have 2 DC at this school (and this youngest DD is the more academically-inclined of all of them), I wouldn’t have bothered asking our prep head to intervene to try and swing her an interview. Partly because it wouldn’t have been her first choice anyway, but mainly because they deal with such huge numbers they can’t make exceptions - can you imagine? They’d be inundated. But I do agree there’s a lot prep heads / you can do if on a w/l.

So pleased for you Kalifornia! That is great news and such a weight off.. I've been with you on this crazy process!

Yes, it is a weird one as DD had a general interview for KGS. I guess that made me think SHS would be likely, if not certain so the no was a bit of a shock.

I wish I could FF to the 15th! And I'm really not sure about doing this again in 2 years

OVienna thanks for your advice too. It can feel as if you're an outsider if you're applying from state school and there's all sorts of ways you're missing out.

Yes friend is a parent of similar aged kids and a tutor but from a very different milieu to me. She was, for example, incredulous that I couldn't call upon our head to do whatever I asked. I tried to explain that the head might be busy with other things, dealing with social services say, given that over half kids on the school come from deprived backgrounds.

PS you're from East L aren't you? We talked on this or other thread, I might have been under different username as I keep changing as I'm paranoid that admissions tutors read these threads... Scholarship interview dd has had was at the school near you that has become a bit of a magnet for Central/North London parents.

I agree with JimJim - in the event of a waitlist, gloves are OFF.

Kalifornia I've been following your bolshiness over the whole process with empathy! I do like grumpiness mixed with humour, it's the best. So pleased to hear about your offer. Does it change your views on the whole grim process?

Jimjam I think that's sensible advice. The trouble is with the new consortium test is that it feels a bit random and I've no idea whether dd did herself justice or just had an interview as a sibling. This friend was very adamant that intervention works and said that it had worked for a friend but you've no idea if the child would have got in anyway. I think I'll do as you suggest and phone bash as and when.

Patience, my DD goes to a private prep and I doubt that the head of our school would intervene in this way. In fact, I am certain he would not. The head would have nothing to gain from the perspective of the school's overall relationship with the secondary and also - if it got out that he lobbied on behalf of ONE child in the year, can you imagine how that would go down with the rest of the parents? Then what's he supposed to do next? Ring for everyone? This is not a criticism of you - I am driving myself totally mad as well, but I hope you can put your mind at easy that sidebar lobbying is not occurring the way your friend suggested. I think there is no alternative to hanging tight and waiting.

Are your friends kids a similar age or older?

Kalifornia, I’m so pleased for your DD! Well done too HeadSpinning. PatienceVirtue, I’m not an expert but my understanding is that schools will first and foremost rank the girls by their entrance exam scores. Do any of them take into account other scores such as CAT scores when not everyone has them? Certainly not round here. The report will be important in that they are looking to back up test scores but that’s all. Who knows how much selective schools unofficially take into account siblings at the school? Possibly they do. I’m guessing it will make no difference contacting them ahead of the results, but should she be waitlisted then I’d be straight on the phone with all your extra information, as that’s what the prep heads will do.

I'm so sorry to butt in on this thread when people are digesting news from a school, but I've a question. Does it help or hinder to get in touch with the schools admissions people when you're in the middle of the process?

Specifically, we'd like our daughter to follow her sister into a consortium school. She's actually more academically able than her sister but we've no idea how she did in the new test. I've heard that because the new test is less comprehensive, they're looking at references more and CAT tests. However, as dd is at a state primary she hasn't done CATs and her reference will be fairly generic.

Also when asked about other schools she didn't mention that she'd got through to the interview stage of a prestigious school and the academic scholarship stage of another. If she didn't do well on the consortium test, I'd like them to know that she's excelled elsewhere.

A friend from the private sector was all 'oh you should get your head to intervene' not understanding that it's not how it works in a state primary. She then said we should get in touch to convey fact that she's done so well in other tests but that our top choice is sister's school. She says this sort of pushiness works.

Does it? Would it do more harm than good? Are we letting her down by not doing it? Instinctively we shy away from being pushy.

[PS very sorry to hear of some disappointments coming through but glad for those who've got good news. I've found this thread very helpful even though we're not trying for same schools]