As the Tiffin results day looms, a second 2019 SW London grammars and indies thread

They are both great schools Bool - either way, you can’t go wrong.

I applied to KGS six years ago for DS and really liked it, though we didn’t end up taking the place as we live nowhere near Kingston really. It seems to become more popular year on year.

I have my KGS forms filled out. Deadline is Wed for KGS so will hang out to see if PHS moves on Monday and if not will drop KGS forms in first thing Tues.

This shaking into place is so funny isn’t it. Exciting! The registrars I know are working this weekend.

Geogra - I didn’t ask them that sorry. I do wonder if WHS may have slightly under-offered this year though, given that they’ve started going to the WL before the state offers are out? Did I hear they have a lot of building works planned for next year? Maybe they were worried about the prospect of a bulge year?

I do hope PHS comes through for you. Fingers crossed that others on the WL have already decided on elsewhere. This is the risk the schools run, I guess.

Thanks Indigo that’s helpful in understanding the big picture. I don’t see how waiting lists can change very much today if Nonsuch and Tiffin grammar results are not out until later this evening. Wimbledon and LEH both have a high number of applicants applying for grammars as well.

Out of interest how long were your friends given or decide on their waiting list offers? If until Monday the lists still might not move until after the week end.

Geogra - one has declined, the other one probably will too.

I think the problem with last minute places is that people are likely to have become invested in other schools by then. For instance, one of the ones who was offered WHS this morning was literally in her way to drop off the KGS forms.

If it’s any help, PHS did send out an email yesterday, politely asking people to decline sooner rather than later if this was their intention, in the interests of the WL. Hopefully that would have spurred people on not to wait until the last minute.

Have your 2 friends accepted Indigo? We still have class mates waiting for Wimbledon

Hi Georga - thanks for this. We are holding out for PHS place too! Was hoping we would hear today though!

Putney High are not expecting to offer waiting list places until early on Monday morning.

WHS waiting list is definitely moving! Two friends have had calls this morning. Could be worth getting in touch if you’re on the WL and say you can be straight there with the deposit!

Good luck with the state offers too.

Good luck today for all those needing/wanting state offers x

Jitterbugs my daughter is YR 7 Surbiton and we live in Wimbledon.
We turned down WHS but only off the wait list.
Surbiton is incredible for sport , we have been blown away by the sheer amount , dedication of staff and the successes. My DD represents the school in football, hockey, athletics and more.
However she is also taking part in plays , fashion shows, choirs etc there is so much going on.
She has scholars in her class and they seem to be well catered and its great they are setting the academic bar high as well.
Travel wise the great thing about Surbiton is they group via locality - her class is majority Wimbledon. She travels on the train and it has massively boosted her independence, and organisation.

There are buses but many seem to prefer the trains.
There seems to be a wide mix at Surbiton of girls from many backgrounds, talents and abilities.
Surbiton does have its faults but we are delighted so far and very confident we took the right option.
I think if your DD likes sport and competing then you cant go wrong with Surbiton.
If you have any questions feel free to DM or ask away .good luck with your decision !

@1ndig0 congrats on G&L!

Ps. On the alpha girls thing, I know two girls who got WHS, but not KGS, and one who didn't get G&L but got WHS. However, I think somewhere on this thread, someone with a DD who got SPG but not WHS. I think it will be a mix.

@jitterbugs sounds like your DD is set on Surbiton. Scholarship, sporty and with her friends. Ufff decisions decisions!

Jitterbugs. Sounds like WHS will be great for your DD!

In reference to academic schools and mental health issues. This can happen in any of them. Nurturing or not. However, where I have seen this to happen. It is most the result from the parents who pushed the kids to the limit to get a place into these schools. Unfortunately, schools do not seem to pick up this at the selection process. Even thought they claim they do.

I am curious as to how you handle it if, as per jitterbugs above, you want one school and your DD wants another?

As you say, transport good to Surbiton from Wimbledon, but 15 min walk appealing. Tough if her friends are going there too. If she weren't sporty, I would say WImbledon, but the sport at Surbiton fantastic. For me , all this combined I would say Surbiton (plus £35K saved towards Uni!), but obvs your choice!

Crossed posts!

Jitterbugs- agree that if wildly different journeys go for closer.
DD is in year 7 at WHS and is very happy. She has friends at Surbiton who are also very happy. It is a much bigger school though.
Neither have huge amounts of outside space on site so that's not really a deciding factor.
DD loves being in the middle of Wimbledon.
I know a few people with kids at both WHS and KGS and they say they are very similar in terms of pastoral care, types of parents etc.

Thesunalwaysshines Wimbledon is 15mins walk which is why DH and I are preferring it. Surbiton good transport links from Wimbledon. She's v sporty which is one of the reasons DD likes Surbiton and yes about 5K cheaper per year which would be v nice but trying not to let it away my decision. DD wants Surbiton because most of her friends are going there (seems WHS v hard/weird to get into this year).
I know she will do fine at both and she is "typical" WHS girl (even though they assured us they don't just pick alpha girls). DD really liking the fact that she got scholarship to Surbiton and that has been such a confidence boost due to recent Dyslexia diagnosis. I am undecided whether being middle in WHS is better than Scholar at SHS? Still leaning towards WHS due to no travel...

jitterbugs. Which is closer / easier to get to? Is your DD sporty? Surbiton is definitely the sportier school, but loads of other activities, clubs too. Surbiton is a bit cheaper, and the scholarship will make it even cheaper. Add up what you will save over the years. Does this make a difference to you? Your DD is obviously a very clever girl. She will do just as well in either school. Which one do you think she will be happier at?

Congrats 1indig0*. You've done the right thing for your DD. It's hard when you have this 'should' pressure from others and yourself, but you've stuck to your guns. As you say, all of these schools will by pressurised (and they will all be high achieving - it's easy to forget that when you're in the bubble of deciding one school against the other!) but pick the one you will know your DD will be happier at. You will get the same brilliant teaching at G&L. I know girls there who are very happy and parents rave about it. Well done.

Bool - in the end, we went for G&L. I was told yesterday that we were “very unusual” for choosing it over SPGS, but it was a personal thing. We know a lot of people with DDs at G&L and nobody has a bad word to say. We just felt it was the right level of academic pressure v pastoral and I’m all about good mental health (hopefully)! going into the teen years. Not that G&L will be exactly pressure-free, of course. I see friends of my elder DC at LU who who were the high fliers going into Year 7, who are finding it all too much by Year 11 and trying to drop subjects / in therapy / other worrying behaviours. It really has been quite scary to see. There is so much pressure on these kids. All these schools are top of the league tables nationally and there’s a reason for this. DD also turned down an academic scholarship at another school more into town which we absolutely loved and might have gone for had it been equally convenient to G&L. This is despite the fact, on paper, G&L gets something like 98% A-A* and this other school gets around 86%. So those are the “headline stats” they tell you on the open days, but it’s hard to gauge how that would translate into the different levels of pressure once in the school?

Anyway, what’s done is done and thank god for that! Glad to hear everyone is making their decisions.

Do the Tiffin results come out today? Am hoping that they will nudge the Wimbledon waitlist in our direction..