Part 2: SW London Girl's Indies 11+ Pandemic Panic!

@Flamingoyo thank you for thinking about us
It’s a waiting game now, I guess, until March...

@Stircrazyschoolmum I sent you a PM

@WarmAndco3y - I know it's only one place but we will be releasing a Jags place in the next couple of days. Good luck!

@TomorrowOnce thank you. Its very kind of you to share your notes and I'm sure others on the thread will find it very useful. Where did you DD end up and is she enjoying it? Would you decide differently a year on? How is the online learning?

NHEHS – A bit far for us, but we still tried to visit. It has a pool. The male Head and the admissions team felt really cold during their parents only open mornings! It was probably just a one-off. Nevermind. We live far away.

JAGS – Our DD did the taster day. She had fun. A bit far for us and I felt the Dulwich and SE bubble here – albeit still a very well sought school in the S and SE.

Emmanuel – One of the first schools we visited. Grand. Loud. The grounds were superb as well as the F&B! I do not remember much anymore, except that the sporty boy (he only liked PE as a subject!) did hesitate to talk about his family’s safari adventures in Africa. The kids do meditation here as well – if I remember correctly.

LEHS – We did not visit this one. Since this is a W/SW thread, you can gather from previous threads that LEHS gives loads of academic scholarships to entice parents to send them here – versus SPGS, G&L, LU and Tiffins.

@dinosaurinmybelly we all really loved it. (Although slightly glazed by the end.) I loved the fact it wasn't rushed like WHS. They took time to answer all the questions. DD was literally bouncing around.. with a grin on her face! She already plays lacrosse so that was a big hit and she is desperate to get on the river!

@stellagibbons its firm favourite at the moment but we are trying to keep open minded with the Dulwich schools. It feels almost wrong to turn such a good school down (does that make sense?!) That said, I feel more intimidated by Dulwich and perhaps DD is too.. I'm hoping the offer events will help us.

@Corblimbea It was a heads greeting / Q&A, Then sessions on Sport, music, languages, ask a student and pastoral care. You could attend as many or as few as you liked and there was some overlap. I am very impressed with Suzie Longstaff for having the resilience to keep on going!

PHS – I like the purple uniform. I actually do not remember much from the Open Days. I missed the first one and I like having two visits to make an impression. They were constructing a new building mixing Music, Science, Art, etc – the combination did not make sense to me, although I guess a new building is a new investment, and space must be limited in Putney. Good effort on F&B. A generic postcard was sent to all candidates for good luck. Instead of grouping the examinees in letter or numbers, they were grouped as pictures of animals – why?

WHS – Loud, Strong and Energetic. The first Open Saturday we went to was just that. It was like attending a fair – kids singing, the (old) Head Mistress (JL) theatrical, etc etc. The Head of Music has a PhD and really emphasised the high level of music (they untune your instrument and you need to be able to tune it for good impression!) needed for a music scholarship! There was a strong buzz from the (old) Head Mistress about STEM and the wonderful STEM-related opportunities at WHS. However, when students on stage were asked about their favourite subject – none of them mentioned the sciences or mathematics! What a shame. A parent raised this to one of the science teacher’s during the tour, and was told that it is sometimes difficult to encourage continued interest in the sciences amongst the girls. The campus, like most GDST schools, is smaller than others. I wanted my DD to apply to WHS – because she’s excellent in VR and NVR – but both my DP and DD said, ‘no way’; WHS is actually a bit far from us. Good effort on F&B. And there is an opportunity to make graffiti in the toilet near the entrance of the school!

FHSS – The head teacher was lovely, endearing and really focussed on the pastoral aspects (and of course, their academic achievements) of the school. She reminded me of the former Head Mistress of St Helen’s Northwood – but a little bit more for the Sloane Square/Chelsea/Belgravia crowd. They both projected that a Head Mistress should be a second mother to students. we met the most passionate Biology teacher here; he really took time showing and explaining about the dividing chromosomes in the microscope/computer. The Chemistry room was full of fun experiments – carefully prepared by the students/teachers. A bit cramp in terms of space. Very good effort on F&B. Despite their excellent GCSE scores, there is a bit of a drop for A levels, why? The student who toured us was very confident; she wanted to study Medicine and was thinking of changing schools (maybe boarding) for 6th form. There is not much ethnic diversity here (but not as starkly noticeable as in Channing … location?).

LU – This school is up there! There was a loud and strong vibe – boys and girls together like the real world. However, you probably have read here in MN that kids can get lost in this BIG school – with lots of alpha and loud kids. The kids who toured us on several occasions seem to be normal, happy and confident – proud of their school. Their efforts to address social inclusivity are all over their webpage and Twitter – a very outward looking school. However, I would like to see more of the everyday normality of school life in their Twitter. Their buildings are great. It is normally used by the Tri-Borough Music Hub on Saturdays. They have a choir for parents! They take their sports (and other curricular activities) seriously – with a pool within the premises and a larger field near Westfield London. A very personalised letter from Mr G for those who make it at 11+. Whilst we were attending an offer holders’ event in an all-girls school, a parent asked her DD on whether the child wants to study hard and be in that all-girls school (the parents’ preference) or hang out with the boys at LU; we later learned that their DD ended up at LU. Year 11 English is a combination of GCSE and IGCSE. Very good F&B during open days. Nice white paper with their blue logo! Kids get a Chromebook!

CLSG – The City Girls – another aspirational school. I like the location of the school, my DP and DD did not. They think it is this ugly concrete building in an urban jungle – but the opportunities to be involved in City events were there! There is a swimming pool, a place to play outdoor sports, and an allocated nook just to hang out. The D&T suite was very impressive. Our DD went to the taster day for state school kids and she loved the Philosophy teacher. The old Head Mistress could have been more engaging, the new one seems to be all smiley. The kids who toured us on many occasions seem to be normal. There is more diversity here – ethnically and economically. They have students ALL over London! (See my note about GCSEs in the G&L entry.) There were NO exploding offers during our year (they probably learned from their previous mistake!), and they were very much open to the fact that parents are waiting for their DD’s grammar school offers before making their final choices – they just need to be told. Good F&B during Open Days. Paper quality for letters– rough but definitely eco-friendly! One thing: a mum once told us that the school does not engage much with parents once their DD is in – really? We can find this out. And my DP found a mouse running in the premises during DD’s interview – who cares? This is urban London.

G&L – An aspirational school for many. The school is known for its super excellent pastoral care, with their girls wearing their ‘academic credentials lightly’ (that is exactly what is written in their website); G&L is the highest ranked of the 11+ consortium schools. The Head Mistress is very well liked according to many. Communication here is just right and personalised. We toured this school twice: the first time was with a quietly confident girl from Chiswick and the second time was with a very accomplished athlete, who had an offer from one of the biggies in the US. G&L has impressive buildings and facilities – with a large field on site. You can do an IB here instead of the A-levels. Mandarin is an option for MFL. More and more girls seem to be doing STEM. G&L, like CLSG but unlike SPGS/NLCS/NHEHS, offers the more strictly marked English Lit and Lang GCSEs (versus the ‘easier’ IGCSEs) – and I do not know why (this makes me think whether what really matters – but why?). The school is proud for its efforts to engage with the community and their Twitter page seem to show every day schooling lives of happy and high achieving students. Whilst the school tries to advertise/market their strength in sports, we know of G&L girls who are not into sports; these kids do well in Music or in their chosen extracurricular activities; the school needs to make sure this is relayed to prospective parents. One last thing – one prep school mum told us that they do not want G&L because it will be like the same bubble experience at their all girls prep (probably true for all girls’ secondary schools though!) but we later learned that their DD still ended up at G&L! They did serve F&B during their Open Days! Their use of high quality paper (but not too thick) is just right. G&L recently welcomed the Redcliffe Prep School in Chelsea to their foundation.

Just reviewing my notes;

SPGS – It is the school eagerly pursued by all the academics. If you look hard in some of the prep school leavers info, it seems only a few are asked to apply here. Your DD must be on the top of the cohort to even try. The Head of Admissions, Miss R, was awesome. The Art History teacher was remarkable. The Sixth Form building was very impressive. However, we felt inconsistencies during our visits. During our first visit (Year 5), the Head Mistress focussed heavily on the academic achievements of the students. The tone changed during our second visit (Year 6) to the school being more inclusive, with a bit more social ethos – something you can now see in their Twitter page. In both visits, there was an emphasis on the bad effects of over tutoring; yet, they do admit giving GCSE-level questions for their 11+ assessment. Their CEM pre-test (now also used by CLSG) is a killer for the unprepared. I personally like their ‘Comprehension’ question, which suited our DD very well. The two students who toured us the first time kept on looking at each other for affirmation; I pointed this out to my DP because it bothered me. The application asks for how far you have to commute to get to the school (should be less than 50 minutes); yet, during our second visit, we met a fairly confident student who lives far far far very far away. I like that the school offers the opportunity to study Russian. It was also the ONLY school we visited that did NOT offer any F&B during their Open Days (except for the Music Scholars afternoon). The school does NOT report GCSEs (they do school directed courses/ internal assessment) for ‘softer’ subjects such as Art and Design, Technology (?), Drama, Music and PE (?) – why? Their use of high gsm shiny paper (but not Eco-friendly) for communication exuded perfection and sophistication. SPGS will soon be opening branches in China.

Hi all, I have been a long-time lurker in these kinds of threads. We went through the 11+ process last year. I know these threads are helpful. After getting several offers and accepting only one, our DD is settling well. I just would like to comment on the schools, we have seen and visited. We visited quite a bit of schools and made some impressions. You can use the notes below to ask questions when you attend offer holder days. Again, these are my notes from our visits and/or the visits of those close to us.

At the end of the day:

1. Many DDs have multiple offers and they can only go to one and only one school.
2. Unfortunately, many parents will decide based on school’s rankings. A minority will go against this. But remember, location is also very important.
3. Please be nice to your DDs. Don't make them feel like a failure (very important!!!) because they didn't get to a higher ranked school (or because they were told by not to apply to one).
4. The parents are likely more stressed than their DDs in this process.
5. Keep supporting your DDs!

@Stircrazyschoolmum I can’t believe you haven’t heard from Alleyn’s yet - when are they supposed to let you know? Is PHS edging ahead now?

DH and I are going to decide over half term (although I’d say we’re 95% of the way there) - I do want to wait for the JAGS offer holders morning though, although it feels quite late.

Stircrazyschoolmum we were also on the PHS presentations today all day. I have been impressed with the head from the outset of this process back in July when I remember her not being phased in the least by some technical glitches to the virtual presentations which were then quite a new thing.
Today I thought the rapport that the staff have with each other is quite unusual - a real sense of community and nurturing environment. Both DD and I were sold.

@Stircrazyschoolmum thank you so much for your kind and lovely words. I really appreciate it. Congratulations to your DD!

@Stircrazyschoolmum five hours!! What did they do? (Not one of ours). It’s great that your DD was able to engage so well online.

@Educatemum pushed the button too soon.. my one piece of advice is watch every virtual event and go through the website with a fine tooth comb. Its been very interesting so far to see how much you can actually get a feel for the schools this way. I've spent 5 hours on Putney events today and I'm completely Putneyed out but seeing the smile on DD's face and her engagement with the material was very insightful.

@Educatemum wow! simply wow! I hope you are buying DD takeaway tonight!

DD, just received academic scholarships to clsg, WHS, g&l, please help which shall I choose !!!

@dazedandconfused11plus I'm so glad you had more good news today although I can totally understand why you are sticking with LEH.. seems like a great school! I am so so cross with Alleyn's not emailing anything - its not like it would be our top choice but I feel like I need all outcomes through now!

@MumsRule20 you are right about it being draining. I'm so done with this process! CLSG is awesome.. I can't figure out Emanuel's thought process.. unless they thought you would never accept them?!

Goodness, just logged on and saw all this wonderful news!!! It looks like everyone got offers I think. Well done to your clever girls.

Good news for DD today so that's a nice confidence boost but I think we'll stick with LEH Now we have all the final outcomes it helps everything to crystallize somehow.

Will spend the weekend releasing other offers, so hopefully that will help those on waiting lists.

Also wanted to say a massive thank you for keeping me sane these last few months! Feel utterly exhausted now...funny how this whole thing is so draining when it's not even us doing the exams and interviews!

Happy half-term everyone!!!

Wow so many good news today! Congratulations @Stircrazyschoolmum on the scholarship and another offer, @Flossietea for all your offers (and how decided you are on LEH!), @stellagibbons, @DrRamsesEmerson, @Brot64, @Trialsat11, @BlackRainbow2020, @croosader... I hope you're all going to celebrate in style this weekend

@MumsRule20 We will be accepting JAGS this weekend and releasing other offers (we won't be waiting for G&L WL to move).