PART 3: SW London Girl's Indies 11+ Results, Decisions & Panic Over?

Sandy interesting to read, thanks. Yes please to anyone else who made that decision / making it now if you’d like to say how you feel about it.

I think I so wanted both for different reasons seeing the first was good and exciting and seeing hard to get state also good.

Over emoting on here probably!

Getting a great state place does make it harder. We turned down Tiffin for DD and have never regretted it. Well maybe we'd have had more holidays but PHS more than met our expectations.

But the choice is very personal and for some families the 'right' choice would be the other way round.

Thanks Stir I feel slightly ill at turning either down which is a bit ridiculous!

@MarshaBradyo and @stellagibbons congratulations!! Really pleased for you but some tough choices ahead.

Stella congratulations
So did we. Feels harder now

Check the eadmissions portal - ours are up. We got first choice (which throws a slight spanner in the works and we need to have a conversation tonight!)

Maybe I got the timing wrong. I thought results will be out by 5pm. I'm nervously waiting. 🤔

Hello all, I just wanted to write and thank you for this thread. I have been reading this thread since early February . I have found it very useful and . I was able to find most answers to my questions just by reading along. It's been so stressful but these comments made me realise I wasn't alone. Good luck to everyone (myself included) who are waiting for the 5pm state school results. I hope you all get some good news. I hope that today's results will give you some clarity you need to decide on your offers. Good luck all 😃💕

Nice to see this thread on its third page! Good luck with anyone waiting for state offers today.

Its year 11.. found you a link!

www.putneyhigh.gdst.net/start-it-putney-and-st-pauls-team-up-for-entrepreneurship-course/

Thank you so much @sandybayley and @Stircrazyschoolmum - everything helps with the decision-making, which now needs to be done very soon!

The MN community is fantastic! So glad I found this :)

@itsa I’ve forgotten which year group it’s in but PHS collaborate with SPGS on an innovation/enterprise project at somepoint.

Jags and Dulwich college do some co -curricula things together too.

@Itisa - WHS doesn't have particular links with KCS. There is an overlap of siblings between the two schools but there is at PHS as well. WHS, I think, keep their distance a bit as the loss of girls to KCS at 6th form is an annoyance. But that's just my guess.

We had the choice of JAGS, WHS and PHS for DD. Loved JAGS but the journey was too long from SW19. The Thameslink should theoretically be OK but if it goes wrong there aren't many alternatives (it happened on the day of DD's scholarship interview).

We opted for PHS over WHS because it felt a bit more buzzy than WHS at the time. Also WHS felt too local for us as DD had spent her life in Wimbledon town centre and we thought she'd like a slight change of scene. But there's very little in it. DD was very happy at PHS but moved for Sixth Form to go coed.

Hi all, thanks so much for your responses about Putney.

@Stircrazyschoolmum that's useful information in your PM, thank you so much! @southsouthlondon I'm not sure really - and now having last-minute wobble about it all! Mind made up a couple of nights ago...and then started re-thinking it all...!

We've released all other offers and now it's just between Wimbledon High and Putney High. I know they are very similar, especially being GDST schools, but at the same time there are some subtle differences. Distance-wise we're very slightly closer to Putney but I don't think a difference of 5-10 minutes in commute will be the deal-breaker.

Previous MN posters have provided some useful insights (autumnightsaredrawingin, pink flamingos1 and sandybayley), so been going through these threads.

WHS is the slightly more academic one, possibly more STEM-orientated? However, I believe that historically PHS was the more academic option. And obviously the league tables can go up and down, and in 7 years' time anything can change.

Both have similar size year groups and similar size grounds. DD isn't massively sporty so the hockey vs lacrosse difference isn't very significant.

Love the focus on fun at Putney!

Possibly WHS has better links with a boys schools (i.e. KCS)? Meanwhile, I see from the GSG that the parents' community is very sociable at PHS which I see as a strength as you get to know who your teenager is spending time with.

Love Putney riverside but also love Wimbledon village!

Like the 9 GCSEs at Wimbledon (rather than 10 GCSEs) as feel that takes away some of the pressure during the teenage years. Also like the lack of assigning grades in years 7-8 at Putney as, again, this reduces pressure.

But stuck now! And would love to make a decision as very much aware we are holding onto an offer that could go to another girl.

Just so difficult without seeing inside the bloomin schools!!!

@TomorrowOnce that's a great way of looking at it!

@southsouthlondon I forgot one quite big difference that ended up contributing to our decision.. the location of the school in Putney Centre was quite influential. DD could imagine herself hanging out with friends there after school and grabbing a hot chocolate or a burger. The option of a train and a bus meant that she had options coming and going and as she gets older I can see her whizzing in that direction on weekends or after sports events too.

Jags is in beautiful surrounds and a lovely leafy location. The sixth former on our offers event said most girls head home straight after school due to the coaches and are pretty well scattered across a wide area. Again, this suits some.

I suppose its a case of town mouse v country mouse but we could visualise us spending more time in Putney that Dulwich. All personal preference!!

Like reading this thread.
Congratulations to all re: WL and hopefully final choices today!
More will come.

@Stircrazyschoolmum - I liked what you wrote about Team H. Remember H = Happy, G = Great, but Team F = Friendship!

@southsouthlondon we really really liked both schools so and if DD had chosen jags we would would have happily gone that route. (Our commutes were pretty much identical.)

So what it boiled down to for us was...

• gut feel, a busy and buzzy school with lots going on
• a general 'have a go' spirt where you were encouraged to try lots of new things with no pressure to do well at them - i.e. H teams in sports, novice gymnastics and opportunities to learn a new instrument without having to take exams
• lots and lots of clubs - not all academic, for example knit and natter, or scrabble club
• Very close to the river - DD desperate to try rowing which starts end of year 7
• The new building and its focus on drama and sciences (DD's favourite things) plus lots of DT space (another favourite)
• very articulate girls at the open events - came across as grounded and well rounded
• a sense that DD would be very happy and therefore thrive academically almost as a by product. A bigger fish in a smaller pond in one sense.

I'm sure jags is some or all of these things too and like I say, I really liked both but she can only go to one!

@Stircrazyschoolmum and @Itisa - we are also caught between Jags and Putney - really like Jags but DD would leave the house just after 7 am which feels a long day - and do really like the smaller/warm/creative feel of Putney - what has tipped you over in favour of PHS? We haven’t been inside either school although have spoken with (happy) parents at both!

Iamsodone, Alleyn's don't seem to make the children put their phones in their lockets although they are not allowed to use them. Our DC has it in their bag.
We have bought DC a laptop but their seems to be a variety of devices.
They use their phones on the school bus to chat and listen to music.
DC couldn't be happier.

@Trialsat11 thank you ! you can relax now !

That’s such great news @trialsat11! I’ve been thinking of you. I’m so happy you got PHS!

Congratulations for all those amazing offers !
We are still on SPGS waiting list! Anyone else waiting for that too ?