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

@HappyasLaura( typo late night🥺). In case you wonder why I am writing at this hour, it is because I am at work ( hospital) 😇and having quiet period.

@hHappyasLaura, there is a good mix of prep and state school families on this thread. My DD and DS were both in prep. The school did very well in preparing for 11 plys exams and whilst many children went Independent secondaries, fair few were successful in Grammar schools. We had excellent advise from the head, and my impression is they are happy to call the Sec schools if they think your DD and a school are good fit. Their reference and recommendation counts a lot too.
Having said that , the decision to go provate or state has many factors to consider. Depends on the state primary you are at now and their track record in terms of sending children to your desired secondary school. How well do they prepare children for 11 plus? If they themselves have a secondary school , they may not offer much support in terms of Grammar school or independent secondary. In which case having a Tutor may be useful .
Even with prep schools, not all do same level of preparation. You can check out what their provision was like for remote learning and their published destination offers. Most schools have some relationships with few secondaries , as feeder schools. They also offer support for interview practice, which can be daunting for all at this age.
However finances are a major factor. If this is mot an issue, then other things you are getting is perhaps a more focused and happy children as your classmates, less disruption and pleasant and varied school experience. Also may be more general confidence ?
If your DD is 2 yrs away from the process, I would not visit schools too early. When we did it for my son few yrs ago, they all merged together in my mind and we had to go again , closer to his application process to chosen few. Then again , if we had visited early on for DD we could have seen few more schools.
I am sure there will be few more replies , so more insight from other families. Good luck , for what is inevitably a stressful period for DD and parents. I am just so happy and relieved to be on the other side !!!

*dd not dad!

I’ve been lurking here for a few days despite my dad being a little younger as we will be in this position in the next couple of years. However, she is currently in a state primary.
Can I ask if all of your daughters were in prep schools ie you had guidance from heads as to what secondary schools would suit your girls?
Debating moving her private or wondering if getting a tutor and going to schools’ open days will give me any insight as to what schools are right for her and more importantly, which she has any chance of getting into.
She’s sporty, bright and confident but from the sound of this thread, she’s no brighter, sportier or more confident than anyone else’s daughter.
Sorry to derail but grateful for any guidance.

@WarmAndco3y, Woldingham is lovely. Some of DD ‘s friends going there. We were lucky to have seen the school last yr when we went for a Choir competition. They showed us around, DH had seen it after senior schools fair. My DD loved it. In the end it was the travel which was deciding factor for us not going. They have wonderful facilities, and your DD will love it.

I am all for yr 7 thread. I have got so much information on this thread and support. When new life in big school starts, it will be useful to get such support.

Have had an email from Alleyn’s saying that regrettably they can’t offer a place to DD. As their offer deadline is tomorrow I’m assuming that they’re close to (or even over) capacity already in order to be able to say no to WL beforehand.

@WarmAndco3y I totally understand what your daughter must be going through. My DD still has her heart set on JAGS and she is still hoping a miracle to happen. It is not easy and I agree the level of pressure at this age is too much.

Woldingham is very good school with a massive campus so I am sure once you visit the school, she will like it.

@WarmAndco3y there are regularly cyclists and sometimes joggers who go through the road through the Woldingham grounds, so if you wanted to to do that you probably could. The barriers to the front and back drives will be down at the weekends, but pedestrians can get onto the site. You can take the train to Woldingham station which is in the school grounds, then it is probably a mile up the drive before the buildings start.

@HeliK & @Stircrazyschoolmum thank you both.
DD burst into tears and was inconsolable for a while, after we told her. But we’ve just been looking on the Woldingham website and her siblings have been trying to cheer her up. Feel really bad about that level of pressure at this age.
She just asked me if we can go and see the school soon after lockdown, but I don’t even know that is going to be feasible.

I agree with Stir I have no doubt whichever school is chosen your Dds will really thrive and be very happy.

I am an interloper with a Ds (someone kind pointed to this thread as we were trying for Alleyn’s and no boys on SW version were).

But I remember many names from the early Atom threads. We used it first a month due to that thread and I really think it was invaluable in terms of format practise. Really grateful and the support has been brilliant.

@WarmAndco3y Congratulations and good luck with Woldingham.
We also accepted offer at Bromley High.

@Stircrazyschoolmum Thank you so much for your kind words. I agree that in two months time this all will seem insignificant.

This group is very supportive and I would love to be part of Y7 group.

warmandco3y and heliK my heart goes out to you. I'm not sure if its helpful to hear or not but your wonderful girls will thrive in any environment because they have wonderful mums behind them!!

I spent a couple of sleepless nights thinking I was completely bonkers to give up the Dulwich schools, but DD's excitement to trailblaze somewhere new was contagious.

In two months time this will seem so insignificant.. things will have moved on.. we will be obsessed with inductions and school uniform. I am so, so thankful for this group and its support and fingers crossed we can continue to support each other into year 7.

(If anyone has an appetite for a yr 7 thread then shout!!)

@0o10, thank you so much for taking time and writing this comment!! We have not managed to visit either school due to covid and get the feel for each, unfortunately. You offered several very good points for us to think about overnight as we still have about 18 hours to decide before the dedline tomorrow...

• stand out or feel known (not “if you feel known) - sorry!

@Oreo2019 - I’m afraid I have no experience of Tiffin, so it’s hard to compare. LU is a very buzzing, fast-paced environment and I would go so far as to say the teaching and curriculum are inspired. On the other hand, it’s quite easy for a child (particularly in the younger years) to feel a little anonymous. It’s hard to stand out for anything if you feel “known” in a school like that. I can only compare to G&L which has a much more “containing” vibe, if that makes sense (eg. they go and see the head for a good piece of work, etc - LU would never do this).

I wouldn’t say LU is inclusive where drama is concerned, no. It’s a big school and many very talented actors will never get a part, so they give up after a couple of years and do drama outside instead. There are many fantastic things about the school, but I wouldn’t say this kind of inclusiveness is one of them, sadly. Hugh Grant went there apparently, but never got a part in a play

Although it’s not the most nurturing school to begin with, the good thing is that, by the time they reach the upper years, it’s fantastic because they really thrive on the open, busy co-ed vibe there, which at times feels more like a college campus than a school. The school is very diverse, liberal and forward-thinking. Although obviously academic, it’s not a hot-house environment - eg they don’t even put grades on reports anymore as they would rather students focus on the teacher feedback to improve, not just a number.

Another distinct feature of LU is the “activities week” every June, where the whole school closed and they all go off on residential trips, anywhere from Devon to Morocco. I’m probably not the best person to comment on the sports tbh, but the sports centre there is quite new and like a health club. Fantastic facilities for swimming and rowing in particular. Hope this helps. Good luck whatever you decide!

@HeliK yes we turned down CHS & we’ve accepted Woldingham

@WarmAndco3y We also accepted our 2nd choice offer as its deadline is tomorrow morning 9am.

Thanks everyone for your support.

@MarshaBradyo thank you we have one offer, which we have turned down, and one whose deadline is tomorrow 9am ( she has a scholarship with them and is our 2nd choice). We got an email from them today asking if we want to speak to the head. But we’ve decided to pay the deposit and go with that for now.
@Trialsat11, thank you for your words of encouragement.
@HeliK wishing you all the best too. What have you decided to do?

WarmandCosy good luck. Have you other WL places or accepted another school?

@0to10, we are currently choosing between LU and Tiffin Girls. My DD is very spoty and into drama, but not into music, she is quiet and moderately shy. She doesn't mind co-ed or all girls.
Academically these two schools are quite similar. I was wondering what could LU give a child that Tiffin could not in terms of experience and extra-curricular oportunities? Is it difficult to get a part in drama/musical theatre performances? And also, what type of child would LU suit in your opinion?

Hi, sorry I haven’t read this thread at all, (just the last few posts), but I know choosing a school is a tricky decision so, if it’s reassuring at all, I have a DD at G&L and can’t speak highly enough of it. Lovely, caring, unpretentious environment and surprisingly unpressurised (though that may change as they approach GCSE - not there yet)!

Also, I have another who is in sixth form at LU if anyone has DC going there?

@WarmAndco3y we got the same email from JAGS. Hope there is some movement tomorrow. Good Luck.

@WarmAndco3y I will hope that they call you up just before the deadline as there is a lot of movement with people releasing offers

All the best for tomorrow

They are very close to filling up their year 7 places and have far too many outstanding responses.

We just got an email from JAGS. It is unlikely they will go to their WL this year, from the numbers they have.
Deadline is midday tomorrow
Thank you all for your support.