SW London Girls' Private & Grammar - applying for year 7 in 2023

I agree that there seems to be more options on offer for girls than for boys once you factor co-ed. (especially since mid 90s when some like Epsom and St John's have gone co-ed). Plus I think that the demand is different too - more girls preferring girls only than boys preferring boys only. No hard data just observational.

Interesting. Is there a link to the stats showing this? Or the pattern of # boys vs girls? I would be interested to read if you can share?

Does anyone know what happens if you were shortlisted for a scholarship (arts) before the exam (i.e. got through 1st round process) but may not have done so well in the exam (which was after the 1st round scholarship test)? Do you just get cut from the scholarship process or would they still let your child go to 2nd round?

Yes supposing someone holds 6 or 7 offers this year instead of 3 or 4 which has been more of the norm in years gone by. I wonder what happens then? Or will that even be the case?

PP is right that the birth bulge is still in full force so there is a larger number of children overall.

It does feel more competitive this year. We did 11+ a few years ago and even for a state school music place we safely achieved last time around, the competition had risen vastly by comparison and we were not successful this time around.

Good luck everyone tomorrow for Emanuel.

As for why we liked it, it’s on a train line so easy and frequent transport. Grounds were lovely. Staff were lovely. The children that showed us around were very down to earth and normal. The head seemed to genuinely care and talked a lot about being kind. It ticked all our boxes.

I think that there are a number of factors driving numbers up: 2012 was the highest year for births in London. Plus (the different provision of private and state during) lockdown might have led some people to consider private in a way that had not happened before. Plus lockdown, when many schools used the ISEB, has led to more applications from parents [their reference point has changed]. In the case of co-ed, the demand seems to have increased further.
What I am not sure about is the impact of another couple of factors that might have moderated that increase: quite a few families moving out of London during lockdown and the economic situation (on the second, that might have an impact also on the number of people that would accept Tiffin or other grammar schools over private secondary).
Overall, I think that the competition is fierce and seems to be worse that last year - parents seek to 'manage' it by increasing the number of applications, which adds to the problem.

@Justarrivedlondon but there is not a constant number reaching Y6 in each year. The group currently in Y6 represents the highest birthrate year in London this century, and there is real pressure on independent day places - especially for boys, for whom there have always been fewer such places due to the historic preference for boys to board, and also the greater propensity for boys’ schools to go co-ed while most girls’ schools remain single-sex. Despite the addition of some (relatively) newer schools, e.g. the Kew House group, there is genuinely a squeeze on places.

Emanuel has done a brilliant job of reinventing itself from an unfancied boys’ school to a highly-desirable co-ed independent day school with extensive gounds on site, of which there aren’t enough in London to meet demand. Highgate made the same transition a few years ahead of Emanuel and hasn’t looked back, with demand far outstripping the places available.

Emanuel did keep on interviewing all candidates ahead of the exams until last year, but has succumbed to reality this year as it just isn’t feasible any more. They will now follow the usual pattern of ranking candidates from the exam before selecting for interview.

Certainly parents are entering their DC for more schools than used to be the norm, but they are not wrong to perceive that genuine competition for places will be particularly fierce this year.

I think the sheer number is just a London mentality, that is, people applying more schools per student. Don't be deterred as I was advised. In my son's prep school, most are applying to 6-8 schools (some more) (although always said 4-5 is enough). These are numbers much higher than years ago as some parents with older kids told me. Don't know about Emanuel, but for KGS and Hampton, the schools many in our prep applied to, saw numbers increasing year by year, but our HM told us the difficulty in getting in has not increased, just people applying more and more schools, and there is no need to apply that many.

We are sure he has a point as you just have that many students reaching year 6 every year, and if there is a school getting so much more popular (not in application number but in acceptance ratio), which school is to lose out?

But still, most applied to more than the number he suggested!

@Geville my son is not sitting Emanuel. We did go to see it and I really liked it but my dh didn't think the commuter train to school would really suit my son. He's probably right but it was lovely.

My dd is applying to Emanuel, but not LU. We decided to just do 4 schools...but now I am wondering if we should have applied to LU! She is applying to Godolphin though. I hear Emanuel has gotten a lot more difficult to get into. It will be the first written test for my dd.

We're doing Emanuel. Looked at it for DS a number of years back but didn't apply. Back then it was much more straightforward to rely on a place. Numbers for LU this year are probably through the roof. I don't know of many not applying there either. Anyone know how competitive it is in comparison to KGS, Whitgift, Ibstock and Dulwich?

When DD sat Emanuel a few years ago they were still capping the number at around 600 ish so that's why it seems like loads more apply then they used to. Do they still interview everyone?
It's Coed and easily accessible via Clapham junction hence the numbers I think.
I remember the exam day as being very chaotic! LU has upwards of 1300 applying every year - I think it reflects increasing popularity of Coeds.

@Geville my DS isn't sitting Emmanuel. But maybe he should...what's so great about it? 😁

Re Emanuel - I agree the numbers will be very high. DD applied a few years back and I was taken aback at just how busy it was on exam day. I think the application numbers have grown since then as well.
For what it's worth, DD thought the exam went really badly, but got on the waiting list for Emanuel.
It is definitely worth a shot, but I have tried to manage DS's expectations this time around and prepared him for the fact it will very busy.

Yes I'm sure you're right on the high side like over 1000+, certainly even 1200 sounds with the realm of possibilities too. Our only hope is that it throws out odd results and DS might be one of the lucky ones. Not applying to Kings or Hampton because he wouldn't pass, we know that - but we might get the Willie Wonka Golden Ticket to Emanuel instead!

@Geville not sure about numbers but it would not surprise me if we are talking 1000-1200. We have been told by parents that have previously applied that the numbers in each sitting are huge.

Anyone know how many are sitting Emanuel this year? Is anyone NOT sitting Emanuel? Can't believe how the popularity of that school has gone from strength to strength in the last few years. I mean I can as when I visited it was lovely - just wish it was as easy to get into as it was a while back. Everything feels so competitive now. A no from KGS means we are biting nails and feeling a bit despondent. I wish the news from KGS could have come out after Christmas - in January. A no so early on was quite a knock-back.

Really interesting what you say as I think we are in the same place - not sure if because DD relaxed after KGS result or just because she genuinely does not like computer tests.
Hopefully she will be in form at Emanuel.

Just coming up for air after a busy couple of weeks. Not even half way through, it is a proper marathon.
DS has a general interview at KGS, which we are delighted about. Slightly concerned that DS was so overjoyed by the KGS news, that he was a bit too relaxed for the ISEB test and Ibstock first round. I think he got a bit of shock, as he isn't a fan of computer tests.
Emanuel and Kings College coming up this week.
Good luck all. Stay strong!

@QuiteAJourney it's local to us too and the journey on Saturday was a breeze. Clearly too good to be true.

DD thanks was quite disheartened by the ask of 25 questions in 6 minutes (she things she did 15.. but rushing so not sure). It was one of our favourite schools and very local so it will be gutting - I think I might need to "hide" it for her at least for the time being.
We will be hearing from WHS on Friday too and we are not expecting good news.

Thanks @QuiteAJourney DS isn't expecting it to be good news.

@Daydreamscometrue I am assuming Friday. I think there were another couple of sittings today, so they will probably look at results of those and release all emails in one go.

For those waiting for Ibstock I imagine we'll probably hear Friday?

Thank you @confu5ed - I had also asked about St John’s! So bizarre. Like @LondonMum20222 i read she was moving on very quickly!

Thanks @confu5ed! That seems to have been a very long search for a new head. I read elsewhere on here that Rowena Cole left St John's very abruptly earlier this year (and no-one seems to know why). If anyone can shed any light on her as a head, that would be very helpful!