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

Thank you!

Pens are fine but pencil for VR/ NVR.
In fact pens can be better as they can just cross something out if they want to change it, rather than spending ages rubbing it out!

Hi all - we are also running the gauntlet of SW London independent 11+ process - a minefield indeed. Does anyone know if the kids can bring pens to write with into the exams, vs only pencil being allowed? My son much prefers using a pen to write...

Look at offers vs acceptances for a number of prep schools:

www.falknerhouse.co.uk/brechin-place/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Results-to-Print.pdf

www.glendowerprep.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-11-Results.pdf

www.kensingtonprep.gdst.net/about/senior-school-places/

Thankfully, the odds are actually not quite that bad. Most schools have half to 2/3 of their offers turned down (excluding SPGS). That means that if a school gets 500 applications for 50 spaces, they will need to make 100-150 offers in order to fill a class of 50.

At an LEH Open Day they said they had 500 applicants last year for 60 places (the remaining places are filled by the junior school). From what I can glean (and some schools are more tight-lipped about this than others) a ratio of 10:1 is about standard for top London day schools. I suspect it's even higher for the likes of SPGS and G&L. These are tough odds, and it's worth reminding our DDs that there are more bright, sparky girls who would do very well at any of these schools than there are places available. Not getting an offer doesn't mean they weren't good enough: it just means that these schools are crazily oversubscribed (hence why we all, as parents, apply for more schools than we ideally want our children to sit). There's a certain element of luck / serendipity / who does well on the day involved in the offers process.

@emanonsah I think LEH is probably the most challenging to gain entry to, followed by PHS and WHS (both rather competitive too, especially as most of the girls come up from the respective junior schools). The selection processes for WHS and PHS are very different and it is rather usual to throw different results (ie. girls accepted by one but not the other).
Surbiton and Sutton usually considered less competitive but by no means as bankable as they used to be. Surbiton is very big at secondary, so they have quite a few places (despite having a junior school). Sutton has very limited places available due to its overall size and having a junior attached (also, their application deadline has passed, I think).

The tougher ones are: LEH, PHS, WHS. Back-ups are Surbiton High, Sutton High, if you're OK with mixed, then Claremont Fan.
Could be worth phoning KGS and asking if you can still be included.

@emanonsah You've still got time for applications - don't worry! @secondaryquandries and @notputtingtheheatingonyet are both spot on re Surbiton and Sutton - if you check the previous years' threads on SW London 11+, they appear to be easier to get into, so would be a good back-up. I would have a read of last year's thread as there are lots of other schools mentioned around LEH / Kingston etc (we don't live around there so I'm not familiar with them).
In terms of rankings (if that's helpful in your decision-making) there's a list here of the 2022 A Level results / league table for London schools. As you can see LEH is very high. (As are all the schools we're all talking about, tbf...)

www.londonpreprep.com/2022/08/a-level-results/

I would say that historically LEH was always seen as slightly more academic than PHS and WHS but it's actually all much of a muchness.
Some girls will get into one and not the other etc as all have different entrance tests. Also appeal to a slightly different demographic given the location of LEH. I don't think it's harder to get into than Hampton because there are lots more girls options around. In terms of places v numbers sitting it may look harder but they probably have to offer more to fill their spaces.
All the GDSTs have prep schools as well.
Sutton and (Surbiton to some extent) are easier to get into but not always clear cut. Know girls who have got into Putney and not Surbiton for example.

I am not really up to date but my understanding is that LEH is very academic. At least as competitive as Hampton, if not more. Then Wimbledon and Putney are fairly similar ? Both also highly competitive, with more applying from central London than leh would. Wimbledon and leh are both fed by a primary, reducing spaces. Not sure about Putney. Leh is perfect with a son at Hampton point obviously.

Surbiton is a great school and does extremely well but my understanding is that it is less competitive than the three above. Sutton I'm not really sure-similar to Surbiton perhaps?

I started my own thread in education but now I've found this thread I hope it's ok to join the conversation and ask here!

We are moving to Hampton area from 2hrs away for DH's work. DS has an offer at Hampton school so LEH is our preferred school for DD but we haven't yet put in for anything else. I realise we need to be quick as we have already missed the closing date for kGS! Can anyone advise on where LEH sits in terms of the required academic level (I found a list for boys schools on another thread but haven't seen a girls schools one) and what we should be going for as alternatives/insurance??

I do know WImbledon High as a school but not where they sit in the list, and I assume Putney High is similar. I know st Paul's is the ultra competitive one but I don't know anything about Sutton, Surbiton etc.

Thanks so much in advance!!

We are possibly over applying but I think it's right for us:

• We have limited guidance due to being in a state school.

• The schools which we like most are all very over subscribed.
• Our son is pretty chillled.

@LondonMum20222 Fingers crossed - in a very timely fashion, KGS has just sent an email confirming that they will let people know whether DC have progressed to second stage (interview) on Monday 21st November ... the very week my DD has her ISEB and also Ibstock! Oh, well.

PS I still cannot understand how or why schools can mark all the exams in 2-3 weeks and ascertain who is moving to interview stage and who is not but then wait for another 6-8 weeks to interview.

@QuiteAJourney I think your current thinking is very wise, and we'll be doing the same. My DD is definitely not someone who thrives on rejection (!) and I think sowing the seeds of white lies early (eg as you say, that not everyone will be on the same timeline with every school) is very sensible. Also, I hope that because they'll just be in the thick of exams / interviews for multiple schools, they won't keep abreast of which school had a second round etc etc.

@LondonMum20222 Agree that it is tricky ...it just depends on the case, tbh.
We are applying to some schools where the stage 2 issue does not come up - (they interview and test all the girls). We are also applying to one where I think my DD and one of her friends are the only ones in her year (admittedly in a very small school) applying to a certain school that makes it easier than when half of the girls are applying. Other schools will only communicate success in progressing to stage 2 after most of our exams will be over (and potentially after we already have an acceptance, fingers crossed). Plus, in our experience, schools do not necessarily communicate at the same time with all applicants / letters do not arrive at the same time (basically, a 'white lie' saying that we have not got it to delay telling her a negative result by 2-3 days can make quite a difference to an anxious child, imho.
I am not postulating that it is necessarily the best way (for instance, my DD has friends that thrive on competition and get even more determined if they do not succeed.. I just know that my DD has a different personality), just my current thinking.

@QuiteAJourney @bjmin I think there's also a broader concern that you can protect your DD (by choosing what to tell and what to push into the long grass) but you can't stop other girls in their year talking (dare I say boasting!) about what second stage / interviews etc they've got. That's my concern: I would choose not to tell my DD if she didn't get through, to keep her confidence up for the others, but if all their friends at school are talking about it, I don't really understand how you can pretend you haven't heard back yet...

@bjmin, I agree that how / when to communicate outcomes is one of the trickiest aspects. To be honest, I am inclined to let her know about the good outcomes and delay the 'bad' ones as much as possible. DH is in a different place but we can see that DD is getting more stressed and really takes failure to heart so I think he might be moving to a similar view to mine.
All so very tricky!!

One hurdle is if a school requires either multiple test days or if they only interview a select number of applicants. Some DC's do not react well to hearing that "you didn't make it to the next stage of the process" and then the next day they have to go into another school's exam. It's tricky to manage. Some parents lie to the DC's in order to keep their spirits up. Just depends on the DC.

@snowgirl1 , like @EmotiveBubblez says, it just depends on quite a few factors. For instance, our DD is quite anxious and can have bad days so she asked us for more options as that will help her feel more relaxed. Another factor to consider is the type of exams (some of the them are more intense than other, do you have the same exam for several schools) and the sequencing and timings (we might drop out of some second stage or interviews if your DD has got through to lots and especially if she already has an acceptance). And, of course, how aspirational you are - going for 3 'aspirational' schools is rather different than going for 3 that are a mix.

I cannot agree more with @EmotiveBubblez that it is a minefield. We are all trying our best but all (at least me) not sure if we are doing the right thing. But, from speaking from parents that have gone through the process before, and that approached it in different ways, most DC end up in the 'right' place (it might not be evident at first but, in many occasions, emerges later).

And, of course, this thread will help us to navigate things together..

I'm a bit 😵at the number of schools everyone is thinking of applying for. A friend said her DD applied to 5 and that it was a bit much, so is been thinking of 3 but now I'm worried we're not keeping enough options open. We're more SW London/Surrey and considering LEH, KGS, GHS, Surbiton and Claremont.