All schools rejected at 11+. What now?

On Cambridge you would need to carefully test door to desk timings for your job. It’s easy to look at train times and say “oh it’s only 50 minutes Cambridge to Kings Cross” but realistically you’d probably be more like 1 hour 30 all in.

Just following up on some comments from earlier posts. I read through the thread but might have missed some of the background.

Agree that you should try to see what happened with your 11+ exams.
Did you do prep work before? eg Atom, Bond etc
And then determine which type of schools to go for.

There have been many overseas students from Asia these past two years into Godstowe. Another friend of mine (also from the Far East) had her girls go into Handcross Park as she wanted co-ed. Entry into these is not as difficult as it might make out to be. However many students do end up in very good independent schools in Y9 so they do work their students in Y7 and 8.

But have you also consider staying in Asia. I am aware many UK schools are trying to open secondary schools in South East Asia. There are already various UK affiliated boarding schools in Asia - Dulwich/Harrow etc.

Personally, I’d be inclined to Fulham for that reason - you prefer London, and DD can either go to the senior school or try 13+ once you are settled and know where you want to be.

If Leys comes through, I would have a really good look at your commute. Cambridge has direct trains to Liverpool Street, but they are fewer and take longer than the ones to kings cross. So would you train to kings cross and walk/bus/tube? Where in Cambridge would you live eg walking distance to station?

Oh, that’s great news on Fulham!

The prep to 13 would not rule out an in-year application to state school, and you would then be settled and know where to look.

OP

whereabouts in London is your office (nearest tube station) - this will help
people suggest commuter towns.

Well the problem for you with state schools is it is chicken and egg. You could move anywhere but you can’t apply for school places without a U.K. address to apply with so you can’t get the school place first and then move to be there. Annoying for you but how it works. However some councils publish lists of where there is currently space which may give you an idea of where there might be options.

Once you’ve arrived in the summer you would be a late applicant and can go on waiting lists if no current room. So if you had a particular school in mind then normally (but you’d need to check via local authority website specifics) the key to being high up is distance ie the closer to the school the better. The council would ultimately have to give her some place but it may not be a school you like or close to your home or immediate. Unfortunately your daughter is in the peak UK birth year so more of a squeeze than if she were 5 years younger. so it is rather a gamble and not sure one you’d want to take if you can easily pay. Places may come up close to school after (especially if local kids also go to private schools) or even after term starts.

Having been through the 11+ process it was stressful enough doing it once with offers coming out the other end. Perhaps my child is different to yours (they are relatively sensitive) but had they not got offers I just can’t see wanting to put them through more 13+ assessments again, I think it would be too much for them. So if I were in your shoes I would probably focus on a non/lightly selective school that would take them all the way through rather than a prep to 13 unless there is an automatic transfer.

Hi, I am not familiar with British school abroad but assume some teachers especially head or principal might come from UK and should know some senior schools here.

So, I would suggest to seek advice from her current school. They should know her character and abilities, so may have better views which schools suit her or if those schools you applied for were realistic options.

Otherwise, I would recommend prep schools till 13 and take time to find a 13+ place for her. Once your daughter is enrolled to a prep, they will help her to find a suitable senior school and help her to prepare the exam. There are loads of wonderful senior schools which are not very competitive but have great facilities and pastoral cares.

I would second More House Knightsbridge. It's likely to have spaces for Year 7, is not deeply academically selective but able to cater for all abilities, and is very well run. It's Catholic, but welcomes all comers. If your daughter is happy there, she could stay until 18, instead of having to go through another round of applications and exams.

I was also going to suggest RMS (Royal Masonic).

If no space available immediately, you could, for example, see whether there are any 11 plus places available at a local prep school - there are a few near RMS. York House? Move right on top of a nearby good secondary, like St Clement Danes, and get on their waiting list. Then apply for 13 plus.

Chances are something would come good before long.

As an American, I recommend against sending your daughter to a American curriculum school. The UK or IB curriculums are much better. Choose a school where your daughter will work well and be happy. It’s hard to be a cat in a school full of dogs.

Don’t know about Singapore, but I think that branch international schools are unlikely to be as academically top-drawer as the “parent” schools. They are drawing on a much more restricted pool of potential families and must therefore be far less selective, there isn’t the accountability because families move in and out of the schools making it hard to see how much progress is going on, staff often come and go, and there may be pupils whose English is behind. Just based on my own experiences in Tokyo.

None of this implies that these schools aren’t perfectly good schools, by the way, by the standards of any sane and normal person - only that they may not be as academically elite as the ones in the UK, which (let’s face it) represent about the top 0.01% of all kids in the UK. Not having a student body that is as ultra-over-achieving as St Paul’s Girls School or whatever is no shame on that school!

I am a big fan of great comprehensive schools, but let’s all bear in mind that the OP is bringing her daughter into highly populated parts of the UK where most school places will be already filled. It’s quite likely she will only be offered a state school place at a school that is not very good or is miles and miles away from where she lives or both. I think it’s understandable to focus on private options at this stage.

My only advice to the OP is that her daughter is probably quite an academically ordinary or only moderately bright girl, and she’ll probably struggle at a highly academic school even if she were to get in. There is nothing worse than being permanently at the bottom of your class (and kids do know this, even if nobody says it out loud). Focus on a school that’s the right level for her, and that will provide her with non-stressful support for any academic areas that she is a bit weak in. Above all, remember that she’s going through a lot of stress right now on top of adolescence and all the hormonal disruption that brings. It’s so hard on girls to leave their friends and everything that’s familiar to them.

OP you asked for colour on Thomas's senior. I believe you start off at Thomas's Battersea or Fulham for Y7/8 and then move to the Putney senior site. They will definitely have places because they have annoyed a lot of people by the mess that was the Battersea Square site and now they'll only go to 16. Worth giving them a call at any rate.

London Park School is formerly Northwood in Streatham. They're moving to a new site right by Clapham South tube. They're scheduled to open on that site in September but your child will be educated on a building site for a year or two so not sure I'd be that keen on that option. Still it's owned by a PE firm called Duke's and they are throwing money at it by all accounts. The new head is from Putney High and they'll presumably have paid big bucks for her.

If you're looking in SW London I'd have a look at The Hall, Wimbledon (co-ed) or Streatham & Clapham. Neither is particularly academic but both decent enough.

Someone above mentioned More House in Knightsbridge but it's fairly hardcore Catholic so unless you're prepared to embrace that, it might not be the school for your DD.

Have you looked at Queens College, Harley Street (different/separate from Queen's Gate).

Good luck, OP. You will find something, remember that a lot of (lucky) children get multiple offers and once they start accepting their school, it'll free up places elsewhere.

There are loads of good schools all over the country. Listing random selections doesn’t help OP.

OP needs a plan. First - decide where they want to live - top choice London.

So look for London prep schools that go to 13, that will give DD time to acclimatise to a new culture and new school system and figure out what kind of secondary school would suit her.

Or - take the place at Leys if it’s offered.

Personally I would take option 1 any day.

If you moved to Kingston/Sutton/Epsom/Leatherhead area, you’ll easily find somewhere. 30-40 minute london (quicker on a fast train) commute and schools that will take late applicants:
ewell castle
the hall wimbledon
feltonfleet (only goes up to y8)
Manor House
The Laurels (Norwood)
st Teresa’s effingham
prior’s field
sutton high gdst
croydon high gdst

I know that all of these took late applications when a friend relocated from Hong Kong last year at a similar time . All decent schools (some mixed and some girls only).

Do try the girls day school trust

Brighton College was definitely a long shot. Have you thought about Eastbourne College, Battle Abbey or Claremont on East Sussex.

Can I ask out of interest which educational consultants you've used so far - you can DM of course!? I've never known so many rejections when consultants and tutors are involved. Both me and DP work in businesses where lots of families come back to the UK from overseas, and I know Singapore schools aren't generally as academically rigorous but I'm really surprised by that.
My cousin used a great consultant when she moved back from Dubai a couple of years ago, so much so DP's company now has them on a retainer, but obviously don't want to recommend them if you've already used them 🤣

Honestly, looking at your list of schools they are all quite selective and definitely competitive - I don’t see any on there that look like “safe” options and I would question if your consultants have actually done their job properly.

I third getting in touch with Queenswood. Door to door transport from north London plus a flexi boarding option. They have international boarders there and girls come and go as a result. My DD has a friend who moved from Singapore and found the transition very easy (friend is a day girl) because of the mix of girls.

Gets fabulous results considering it selects for average ability and above, and is increasingly becoming a first choice school for those wanting to escape the academic driven London schools.

Just to reassure you that if you wanted to go down the state school route they will find a place for your child but you can't apply until you have either exchanged contracts if buying or have a rental contract plus you will need visas plus be in the U.K. I've done it and had places for my kids within 3 days of arriving. People are right in saying choice may be limited as they can only allocate where there is space but kids move all the time and some parents have allocated state school places but give them up nearer to September as they also are holding private school offers.

Try not to worry- I suspect the educational consultant was over ambitious in their suggestions? They are all very popular high achieving schools, always a long shot moving from another education system. Plenty of private options aren't full but they won't be big name famous schools.

Where do you need to get to work wise, perhaps that would narrow down the best places to live