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Original poster

All schools rejected at 11+. What now?

187 replies

lirik · 13/02/2023 13:57

Apologies for the wall of text and a clickbaity title. One school, The Leys in Cambridge, put our daughter on waiting list with final answer due March 8th, and 10 others rejected.

We are based overseas, planning to move to UK this summer. Daughter is currently at NLCS (Singapore).

We have hired education consultants to help navigate UK schooling landscape, aid with school selection, applications, etc. We have also engaged tutors to help prep for 11+ over past year or so.

Now that most schools rejected, consultants are proposing to consider Fulham till 13+ and try again after two years, or just stay at Fulham senior till sixth form.
Another option is to try apply to few schools that haven't done their tests yet. Namely we currently have on our radar Eaton Square Senior School and Radnor House.
A good friend recommends to settle in area with good and outstanding schools only and hire tutors aiming for 13+ or sixth-form.
Locationwise we'd prefer London but can entertain outside London commutable to city. In a pinch if need be can consider pretty much anywhere in UK. I recon I can reach an agreement with the employer.

OP posts:
BillyDeanisnotmylover · 13/02/2023 15:44

insomniac1 · 13/02/2023 15:16

You should look at st Margaret's or Aldenham schools near Watford. Good private schools but not as selective. They may have places available.

I was about to suggest Aldenham or Mill Hill. Both are mixed and have a significant intake at both 11+ and 13+. They’re good schools with kids with a deliberately wide range of academic abilities. Excellent extra curricular stuff too.

sevenbyseven · 13/02/2023 15:43

Most state comprehensives (not all) allocate places by distance, in which case if you buy or rent a house next door to the school you will be at or near the top of the waiting list and likely to get in. Nothing's guaranteed though unfortunately unless it actually has spare places.

Trickleg · 13/02/2023 15:40

It’s not like the US with defined catchments. When a state school here is full, it’s full, subject to certain exceptional circumstances

StillWantingADog · 13/02/2023 15:40

You won’t be able to apply to a state school until you have an address in the UK and then will get whatever is “left” in the council area. Some councils will have better schools than others but all councils have some undesirable schools and your allocated school could be some distance from your house. You will however be able to go on waiting lists for other schools and chances are a decent school place will come up at some point. not necessarily before the start of term though.
London schools are far more transient than other parts of the country where people don’t come and go nearly as muchZ

VaccineSticker · 13/02/2023 15:39

RudsyFarmer · 13/02/2023 14:30

I enjoy these threads. It’s just watching privilege play out. Nice.

We have a poster, a foreigner, looking for a school for the child, preferably a private one and you slate her for not wanting to be a drain on the system? Or wanting a more flexible system as they are an international family and willing to
pay for it? Surely you should be happy for her choice as many schools here are oversubscribed. She’s doing everyone a favour.
is this your way to say welcome to the Uk? You sound very envious and bitter.

OP Hope things work out for you. Ignore some very ignorant twisted and envious posters on here. Welcome to the Uk x

Trickleg · 13/02/2023 15:38

Problem is that all those outstanding/state schools will probably be full - places are assigned 1 March. If you move to pretty much next door you’ll probably hop higher up the waiting list (depending on admissions criteria) but that’s still no guarantee. You’ll probably be offered the nearest school with a place which will probably, let’s face it, be a less desirable one, since otherwise it would be full.

mumyes · 13/02/2023 15:38

Do you have sense of why 10 schools said no?

Iceicebabytoocold · 13/02/2023 15:36

Why don’t you ask the hired education consultants for advice? Is that not their job?

Original poster
lirik · 13/02/2023 15:35

TimeForMeToF1y · 13/02/2023 14:55

I think you may be misundrstanding the term state school, the poster is saying to send your daughter to a regular freely provded school like 90% of the UK school aged population

Show quote history

I believe I do understand. I went to a regular school like everyone. There are still different flavors of state schools.
Actually one of the main reasons I started this thread was to discuss state school option. I have some flavour on independent schools from consultants and my own research. I haven't explored state school option. My mistake. Maybe I should start a new thread on this topic. Suppose we move to some area with good and outstanding state schools only. Let's say we move early summer and apply to state school. What happens? Is it a good option?

OP posts:
Gertrudegraduate · 13/02/2023 15:34

Twickenham is Richmond Borough and not too different - possibly more affordable housing wise. A few minutes on the train to Twickenham from Richmond and a 10-15 minute walk to either the old or the new school buildings, though in opposite directions.

SaltyGod · 13/02/2023 15:30

@lirik

If you're keen on Cambridge you could try a prep school and then try again at 13+

So: Kings, St John's, St Faiths would be your main options. It would give you time to settle into the UK system and we're what might suit your daughter.

I'm local, if you'd like my view on them (we have kids in the Cambridge system) do pop me a DM.

Cambridge is lovely; vibrant but not too big, international, lovely historic architecture, lots of interesting businesses and interesting people, countryside on your doorstep and yet London is only 45 mins away. I'm obviously biased Grin

SnowAndFrostOutside · 13/02/2023 15:29

@FrenchFancie it depends on the age of your child. If OP child is 11, she's born in 2011 or 2012, which are very high birth years. This is the first google hit I can find
www.statista.com/statistics/281981/live-births-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/

Around here, you can walk into any primary school for KS1 now.

Original poster
lirik · 13/02/2023 15:29

Gertrudegraduate · 13/02/2023 14:54

You mention Radnor. Will they be able to offer a place (are offers not out already?) and if they can, what assurances can they give that the new building will be ready? Would you consider living that far out, or having a long commute for your DD?

DD was a pupil there in the current building and loved it.

Living that far out is not a huge problem. Commute time is around 1h according to google maps. I have very little idea about the area to be honest. Is it much different from Richmond? I have an idea what Richmond is like. Twickenham not so much.

And yes, we are willing to compromise on location. Big time.

OP posts:
FrenchFancie · 13/02/2023 15:25

We moved back this summer, albeit DD is still
primary. We rented a house in the uk from May in order to have an address to apply - we got an offer of a place in state school two days before the end of term. But yes, had that not come through I would have had to home educate DD for a few weeks while it was sorted out, I guess.

SnowAndFrostOutside · 13/02/2023 15:23

Don't look at state school in your situation. I had an old school friend who moved to the London for work. They tried the state school option but there weren't anything available in any reasonable distance that she is happy with. End up paying for independent. I don't know which ones her children went.

You need to find an independent school (unless you can't afford the fees). Otherwise, it'll just create more stress for you and your DD.

DrHousecuredme · 13/02/2023 15:21

Are you able to get feedback from schools about why they rejected her?
After ten rejections then something is going wrong with the direction of your school search.
I know nothing about the schools you are talking about but what is your dd interested in?
Sport, music, drama, art??
She's clearly not massively academic (or not typically academic enough for these schools)
I'd be going back to the drawing board with your educational consultants and start by really thinking about what makes your dd tick and then researching schools that meet her needs.
Excessive tutoring simply tries to squeeze a round peg into a square hole!

SamPoodle123 · 13/02/2023 15:19

Did you ask for feedback from the schools? Did your dd make it to interview round for any? This might help when looking for the next school. It could have just been the simple fact she was not prepped correctly by the tutor. Can't give further info on Thomas's. It was suggested as a backup school, but we decided not to apply there.

insomniac1 · 13/02/2023 15:16

You should look at st Margaret's or Aldenham schools near Watford. Good private schools but not as selective. They may have places available.

Original poster
lirik · 13/02/2023 15:14

PatriciaHolm · 13/02/2023 14:20

From your OP, it sounds as if you do have an offer, from Fulham School?

At this point, given the stress your daughter has already been under and the existing list of (presumably the most sort after private schools in London, but it would help if you said which) that sounds like the best idea. Then you can reassess in 2 years depending on how she settles.

Fulham is a good school. It's not one of the top academic ones and doesn't pretend to be, but it will give her a good education.

We do not have a definitive offer from Fulham. We had an offer a year ago, which we didn't take. We are checking with them if they are still interested.

We did have a few very competitive schools on our list, but also had some what we considered safe options. I posted a list somewhere up the thread.

OP posts:
Notellinganyone · 13/02/2023 15:10

MrsMoastyToasty · 13/02/2023 14:33

Have you considered moving to a local authority area that doesn't have the 11 plus? Bristol doesn't.

Bristol state schools are not that great. Perhaps somewhere small and nurturing like Clifton High might work for you.

MathsIsFab · 13/02/2023 15:10

@lirik We just got Fulham offer, funny enough extrance exams were pretty tricky (4 hours incl interview). New school but their results are growing by the year .

we ll reject place as we got other offers too, but I bet you they keep on assessing next few months

loved the school and location

not sure why you were told about Radnor, process is done already

Original poster
lirik · 13/02/2023 15:06

SamPoodle123 · 13/02/2023 14:18

Also, I am curious what these consultants advised you on. It sounds like they were not doing their job. They could have given better direction on what schools to apply to based on your dd ability. Also, advice on how to prepare for the 11+. As pp suggested, check out Fulham Prep. Or also Thomas's Senior.

I'm not here to place blame. Whatever happened, we have a problem on our hands and have to solve it. That's my first priority. We can reflect on this later. Thanks for pointer to Thomas's Senior. Any color on it?

OP posts:
EverlastingRose · 13/02/2023 15:04

Not sure why people keep telling OP to apply to state schools when she isn't resident in the UK.

OP, you've applied to some very selective schools there. They're also spread over a huge area. Where would you like to be located ideally?

Original poster
lirik · 13/02/2023 15:02

SaltyGod · 13/02/2023 14:16

It sounds as if your daughter wasn't suited to the type of school that you applied for, but without knowing which ones it's hard to advise. My assumption is that you might have gone for bigger name academic ones.

Spaces do open up at The Leys so that might be an option. If you're happy with Cambridge you might get a last minute spot at St Mary's or perhaps Kings Ely. Kimbolton might be another option if you don't mind commuting to London from St Neots area and living rurally. And there are similar schools the other side of Cambridge too. Do post on a local board for advice if you want area specific info.

There are lots of 'good' private schools that will offer an all round education but aren't hugely academic and will likely have open places once the dust has settled. It's easier that you have just one child to find a space for.

Perhaps this all round school is a better option for you if moving from abroad, but again, hard to tell without knowing where you applied.

Wishing you and your daughter good luck in finding the right place.

Thank you for you thought out response. The Leys is not out of question quite yet. The intake is just 30 at 11+ so how likely the wait list will materialize into an offer I'm not sure. Any idea?

We'll explore your suggestions of St Mary's and Kings Ely. Thanks a lot. What is the local Cambridge board you are referring to?

Regarding where we applied. Here is the list:

  • Brighton College
  • Channing
  • Francis Holland
  • Queen's College
  • Highgate
  • The Leys
  • Stephen Perse Foundation
OP posts:
SheilaFentiman · 13/02/2023 14:59

Is there definitely a place for your DD at Fulham prep?