11+ admissions for outside catchments

Thank you, I did. It was my first try on Mumsnet, so wasn't really sure where to post.

@GentleMintCat please start your own thread, making sure you include the area/schools you are talking about in the title of the thread.

Otherwise, people may respond to the original question on this thread instead, which can get confusing.

Seeking Advice: Moving to Kingston/Richmond Area - School Choices and Neighborhood Recommendations

Dear all,

We're considering to move to the Kingston/Richmond area and could really use some advice from you about schools and neighborhoods. As I developed asthma recently, greener and cleaner areas with good local schools and communities are priority. However, not too high-end as we are looking to rent.

My daughter is in year four, so I look for primary and secondary schools. Catchment areas for both are making it even more tricky. So, your insight and recommendations would make big difference. For me great extracurricular activities and focus on sports, creative subjects, emotional wellbeing is more important than constantly achieving A+.

In this light, I also want to ask about Tiffin's Girls to understand if this could be an option fo us.

My daughter while quite strong academically and very competitive in sports, especially tennis and athletics, she's a bit shy, too polite sometimes, in large settings she might need reassurance for confidence boost. Currently, she's in a very small school and feels happy there. If anyone could comment what is overall atmosphere at Tiffin's, friendly or too competitive? Are girls supportive? Being allways under high pressure for A+, can be unhealthy. I wonder how school is balancing this? Also, it's such a large school, do they take good care of individual needs?

Thanks so much for your help! Your advice will really make a difference as we figure out our next move

Yes. They're in the admissions policies. And it's 85 not 80 for Nonsuch. Sorry.

@BendingSpoons thank you for the information

For Wallington and Nonsuch, you currently get told your score a bit before the deadline to apply. You can find out online what scores were good enough in past years for an OOC place. Obviously it varies each year. If your child has scored very highly you know you have a good chance. If they are around the cut off from previous years you will have to wait and see. Nonsuch usually has a slightly higher score. There won't realistically be time to move into catchment once they get their score and before 31st Oct, so you will be relying on an OOC place or committing to move earlier before you have results.

@DavyJane normally for out of catchment applicants in London Grammars , even the first round ranking and scored is known, you won't know too much on the chances when you fills in the CAF by the end of October. You can only guess based on historical information that the school is obliged to give you if requested.

The exam is in September - to comply with the Admissions Code, schools should make results available by the deadline for submitting the CAF, so not necessarily also in September and most selective schools notify parents of results sometime in October. Schools should be able to give so.e indication as to the lowest criterion / lowest score within, or whatever is relevant, obtained a place in previous years. Schools are not allowed to say, Your child has a place at this point, although some schools in the London area (and in Lancashire, it would seem) do seem to have difficulty with the Admissions Code.

Have a look on the Elevenplusexams site forum for reports of previous years Admissions to various selective state schools.

"less than half of the applicants in the top 10% first round are within catchment as its catchment area is small and interest is high."

Actually is less than 15% of the final top applicants is within catchment, nowhere close to half.

@MarchingFrogs not exactly true for schools that have explicit out of catchment places or historically in catchment places are less than PAN. HBS is one of the example. In the past 4 years every year, less than half of the applicants in the top 10% first round are within catchment as its catchment area is small and interest is high.

It is possible, in an extreme scenario, the same happen to Tiffin girls too, but Tiffin has a much bigger catchment area so if they set the cut off sensibly it should not happen.

For HBS it makes sense only for the top 300 of the first round apply in the CAF form, but your address can be anywhere in the country for both sitting the exam and making application to the school. It is just get less priority compared to in catchment applicants within the top 300.

The operative issue is where you are living when the application is made. And that is between a date in September and the end of October of year 6 - you normally have to register your DC to sit the entrance exam by a date at the end of year 5, but this is categorically not an application for a place, whatever nonsense schools like HBS may spout about having '3000 applicants' (they only allow 300 to be eligible to apply, so not unless 2700 sets of parents either intend to appeal when their application is rejected, or are just plain deluded, which I suppose is possible...).

In fact, if too many OOC take the first round exam (and it those candidate are good) , it will be an admin disaster for TGS to determine the second round number to sit.

Well yes. That is why I said discouraged and not forced. They can do anything they want.

"They're even discouraged from taking the exam"

But they can not legally stop exam tourist to take the exam. So yes, some parents still had their DD sits every year, it is a free mock. The same for other similar schools.

And since there's more than enough girls in catchment, it's never going to happen so basically: it doesn't give OOC girls places.

They're even discouraged from taking the exam.

"Tiffin doesn't offer any out of catchment places."

It does offer in the case of undersub, it just never happened before.

Tiffin doesn't offer any out of catchment places. So if you want a place there you'll need to move into the catchment area by whatever the date is on the admissions policy.

As for the rest, Nonsuch and WHSG do have a set number of places for OOC. Think it's 80 for Nonsuch and 100 for WHSG. For HBS, it's whatever number is left after the LAC, PP, 3 mile radius kids get a place. I think this year it was about 50 or something. But there's no set number for that. It can go up and down each year.

“pretty sure you have to live within 3 miles of Henrietta Barnett by the October of year 6 to get a place now“

Not really there is still over 50% of the latest intake for HBS is out of catchment. If you score high enough in the second round, you can get the school offer even you live in Scotland. Not sure in a few years time, HBS 3 mile catchment is much smaller than same Tiffins 10-15 miles catchment area, so if HBS not changing the admission policy it is unlikely there will be more than 100 within catchment pupils.

Also strictly speaking by the admission code, no school can deny you sitting the exam for first round even you out of catchment, they just discourage it. However if the out of catchment chance is slim I don't see why should try it unless you just want a free mock (exam tourist?).

pretty sure you have to live within 3 miles of Henrietta Barnett by the October of year 6 to get a place now?

Newstead was within 9 miles at the time you applied I think?

So it's not a matter of applying everywhere, getting the results and then moving.

Tiffin Girls are very clear on their website that since 2014 when it was introduced, no girl from outside their Designated Area has got a place so if you are going to be applying there you need to look carefully at a map! They don't have the equivalent of section 5.2.2 in the Wallington criteria you listed - you need to check each school.

You would need to move before end October to be considered for a catchment place. These are obviously more plentiful, whereas for a top 100 place you are competing with all those in and out of catchment. Note you need to check each LA criteria for residency in catchment, some grammars require a move well before then ie. Bucks and no other address.

You are not required to move house if you are offered a superselective place.

They are irrespective of home address, during admissions and afterwards. Some people do however choose to move, because a pig of a school journey can be really detrimental.