Se London private from state primary

@Eboblah Like you, we did not start prepping until quite late, last term of Y5. My daughter is in her first year of A Levels now so it's a few years back but honestly, the most useful thing we did was make sure she knew how to take an exam and practise trying to speed up her working because she could be a bit slow even though she usually got to the right answer in the end. We only applied for two schools in the end but she got both of them so it is achievable IMO as long as your son is OK with putting a bit of work in and as long as you are realistic about what his ability/potential is (I know this can be hard to gauge coming from a state primary).

We are in SW London rather than SE so the schools aren't the same but it is definitely possible, and DD came from a very ordinary primary too.

Re taking an exam, it was all the stuff that is obvious to an adult like pacing yourself, leaving a question you find hard (instead of getting bogged down) and going back to it later if you have time, checking everything (and leaving time to check), writing bullet points if you are running out of time and don't have time for full sentences, getting used to working to a clock and working out how much time is left etc etc. Even practising taking an exam in silence without talking to anyone can actually be useful at this age!

Best of luck!

Don't be worried by the ratio of applications to places. If there's an average of 3-4 applications per child then any school that has twice as many applications as places is in fact undersubscribed.

it sounds like you will be applying to schools that aren't the very top tier for academic selection and that means a lot of the other applicants will be kids who are aspiring to some very highly selective schools and will only be applying there as a fallback

We have friends with kids in Alleyns and Dunstans and very happy with both. But both competitive - former always so and latter much more. But someone has to get the places!

are massively oversubscribed.

They are only oversubscribed because most parents do what you do, apply for about 5 schools with the intention of only going to one.

So don't get phased by the numbers, just focus on exam and interview prep.

Like others have said, your doing everything now and these schools aren't stupid, they know a child from a non-academically rigorous state primary, isn't usually as polished at interview as a boy from an elite selective prep school.

He has every chance of gaining a place, and to be blunt, you are correct, having the cash is the major consideration for private school, because if you can't afford to take a 25K a year hit , your DC's suitablity is irrelevant.

I would suggest asking a friend your DC doesn't know well to mock interview him, asking him opinions on things like what he thinks of humans settling on Mars, or the rise of AI, the implications for humanity, If you could solve one problem in the world, what would it be and why? Those sort of questions, and of course, why does he want to come to Alleyns, Dunstans, etc, if he says because my mum said I had to, it wont go down well.

Also mock exams can help

There’s also London Park School in Clapham, I’d forgotten that one. It’s very new.

I would think that St Dunstans and Royal Russell would be achievable; I would ask their registrars what the state vs prep ratio is for Y7 entry.

If you did want to consider single-sex then I hear Dulwich Prep are opening up a senior school. It might be relatively easy to get in for Y7 at the moment as most people don’t want to move schools for two years and then move again. CLSB would also be a fairly straightforward commute from SE London.

There are a lot of very good comprehensives in South London.

I would look very carefully at those and the private schools - there are a couple on your list that probably aren't worth the expense. And places like Alleyns and Emanuel are very competitive.

If DS is already in Y6 you've left it very late to do the kind of prep you'd need from a non-academic state primary.

I’m assuming from that list that you want a co-ed option. Whereabouts in SE London are you? I would think about travel very carefully as your son might have to get on a minibus for an hour at 7.15am. This might not faze you but it would be a no-go for my family!

Other co-eds in the SE London area (loosely drawn) include Bishop Challoner in Bromley, Thames Christian College in Clapham, Colfe’s in Lee, Eltham College in Mottingham, Farringdons in Chislehurst.

In some ways it is easier to get a child to pass for a private school than a grammar because the exams are generally set by the school and are very traditional. This means that an English and a Maths tutor are sufficient for teaching the skills required (and the exams are quite ‘trainable’ in a short period of time). Having said that, there are other factors to consider such as the fact that there are usually not that many places available and if there is a junior school attached to the school, a sizeable chunk will go to those children (at Alleyns, for example, it’s about a third of the places). The interview is usually just to confirm that the child has outside interests and will be happy and an active member of the school. It rarely makes any difference which school the child has come from except where it is pertinent as to SEN etc. If you get decent tutors, your son will probably stand as good a chance as anyone so it really depends how much you and he want it. It’s also worth checking how many children apply each year and compare that with the number of places available.