SW London grammar and private year 7 entry 2024 - Continued

@Bookingorcrooking

Do you mind telling if his heart is on another Grammar school ( Assuming you got your second choice and tiffin was first) or independent school

Will do! For information's sake, he was 3 points away from the cut off and we live just under 4 miles as a straight line (not sure how they measure distance and whether they take it into consideration but just in case)

That’s fantastic news I’ve not heard of anyone who has been offered a place off the waiting list so it’s good to know that it’s moving now. Well done to your son. Difficult decision now for you I guess especially if he’s set on another school but at least you have the choice now.

Let us know what you decide best of luck

We had a phone call this morning to say he has got a place! I might give it a weekend to see if we can persuade DS to consider it but he really has his heart set elsewhere so I don't think we'll get very far

Thank you! He has his heart set elsewhere so is keen not to get in, the sod, but I'd still like to know so it can be put to bed one way or another!

My son got a place at Tiffin's and he has a few friends on the waiting list.

Apparently they have received an email with their waiting list number this week from what I've been told (yesterday I think). I have not heard of anyone getting a place via the waiting yet. You could always given them a ring if you haven't got anything - but I would check my junk mail first in your shoes.

Good luck hope it works out for you and your son.

Hello! I wondered if any parents here had a DS on the Tiffin waiting list and had received an email about their place on the list? We had an email before the Easter holidays saying it would be sent on or around Tuesday 16th but we haven't hear anything yet

Me too and I agree that it didn’t sound like a one off - it sounded like a permanent expansion to 6 forms, hence the new House.

@Slippersandrum the Head discussed all this in detail at the offer holder event so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone.

it very much sounded like a one off possibility not a general plan to increase numbers, they wanted the extra space so I don’t think they plan to take any more than 125 next year. But at least there is far more space now in case they ever have higher acceptances than planned.

I am a KGS parent and got the letter. I would assume the extra form would be a recurring thing not a one-off?

I think it is very cheeky to only tell parents of a larger year group once deposits have been paid.

As a pp said, a school will only know its full numbers once deposits have been paid. By definition, there isn’t any way to warn parents that acceptances are looking high before the acceptances have come in… I guess it might be possible to warn the last few before they accept, but then the ones who’d accepted early might feel hard done by at not having the same information.

@paradiseseeking at the offer holder event they said they will build a new sixth form centre for which they have planning permission and they do plan to increase numbers in the sixth form in the future. There is no plan to increase numbers in other year groups. The extra intake this year is a one off due to high acceptances as the sixth form move has freed up lots of space but next year should be back to 125 intake.

Headteacher has explicitly said that they will not increase class sizes. Year 7 next year will be 6 forms rather than 5 and the implication was that this will continue - so around 150 rather than 125.

Oh thanks @Trickleg
So not a whole new sixth form in new location as such - thought that would be difficult for the teacher resource unless they have teachers solely teaching A Level.

If some of this increase is to absorb VAT costs to avoid passing to parents, I wonder have big they plan to expand number in year groups and if class sizes will increase as well... still something for me to check out when visiting this autumn!

They are moving some sixth form activities to a new site 100 yards up the road, and that frees up space at the main site for an extra form. They are also redoing the science labs and a few other things. There was an implication that there’s a different solution for expansion in the long term and this neighbouring site is short term.

Well as discussed previously, there was a mini baby boom peaking in around 2012. So numbers of applicants to private could be up simply because of that.

I also get the impression that people have applied to more schools this year (5 or 6 seems normal rather than 3 or 4) which would obviously increase the number of applicants per school although not overall numbers.

sorry that was in response to CocoC

Gosh what is happening with KGS sixth form? I am looking for 11+ next year but did not realise they were increasing Sixth Form and Year 7! Do you know how many more pupils and if there enough room there?

I actually wonder about this - maybe the number of kids applying to private schools ARE increasing? Does anyone know?

@HawaiiWake Yes, schools can double their customer base by going co-ed and hence weather the financial climate. They might then present this as a move based on the benefits of co-ed education. But I don’t think that’s a worry for the top single-sex schools (St Paul’s, NLCS, City) who still get brilliant pupils. And some schools that become co-ed at sixth-form simply do it for the injection of high A-level grades.

@ALongProcess , coed schools in London are getting very popular. Westminster going from girls sixth form, to coed in Westminster Under and aiming fully Coed. It seems families would like their kids to have the same education experiences and not gender silo. Saw MN saying Alleyn has an extra form this year.

@NelliePerf thanks for sharing. I also got a letter few minutes ago. probably the similar one.

Yes, sent today but to existing parents - not sure what the communication has been for incomers!

They also had something about VAT:

VAT, loss of Business Rate Relief and Fees

You will be aware that the independent sector potentially faces something of a crisis as the Labour Party has publicly declared their intention to remove the financial benefits of being a charity whilst not removing charitable status from independent school charities. This letter is not a political statement by any stretch of the imagination, but in laymen’s terms what this will mean for us at
Kingston Grammar School is that we will continue our outreach offerings to local schools and the wider community, as these are of course important to our core values and important if we are defined as a charity, but we will lose our business rate relief, and we will have to charge and pay VAT on fees. We will, however, continue to offer support to our wider community, and access in the form of means-tested fee assistance to those students and their families who demonstrate the ability to benefit from being at KGS. Kingston Grammar School remains wholly committed to its charitable objectives, and this will not change.
We strongly believe in being at the heart of Kingston-upon-Thames, playing our part and respecting our heritage.

What will happen to fees as a consequence of this policy will be of concern to us all. I can reassure you that we shall do all we can to offset this additional charge and bear the burden collectively. We will, of course, be able to reclaim VAT on some of our costs, which will help, particularly during periods of capital development. We shall also commit to using increased income, such as from the
gentle increase in student numbers, as well as some prudent and careful budgeting over the next few years to try and avoid any overly larger than usual fee rises. We want all our families to be able to stay with us, and for new families to be able to join us.

@NelliePerf Has KGS sent this today? We haven't received such a communication yet. This is also aligned to what Principle explained at the offer holders day but he said it was still unclear and was waiting to see the number of accepted offers.

Crickey, this is getting interesting. As @PreplexJ points out, totally unsurprising that schools would want to make hay while the sun shines with the numbers. But with VAT risks etc it's unlikely that the numbers overall applying to the private sector have increased. And the population hasn't increased. So some schools must be losing out and having fewer acceptances?!