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Original poster

SW London Grammar and private senior school entry 2026

642 replies

firsttrax · 15/02/2025 06:31

Setting up this thread for those of us with DC joining year 7 SW London schools in 2026.

We’re planning to apply to KCS, Hampton, Epsom and Reed’s.

Have been living in Dubai for three years, returning in August for year 6 at DS’ old prep school.

DS has an online tutor focussing on exam technique and any gaps in the curriculum, plus Atom. Current school is great but definitely not preparing him for 11+!

OP posts:
SamPoodle123 · 15/10/2025 20:04

Seasaltlady · 15/10/2025 17:30

We are aiming for the same schools as you bar Latymer! Need to decide between Thomas’s and Harrodian for our ‘easier’ option. Also keen on other’s thoughts on these :)

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I would say, Thomas's is probably more of a sure thing over Harrodian.

SamPoodle123 · 15/10/2025 20:03

W4mamabear · 15/10/2025 13:46

We are applying to Ibstock place, Putney High, Emanuel and Latymer Upper for my DD. Starting to worry we don’t have a good back up/easier option. Has anyone considered Harrodian?

We applied to all these schools before. And Harrodian is not a reliable back up. Although many put Harrodian on as a back up....you never know if you are getting in. For example my ds got into Latymer upper and got a WL at Harrodian (about a week later he ended up getting an offer). But as Harrodian offers came out first from all the schools, it made us very nervous getting that WL. A friends son got a no from Harrodian and he got yes to Emanuel.... I do think it is a good idea to apply just in case. But it is hard to know if you will get an offer or not. You have a nice range of schools.

Seasaltlady · 15/10/2025 17:30

W4mamabear · 15/10/2025 13:46

We are applying to Ibstock place, Putney High, Emanuel and Latymer Upper for my DD. Starting to worry we don’t have a good back up/easier option. Has anyone considered Harrodian?

We are aiming for the same schools as you bar Latymer! Need to decide between Thomas’s and Harrodian for our ‘easier’ option. Also keen on other’s thoughts on these :)

W4mamabear · 15/10/2025 14:32

Oh and applied to G&L as well!

W4mamabear · 15/10/2025 13:46

We are applying to Ibstock place, Putney High, Emanuel and Latymer Upper for my DD. Starting to worry we don’t have a good back up/easier option. Has anyone considered Harrodian?

todayortomorrow · 14/10/2025 15:18

Moreconfusedbytheday · 14/10/2025 12:37

Yes we must be very near. Our preference is Emanuel but also really liked Alleyns and Graveney. To be honest I think our son would be happy at any of the schools- it’s just such a drawn out process isn’t it?

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It's ridiculous. And I think extra hard on the kids doing both private & state selective. At least we get the Wandsworth results next week

Moreconfusedbytheday · 14/10/2025 12:37

todayortomorrow · 14/10/2025 12:02

We must be near each other. Our son has done the Wandsworth test & is doing Alleyns, Emanuel & Kingston Grammar (far from us). Graveney & Alleyns are our two favourites but ambitious. What's your preference?

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Yes we must be very near. Our preference is Emanuel but also really liked Alleyns and Graveney. To be honest I think our son would be happy at any of the schools- it’s just such a drawn out process isn’t it?

todayortomorrow · 14/10/2025 12:02

Moreconfusedbytheday · 10/10/2025 23:33

Hi
Just found this thread. I have a son applying for 2026- we have just done Tiffins and Wandsworth Test and he is doing Emanuel, Alleyns, Whitgift, Trinity and Kingston Grammar

We must be near each other. Our son has done the Wandsworth test & is doing Alleyns, Emanuel & Kingston Grammar (far from us). Graveney & Alleyns are our two favourites but ambitious. What's your preference?

Dontknowmuchanymore · 14/10/2025 11:47

Tiffin Girls results have emailed

Moreconfusedbytheday · 10/10/2025 23:33

Hi
Just found this thread. I have a son applying for 2026- we have just done Tiffins and Wandsworth Test and he is doing Emanuel, Alleyns, Whitgift, Trinity and Kingston Grammar

LondonParentMN · 04/10/2025 12:59

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LondonParentMN · 04/10/2025 12:40

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Ib1234567 · 04/10/2025 11:17

Dontknowmuchanymore · 03/10/2025 19:41

How was Tiffins stage 1 for everyone today? (without giving details)

The girls one was hard to finish.

W4mamabear · 03/10/2025 20:12

Good luck, there’s still time and it’s probably the online exam technique she needs to master now if she’s doing well on paper

Seasaltlady · 03/10/2025 19:47

W4mamabear · 03/10/2025 19:32

@Seasaltlady we are using Atom Quest tests for the consortium prep and our tutor advised to use GL practice papers for ISEB prep. I like the adaptive nature of the Atom tests which helps replicate the exam day but I have no idea about the difficulty levels. My daughter scores highly in maths but less so in English and VR so we just plan to practice/master that before the test in December

Oh that’s good to know about GL papers, I’ll have a look into them. There are also ISEB test papers in the test section on Atom, we’ve tried a couple of those and they seem to be very similar to the Quest ones - just longer papers. Sadly we are not yet scoring particularly high in anything yet - but hoping that with a bit more practice we’ll improve. She does very well on written papers that the school test with but is only taking online tests for the schools we are sitting for so I feel we need to change tact now

Dontknowmuchanymore · 03/10/2025 19:41

How was Tiffins stage 1 for everyone today? (without giving details)

W4mamabear · 03/10/2025 19:32

@Seasaltlady we are using Atom Quest tests for the consortium prep and our tutor advised to use GL practice papers for ISEB prep. I like the adaptive nature of the Atom tests which helps replicate the exam day but I have no idea about the difficulty levels. My daughter scores highly in maths but less so in English and VR so we just plan to practice/master that before the test in December

Seasaltlady · 03/10/2025 18:01

In terms of prep, is anyone using Atom practice tests for the London Consortium and ISEB 11+ exam? What are your thoughts on this? Do you think they reflect the difficulty of the actual tests? I can’t seem to find any other papers that would allow me to get a sense of these tests (apart from the sample questions on the consortium site!)

Original poster
firsttrax · 26/09/2025 18:12

Hereweg0again · 26/09/2025 18:03

Was also wondering re. more active chat but haven't seen one yet! We're on our third and final 11+ now, a few more open days to do and then must remember to actually register for the schools 😬

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Wow, third one! 👏 We’re only on our second and I’m already over it 😆 Agreed on the registrations - I actually made a spreadsheet a few days ago with all the dates for each of the schools. Prompted by being genuinely concerned I might have missed one!

OP posts:
Hereweg0again · 26/09/2025 18:03

Seasaltlady · 12/09/2025 13:14

How is everyone finding he registration process/ last open day viewings going? Also, is there a more active chat for those with children doing 11+ this year for private school secondaries in SW London? I recall there being a very busy chat for last year’s short but cannot seem to find a similar one for this year :) thanks!

Was also wondering re. more active chat but haven't seen one yet! We're on our third and final 11+ now, a few more open days to do and then must remember to actually register for the schools 😬

W4mamabear · 26/09/2025 14:48

Anyone applying to G&L for their DD? Any ideas on what kind of scores on the Quest tests on Atom Learning we should be aiming for? Thank you!

Offtheygo · 18/09/2025 22:42

following this thread but applying for 10+ is anyone else in the same situation ?

NoushieMin · 14/09/2025 19:48

Following this thread as we will be applying to the same school the following year so very interested to hear more about the process and how you all get on.

W4mamabear · 13/09/2025 18:09

Seasaltlady · 12/09/2025 13:14

How is everyone finding he registration process/ last open day viewings going? Also, is there a more active chat for those with children doing 11+ this year for private school secondaries in SW London? I recall there being a very busy chat for last year’s short but cannot seem to find a similar one for this year :) thanks!

I was wondering the same, if there was a more active chat and I might have missed it! We aren’t going to as many open days as it’s our second time round for 11+ independent schools (second DD). Have just applied to two schools so far - still unsure about how many/which schools to apply to as completely different children

Original poster
firsttrax · 12/09/2025 22:07

Seasaltlady · 12/09/2025 13:14

How is everyone finding he registration process/ last open day viewings going? Also, is there a more active chat for those with children doing 11+ this year for private school secondaries in SW London? I recall there being a very busy chat for last year’s short but cannot seem to find a similar one for this year :) thanks!

We’ve got open days next Saturday and the following Saturday. Still haven’t actually submitted registrations, will do ISEB this weekend then the others next weekend. It feels like the end is in sight (phew) but still some way off (which is both good and bad)!

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