SW London grammar & private senior school - Waitlist support

Fingers crossed for you! I think St Paul’s offers for 13+ don’t need to be formally accepted until next year though. I was under the impression that their waitlist places also required boys to sit exams again in a couple of years time to secure a place.

Westminster acceptance deadline is 4th April so their waitlist will definitely start to move after that date (or perhaps before when boarding school offers like Eton come out, although some of those may be after April too). Unfortunately I know of some parents who’ve had to place deposits with other schools hoping for waitlist places at these schools to come up for 13+.

Hi LastCookie

Yes, he ended up being offered places at Westminster and City and we went with Westminster - he starts in September.

It requires you to hold your nerve a bit though as the main review of the waitlist doesn’t start until March of year 7 (presumably this is when those who got offers right away have to pay a deposit).

Thank you for your reply.

Would you mind sharing whether your son was offered a place in the end? W is by far DS’s favourite school. Eager to move DS as we’re really unhappy with current (all-through) school, but our only firm offer is a 11+ school for which the acceptance deadline is this week.

Hello

My son was in this position a couple of years ago. We found the teachers at St Paul’s were able to give us excellent feedback. Can you ask your current school to get in touch with Westminster to find out where on the waitlist he is? They lose quite a few boys to Eton etc at 13 so the waitlist does move.

assuming that if waitlists do move, this is the week when it is most likely to happen with state offers out and acceptance deadlines also. Praying for good news this week - we’ve had so much bad news throughout this process so could really do with some relief at this point

Joining for some camaraderie! My DS is waitlisted for SPS and Westminster 13+. So close yet so far :( if anyone has any experience of the above would really appreciate your wisdom, it’s our first time doing this and we’re from a school with very little support.

Best of luck to you all this week, hopefully lists will start moving after tomorrow.

Thanks for starting this thread @Greenshoots12 and good luck to your DD!

I would appreciate it if anyone could provide an update here regarding any movement on the WL for Reed's school 🙏🏼 TIA!
And good luck to all the WL holders. Wishing all our DC can secure a place at their first choice!

Yes, Harrodian sent an email to offer us a place today. We decided to decline because we are considering other schools. Hoping to make a decision on one this weekend. I am sure more schools will be moving to waitlist Monday and especially Tuesday. Good luck to those waiting!

Has anyone heard of movement on any other WLs?

Don’t want to give you false hopes but SHHS WL has started to move (know a girl who got an offer this morning from the WL) - worth a call!

It is a myth that offer holders of SPGS will definitely take up the offer. Our DD has got an offer and we have not made the decision yet. We are still quite uncertain whether to take up the offer or not and we know of a few families in the same boat. So good luck to all WL holders.

Good luck! Also on the waitlist and anxiously checking for updates. In our case, any offers to the waitlist likely won’t go out until after the school’s registration deadline on 5 March. Still have my fingers crossed that we’ll hear something before since our second choice school has the same deadline 🤞🏼🤞🏼

There was no show in September last year, which was after the 120 full registrations. The school managed to find someone from the waiting list to replenish the place.

After 1-2 terms, a student moved out, and the school replenished the place again (I'm not sure if this was from the waiting list or not). In both cases, there was no relation to the VAT.

I don't work in the admissions office at SPGS so the timing is only speculation on my part. However, I do know the following facts:

1. The school was expecting fewer than 120 girls in Year 7 at the end of June
2. There were several waiting list offers made at the beginning of the last week of August
3. There were exactly 120 girls on the register in Year 7 at the end of August

WL are more likely to move next week Tue/Wed once state school offers are out. Some accepted SPGS / G&L candidates will be waiting for Tiffin / HBS. Some of this is factored in but the schools won't usually offer to WL until close to the deadline. I wouldn't refresh emails all day just yet but keep in close contact with the schools the day before and of the acceptance deadline.

Keep your phone near, as some schools make calls for WL. Perhaps because it is sometimes quicker to get a response with a call over email. This was the case w St Paul’s boys for someone I know (not for this round, as they haven’t gone to waitlist yet).

No movement for us yet - refreshing my emails roughly every 30 seconds each day though…

Once the deadline has passed for the on-time applicants to accept the state secondary place offered on NOD, there should be some movement, although it may prove an atypical year in some areas. What is your deadline for accepting your second preference independent school?

@user799568149

The school started taking 120 students way before the VAT change came into effect. Occasional places become available primarily due to students not showing up or moving out for whatever reason in Year 7 and Year 8. This is a matter of fact, not a belief or wish.

The formal announcement of this change came at the end of the autumn term. That does not preclude the possibility that the decision had been made much earlier or that actions had already been taken before the announcement; this would not be the first time that parents were informed about a major change after the fact rather than in advance. From the amount of Year 7 wait list movement and Year 8 occasional place movement I saw at the end of August, I believe that the school not only had made the decision at that point, but had begun acting on it. You're free to believe what you wish.

The schools don't disclose rankings on WL for many reasons including they want a balanced intake so if they are rejected by someone very musical they may offer to a musical person on the WL etc.
In the case of SPGS I would focus on the other fantastic offers you hold and prepare to pay the deposit for 1 of them next week.