Son didn't do well in 11+, options for mid year Y6?

Nonsense no school expects 10 year olds to be at GCSE level and no tutor teaches to that level at 11+. At most they need to have covered the full year 6 curriculum by the exams

I absolutely understand your point, but my intention is to cheer you up and offer my support that it is not a tragedy with the lack of success at 11+. Private education is not the only way to guarantee a son's success in life. Even if you look at acceptance rates for top universities, they accept children from state and private schools equally.
I completed a state education, went on to study at a top MBA program in the US, and have worked for 20 years in top global corporations in the UK- I worked with people who attended both private and state education. My son’s father also attended state schools and now holds several patents as a scientist. It does not matter whether a child is in state or private education; what matters is that he finds subjects he is passionate about and excels in them, as these will be the subjects he takes for his A-levels.
From my perspective, I would not consider private education if it were a significant financial burden. If possible, I would move to an area with good state schools instead. I believe it is much better to invest in 1:1 tutoring with an excellent teacher in the subjects that he will need at A - levels. That is my take on it.

Gosh, call me daft but just assume your kid is average and send him to a state school. But that’s maybe just me.

Did you look at local state schools and submit a CAF (Common Application Form for state school entry into year 7) as well as targeting independent schools? The deadline for on-time applications was 31st October, but you can submit s late application and he will be allocated somewhere initially and be placed on the waiting list for your preferences (higger than the one offered if one could be, or all of them, if he had to be placed initially at your 'nearest undersubscribed' school). At least that way he won't be without a school place at all - unless providing a full education at home would be your preferred alternative to an indie?

Kids prepare two years in advance. Some do around three hours a week of tutoring, plus homework and constant every day work with their parents, especially on timing.
And to be completely honest, not every private school is better than a state school. I would only consider private education if I lived in an area where the state schools were genuinely terrible, or if the tuition fees had no real impact on my lifestyle — comparable to buying cotton buds :)).
Where I live, there are excellent state schools, and my son is thriving in the very top sets, which bring together pupils who would otherwise attend grammar schools. He has an excellent tutor outside of school that works with him on timing

He was performing according to Atoms, "on track" for students who get into St Paul's and King's.

Then he should get with no probs to an average private school.

It sounds like your DS has had a lot of changes recently; moving to a new country, starting at a new primary as an in-year applicant and then sitting multiple entrance tests for independent schools. You don’t appear very happy with his primary and your attitude is probably not helping him settle. Did you submit an application for a Year 7 place in a state secondary or an all-through school by on-time deadline of 31/10/25?

Have you received detailed feedback on his scores in the independent schools’ admissions tests? I wonder if this is a case of you targeting the wrong schools and no one being honest enough to tell you are being over ambitious for where he is academically at the moment. Of course your DS is still very young and that is not to say with the right school - state or independent- he won’t be very happy and fly academically

Most of the schools you apply for are going 2 years ahead of the national curriculum. DC had limited tutoring time and to get use to English exams questions and techniques so please don’t be too hard on yourself. All the best in your next phase and do check leavers destinations as you want a school that goes up to 16-18 so it takes pressure off and not a mad rush at 13+.

I would take the Atom "peer" performance with a pinch of salt. One school Atom showed DS was above the average applicant but when I got exam feedback they said he his result was in the bottom 20%!

Son is in Y6 in a state school in central London and sat a bunch of 11+ exams to independent schools and didn't progress to stage II in any of them. This has been eye opening for us and we want to get him into a better school asap so he can start closing some academic gaps

No state school is preparing for 11+ exams. SATS are a completely different beast. Prep private primary schools prepare.
You state school may be good and he may not have any gaps. Simply it is a different type of exam and parents send kids to 11+ tutors, courses, Atom Learning prior to taking 11+ exam. I think he would need to be a genius to pass e.g. NVR or Verbal reasoning etc if he has never done it before.

Kings and SP are top 5 of the league tables, they are hard to get into even with tutoring, but there are excellent schools in top 30 or even 50 and they may have places. Our former school that has been in top 15-20 and oversubscribed for many years now discreetly ask parents if they have friends who might be interested to join. They don't advertise it openly of course but have vacancies in some year groups. It'll be too far for you but just an example of how the situation is changing.

I'd go through the league tables and contact the schools directly.

True :) but somehow it never feels like a N London school 😂

Check out Thomas campus if they have spaces to move in Battersea or Kensington, Thomas which now have a senior school campus to 18. Knightsbridge school that goes up to 16. Wetherby Pembridge a new senior school that goes up to 18. This allows your DC to apply to schools without the pressure of having to move. In fact call on Mon to see if you can move your DC for this term onwards. Those schools would be more relaxed for Year 6 since 11+ would be completed.

Try out Atom and a Tutor to cover gaps, creative writing has a marking checklist and maths the worded questions are based on your child understanding what is being asked and using the right formula.

Try for occasional places in Latymer Upper, Emanuel, Ibstock, Harrodian as another MN mentioned. Check if you apply for 11+ St Paul can you reapply at 13+?

Check out good schools guide.co.uk and London Preprep website. It would cover more London schools options.

@ashley30001did you have a tutor and did they advise on schools? Did you use Atom and if so was he scoring highly? If not I would get him assessed by a tutor so you have some guidance of where he sits in his cohort as a whole, ie where he sits academically in sw London private schools. It’s a highly competitive area and all the dc sitting the 11plus for kings / St Paul’s are outstanding academically/ multi extra curricular / prepped for the exams etc. The U.K. eduction system is very exam driven and you need to find a school where he will thrive, not the first place that will take him.

The ones I listed definitely are worth reaching out to. NBH Canonbury is probably a bit too far tbh but the rest are ok I think location wise for you. Wetherby Pembridge also maybe a good shout too. Although deadlines have passed I am certain all of them would consider your son - especially given the non UK background / currently at state situation. Some may ask you to wait until offers and acceptances are made and received - usually March.

Otherwise yes he could move mid year 6, keeping in mind that there will be a bit of movement at y7 with boys leaving for day schools. Good options could be Wetherby prep and Hill House. Sussex house too - and Brighton college prep (this maybe still too selective)

Even if bright, depending on how long you had to prepare for the exams there will have been a lot of kid who have had a year to prep for exam technique and get used to VR/NVR type questions.

There will definitely be a school, and probably more than one which will be open to having your DS.

Well Westminster is technically! Kings definitely has a (very) slightly less highly strung parent body!

Oh boy are these N London parents another level! 😂 (Well, I have no experience of other areas but it was truly anyone would talk about for years. It made me want to run away to Finland!)

Now that one of my DC is at secondary, the talk has stopped. People seem to have found their place.

So I find that once your child is on whatever “track”, the stress of schools and status anxiety winds down… (maybe?!)

Oh c'mon, Westminster, SP, Kings are not north of the river! 😂

OP is not targeting grammars, private schools are an entirely different landscape with more options, especially after VAT as many second tier schools are now losing pupils and likely to have occasional places. I guess new schools like Wetherby Pembridge may be interested too. Or Alleyns Hampstead, even though it's not technically new.

OP it doesn't have to be prep, unless you only want super selectives. There are lots of all through schools.

@Clasaassa- I suspect your friends were trying to convince themselves that the £££ they spent on tutoring was worth it! I have DCs at schools that are more academic than Highgate in terms of league tables. Were at state primary and just had tutoring for exam technique. Certainly no GCSE maths! Am also involved in admissions at one of the ’ top’ schools and again they are certainly not looking for GCSE in anything!
Having said that, we’re in SW London and some of the N London parents are on another level!

Very true! My child didn’t sit the exam, so I don’t know!

So many of DC’s friends got stuck into the whole thing and it seemed frantic and ridiculously competitive and it was all the parents would talk about for years (pretty much year 4 onwards - mostly the parents who were applying for the grammars, tbh - Laytmer especially).

I was just trying to reassure OP that these kids are tutored big time, and the fact that her son didn’t get through to round 2, doesn’t mean he isn’t doing well enough at school or that he isn’t bright.