Wimbledon High School admissions

Our experience of the school cannot be more removed from your perception. Not sure who you spoke with but I am, in years interacting with the school and its students yet to come about girls that I would refer to as "clueless about subjects and extracurricular", especially the "many" that you refer to.

We are all entitled to our views, of course and your pursuit of other alternatives. To be honest, given the view you have of the school, I don't think it makes much sense for you to have it even as a back up.

I’d always encourage to visit a school more than once. Pupils have to take tours and some are much better than others! We looked at Putney High 3 times and got completely different views each time! Although DD hated it every time!
The view you got of WHS is polar opposite of how it felt when DD was there. She would have been great as a tour guide but would have known bugger all about the sport past about Y8 but tons on drama, music, her subjects etc.
But I refused to let her even go round one all girls school I looked at because of the open day I went to without her so I’m
being a bit hypocritical! (Although niece is at that school and my impressions seem to be correct..)

I am @Breeze67 using another account . I did some research before the open day, looking into their exam results and academic provision via their website. On paper they looked excellent, so I went into the open day with high expectations. Comparatively, however, the visit didn’t quite live up to what I’d imagined — probably my expectations were a little too high. Their presentation was polished and refined, yet I got the sense the school focuses heavily on outward appearances. When we spoke to the student guides, many seemed clueless both about the subjects and the extracurriculars such as music and drama, and I didn’t see much passion or curiosity from them. I have also visited other comparable schools, including one grammar school. I feel WHS is nothing special and does not stand out above the rest. so I would only treat it as a backup option.

We visited Nonsuch but I was put off by the huge pride display at the entrance. It all seemed too much for ten year olds and suggested to me that the school’s priorities were askew.

@Breeze67 i have heard similar about WHS with parents becoming increasingly weary.

OP, I am biased as am Catholic but liked the warmth of St Phil’s alongside the academics. I liked the facilities and setting too.

Ultimately I think you are in a strong position and have lots of good schools from which to choose.

Best of luck.

You are right about the encouragement of extra-curricular, which is definitely enriching. If your daughter likes debating, beyond the usual clubs, many other activities encourage a dialectic approach to learning. That is not to say that there is not learning done in a "traditional" way but it is definitely complemented with quite active /participative learning.

@Breeze67 not sure of the basis for questioning the commitment to academic depth, practical skills and solid career preparation - their results, destinations, programme of extra and super curriculars and experience and feedback from alumni speaks of the opposite. As for the feminism and political engagement, I think (as somebody with actual experience of the school) that it is a girls' school that encourages the students to be aware of the realities of being a woman and of the wider social and political context, as well as to think critically and be ready to put forward their views - surely something to value.

@Breeze67- they really don’t spend all day discussing feminism and politics!
I think what they are very good at is building ‘resilience’ which I would argue is exceptionally important. Lots of encouragement to give things a go, not to worry if things don’t go to plan etc etc. Consequently the girls are well equipped when not everything falls into their laps once they leave school and enter the real world. They don’t expect things to be handed to them on a plate. They also have a lot of fun, get great results and being slightly out of the central London area there are less uber wealthy and tiger parents. Much less socially competitive than some of the more central girls schools….

Some thoughts on WHS after visiting their open day: I noticed a strong emphasis on feminism and political engagement, probably trickling down from the headteacher to the students. While I fully support raising confident, independent girls who understand feminist ideals, I feel that an overemphasis on political discussion can be distracting during these formative years. In my view, true independence for women is better fostered through academic depth, practical skills, and solid career preparation—areas I am not entirely sure they prioritize enough. While I am sure most girls would be happy there, I wonder if WHS truly equips them for the realities of the professional world.

I have heard very good things about Glenthorne. You should try WHS, if your dd is grammar standard she will likely get a place.

I am always put off by religious schools like your DH. Did you rule out schools like Tiffin Girls' and Putney High simply because they are a bit too far?

I may be very out of date, but 7 years ago DD got Tiffin but was waitlisted for WHS. I was told they rank in order of performance on the VR/NVR papers, and then the creative second round bumps them up or down the list a bit. And that WHS was seen as more unpredictable than other schools in terms of who got offers.

My dd also came from a state primary, and so hadn’t done any NVR.

St Phil’s would be top of my list personally. I wouldn’t let the Catholic requirement put you off - there are always places for girls of other faiths and indeed none.

Given your location, assume you must have discounted St Phil’s which is a shame. It’s a fantastic school especially for an academic girl.

@CarshaltonMum If the journey is doable then worth trying.
It’s an amazing school, good luck.

I 100% agree with Breeze that it is not too late. The beauty of VR and NVR is that while you can be prepped to some extent(and some are prepped to death), once you know the format of the questions and are used to the timings of the tests, natural aptitude will get you a long way. You could get a 1/2 month subscription to Atom where you can input the school you are prepping for and and they will provide you with the relevant type of tests.
Good luck.

If she’s never seen VR/NVR then I’d not bother at this point as you can’t get to the top 60 out of 700 applicants most of who are prepped by their prep

You do not need to be in the top 60 to make it through. A lot of students get through to the second round, and I expect WHS will massively over-offer as many who get offers will not take them up.

Well, I thought half-hearted preparation for Wimbledon High would be enough to get through to the interview stage, assuming your DD's academic calibre meets their standard. WHS is not most people's top choice, and the most sought-after private schools focus primarily on English and Maths, with VR and NVR making up only a small part or nothing at all. And VR/NVR can only be improved up to a certain point—if you think 6-8 practice papers aren't enough, perhaps 12-14 will do. Besides, you have a huge advantage over other applicants since your DD has already finished her 11+ preparation for other schools while others are preparing for many schools at the same time, and I assume she doesn't have many urgent tasks over the next 50 days until the WHS exam day? WHS is also our backup; as a matter of fact, it is the backup of the backup. We think we will just try 6-8 rounds of sample papers.