Am I really too late to privately educate just because I did not get DD's name down by 2?

[toolatetoprivatelyeducate]

We are in West London and had intended to send DD to a state primary until she is 7 (she will be three in August). However, circumstances have changed (well state school catchment areas have) and we want her to go private from Reception.

I have been looking at the websites of Ravenscourt Prep, Bute House, Orchard House and Chiswick and Bedford Park and it seems we have no chance of getting her into Reception at any of these. Is this really true or do they hype up the difficulties of entry to make themselves look exclusive?

Has anyone manged to get a DC into a popular private school despite not having got their DC's name down by the official deadline?

I moved all my children to private schools at around 8 - due to frustration with their state schools.

They were all offered places on the spot - dd was offered places at both schools we looked at - one before we had even got halfway home. These were very popular private schools - so I am a bit sceptical of this name down at 2 TBH.

Lala, I am not anti state schools. We have a great local state school and intended to send DD there but now it is very unlikely she will get in and the one she is likely to be allocated to is terrible. I have visited it and I hated it, it's ofsted is not great and it's SAT results are v poor.

also, it used to be far harder to get into those schools. Friend was told she was too late but got her child into the Falcons so I bet it won't be as bad as you think. But you should cover your bases.

Had a fair few friends who were turned down by Ravenscourt Prep on the basis of their (parental) interview (!).

Really Fox? What did they say wrong??!

I have no idea. And they were in very reputable professions and lovely people!

Reception is very difficult to get a place but Year 1 is far far easier.

Yes we found that with dd, she could not have got a place in reception, the nursery, or in year 7 or 8 but year2 had gaps.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to imply that you were anti the state sector, just that all was not lost if you couldn't get your daughter into one of the private schools - she can go to school if you want her to. But, as I am sure someone else on the thread has pointed out, the advantage of an August birthday is that she is not compelled to attend school until September 2011 so you have an additional year to sort something out.

I stress again from anecdotal "evidence", places always do seem to turn up at the private pre-preps near me which are considered ultra-competitive so there is no harm in trying to enrol her at a few and badgering whoever deals with admissions.

Frineds got their dd into haberdashers monmouth on short notice after problems in existingschool (I realiseits not LOndon butstill waiting list)

They called, got name down, maefrinds with parents and it happened very quickly when someone dropped out

So quite possible

And I would disagree that all areas are the same btw - where we are - south west london the competition is not as intense if you dont want one of the really hot housey schools - indeed a friend of mine got her dd into reception in the summer holidays and she started in september.

Another word of warning though - the same friend said that her dd was rejected by all the very academic schools for having a summer birthday - they only accepted girls with preDecember birthdays

One World Montessori Nursery over on Brook Green has just opened a prep school in Chiswick/Acton. I don't know much about the new school but the nursery is terrific. It might be worth a look.

That is very interesting American. I have heard very good things about that nursery. However I can't find any details about the school on google. Do you know what it is called or any other details?

Don't worry too much. There really is a huge amount of movement particularly for schools which have an attached nursery or have two form entry so up to 40 in a year. West London has many transitory families (international and also families who choose to move to the countryside) and places do become available. We got one for our first child for nursery that way. Just become good friends with the registrar and keep in regular touch. Do look at Ealing schools and also at schools in Kew. Our child's school starts at 8.30am and parents do club together to take children to school.

Expand your area search a bit and just get your name down.

I live further out of W London - Twickenham and everyone I know put their names down for Newland House, of course only a few got in, but every one of them got a private place, it just feeds down through the schools in descending parental choice order.

There will be loads of no shows and people with their names down with about 5 schools who can't make up their mind until the last minute.

I'd go for 'don't worry', too - with the provison that London may be different. We were told (we are up north) that we needed to put DS's name down for all the indie schools when he was a baby; the idea, apparently, is to put their name down for all the schools then choose one later on. In the event, we did put his name down for our local indie when he was 18 months - but then asked them to take us off the list as we were moving. We then didn't move, and kept DS at home for most of Reception while we decided what to do; when we decided to stay put, we rang the school and asked if he could start after the Easter holidays. They were quite happy to take him - it turned out someone else had left, and they anyway had a couple of spaces.

We are now moving as DS has a scholarship, and were a bit scared as we had to get DD into an indie school from scratch (she's currently in Reception). The first two schools we rang said there were no spaces and a waiting list; the third said they had two spaces and would be happy to take her if we liked the school (which we did, fortunately!)

FWIW, our failed attempt to move also involved schools. We looked at the most stupendously brilliant school in Truro (Polwhele), having been warned most emphatically by the Head that there were no spaces and a waiting list. After he'd shown us round and had talked to DS, he went off to have a chat to the bursar - and returned with an offer of places for both DCs. In the event, we didn't take them up - but the school was certainly able to offer places despite, on paper, being full.

This is a very long-winded way of saying that I shouldn't take their word for it if they say they're full!

I think it's called One World Prep School. They may not have a website yet, they're very new. I'd call the One World nursery on Brook Green for details. I'm sure they'll send you all the information. Good luck!

I go for don't worry and I live near you and understand the issues.

I think Ravenscourt Prep is v hard to get into because it's v small(fwiw I don't think it's that great a school anyway. Bute House similarly has its ballot and is pretty impenetrable after that. But there are loads of others.

But if you expand your search you will find something. I got dd1 at the very last minute into a private prep school (think a bit far for you) when to our astonishment she didn't get in to the local state primary (in its history everyone who applied got in, until this year when the credit crunch bit and suddenly the catchment narrowed to 300 metres. We were 600metres).We'd already been offered and turned down places at several private schools which were allegedly ungettable into because I'd registered dd1 at around 18 months.

As others say, at worst,a year in a state school you don't like won't be the end of the world, it's hard to do too much harm at reception. During that year a place will come up at one of your choices. I promise. You still have a year to go and there'll be massive movements on the lists.

how about the Harrodian?
or Putney High junior school - they are selective so you don't have to apply til later (downside is you may not get in of course)

I'm in Putney, so not necessarily directly relevant, but this year (i.e. for entry to Reception in 2012) several parents I know who were told they were so late for some popular (not crazily-popular, but decidedly oversubscribed) private schools that the school wouldn't even take a registration fee were offered places. So the goalposts can shift (however, by the time your DD is starting the economy may have picked up and things may be more back to "normal").

I'd suggest the Harrodian too, or I was chatting to another parent at RugbyTots who said that the Central London schools aren't as oversubscribed as they have tended to be at the moment -- so there might be an option there if you can find somewhere convenient for getting your DD to on the way to work? Putney High is probably a bit out of your way in terms of location, but CD is right, they do assessments in around November-January of the academic year before you'd be starting in Reception and don't expect your name down massively before that. But then it is selective so there's no guarantee of getting in (and it seems a bit of a lottery TBH).

Fulham prep? I seem to remember people going on their waiting list relatively late, and it may be more on your way in to London than some of the others.

Yup, Harrodian and Fulham prep are just two schools I rejected - meaning someone else will have got a place.

And lots of schools in south ken, thereabouts, are selective and therefore doors are open until last minuteish, assessment for 3yos is hit and miss but you're likely to hit somewhere!

Is the Harrodian not oversubscribed then? If so how come? Alot of people have mentioned it to me the last couple of days. Is it a good school?

One of the schools I looked at made a big deal about waiting lists. I was looking the year before ds would start in reception and was told (after spending 2 hrs on a private visit) that I had no chance of getting him in at reception but could have a space when he was 7 (and they added a class to the year).

Didn't bother to register as I thought it was a waste of money. Interestingly I know two people who would have been several below me on the waiting list who were called in the August (ie one month before school started) to be offered places. We are west of London and the school was supposed to be 'oversubscribed'.

The Harrodian is oversubscribed, but I suspect your dd will get in - people register but then move away, decide it's not for them (in our case) etc etc, something would come up though maybe not until v late and you'd have to hold your nerve.

As for whether it's a good school it's an entirely personal decision. I am not a fan but others are. All I'd say is coming south over Hammersmith Bridge to get there in the morning would be a bit of a nightmare but I know people undeterred by that.

Bear in mind, the holding on to the last minute thing also applies to state schools, if you stay on the waiting list of the state school of your choice you may well get a place at the very last minute. Loads of people do. Good luck

The Harrodian runs 4-18 but I think some pupils do attend just for 4-11 or 11-18. It used to have a reputation for taking the thick rich, but I think that's less the case now and it gets good results -- not on a par with the very academic schools, but then it doesn't have the same intake as the very academic schools. The Good Schools Guide is very keen. It's oversubscribed, but not as oversubscribed as some others, I think.