Assessment timeline for Wimbledon Common (Squirrels)/Ken Prep/Glendower/Westminster

[bayesian]

I see that for Wimbledon Common, its 4+ assessment (Getting to Know Ya) is 18 months prior to proposed entry, which is way earlier than others. For example, if applying for September 2027 entry, the assessment timings are:

• Wimbledon Common: 18 months, Feb 2026
• Westminster Under: 12 months, Sep 2026
• Glendower: 9 months, Jan 2027
• Kensington Prep: 9 months, Jan 2027

My questions are

1. why is Wimbledon Common that much earlier? It just seems to me it is front-running other schools, as children of that age range can change so much in 9 months. It requires acceptance and deposit payment of 2.5k within one week, so forcing parent hands before they receive other offers.
2. Assuming an offer should come from Wimbledon, if my ordinal preference is Kensington > Wimbledon, it will force my hand to fork out the deposit. Is it commonly done among parents to waste such non-immaterial sum of deposit money?

Our son went through the assessment earlier this year at WCPS and was offered a place (though we have declined and will be going elsewhere). My understanding is that last year they trialed having a shorter period between assessment and start date, and the feedback they had was that it put them out of wack with other schools locally, so they’ve gone back to what they’ve usually done, which is 18 months.

They're very much in demand, so to fill their rolls 18 months ahead and get cash through the door in the form of deposits probably suits them, though it does feel a bit silly bringing a 2-year-old to an assessment.

As an aside, the schools you’ve listed are quite far apart - will you be moving based on your choice of school? Please don’t commute every day from Kensington to Wimbledon or vice versa - with my second soon to start school, I can only say that they don’t deserve to spend ages in a car or bus every day, and that the difference in prep schools at that age can’t be so huge as to compensate.

Answer to number 2 is: yes. i know of many who have paid deposits on a school place only to forfeit it when they receive a preferred place elsewhere.

G, KP and WU are hard to get in to given the sheer number of applicants vs number of places. I don't know much about WCPS, but if it is easier to get in to (and if finances allow) then I would consider accepting the place so that you have a confirmed option you love. Given that an offer at the other 3 is by no means assured.