Query about admissions

[PinkQuill]

Hi

Just after some advice on private secondary schools please. My son is due to start at secondary in September 2026, Year 7. We have registered him at a local private school, and he has been along for a session where they meet the admissions lady, meet other students, do a cookery session and another group session. They are then invited back for a morning of team building and then another morning for a maths, English and verbal/non-verbal reasoning assessment – this will be in October. My son also won a competition that the school offered out for prospective students to take part in so has been along with 4 others to a cookery workshop run by the school a month or so ago. Before I collected him from that session I spoke with the admissions lady and asked how competitive the school is. She said it was about the student as a whole and said to me quietly that after observing my son that he would be fine and a great fit for the school. However, I’m wondering whether I can ring the admissions lady and have a bit of an honest conversation with her to see what the chances are of us getting a place there. I only really am asking from the point of view of we have been to see two other schools and I need to register him with both of those and for him to sit both lots of entrance exams is a lot if we have a good chance of getting into the first school, which is our preferred option.

What are your thoughts on asking the first school about chances of getting in? I don't want to appear desperate or needy, I just want to work out the chances of getting in to avoid having to put him through entrance exams at other places. Many thanks.

They won’t be drawn. He still has to take the exams with the others and pass well enough. How academcally selective is this school and likewise the others?

privae schools are businesses. If that’s your first choice put him in for that one. If he doesn’t get in you’ll have missed the usual route in for year 7 at your alternatives but they will take him through at an accelerated level.

Their website says it's a non-selective school and it's about the child as a whole and not just about academia. Their ethos is very much geared in that direction. Thank you for replying.

Thank you, yes, I think we probably have to put him through all the entrance exams to hopefully guarantee somewhere. By accelerated route, could you explain what that means please? Thank you.

Of course, there’s lots of knowledge about individual schools here. If you’re willing to share the name of the school, someone may know more than the admissions office is willing to tell you.

If he's won the competition and the admissions staff said a good fit, that's a pretty good indicator that he'll get in, especially if the emphasis is on whole student rather than academics (which can suffer on a bad day).

I wouldn't stress it. Schools usually err on the side of caution, so wouldn't have said this without good reason

I really don't think contacting the school will help your cause, but it sounds extremely positive. They said your son did really well and it's not academically selective, so I'd say your chances of being offered a place are pretty high. Other than the highly sought after / super selective, private schools are competing for pupils and many have places even up until the start of Year 7.

If you want to risk it for a biscuit, then hold your nerve and if he is not offered a place, I am sure there will be others with places still available even after offer day. However, it would be more sensible to apply to at least one other school. We only applied to two - academically selective but gently so - and we got offers at both schools, so all our fretting was for nothing. But it doesn't stop the fretting! Good luck.