Occasional places for Year 9 at SPGS and G&L - any experiences/advice?

[Dayu]

Hi everyone,

My daughter has her heart set on St Paul’s Girls’ School (SPGS) and Godolphin and Latymer (G&L). They are absolute dream schools for her, and as her parent, I really want to do everything I can to support her ambition.

She is looking to apply for an Occasional Place for Year 9 (13+ entry). I know that these vacancies are incredibly rare (often just 1 or 2 places, if any at all) and depend entirely on current students leaving.

I would be so grateful if anyone whose daughter has gone through the occasional place process at either school could share some insight:

1. How do the schools typically shortlist candidates based on current school reports before inviting them to exams?
2. What are the assessments like for Year9 occasional places? I understand they test Maths and English, but are there other subject expectations or pre-requisites we should prepare for?
3. What is the interview stage like for these year groups?
4. Any general advice on how best to support her and keep her spirits up, knowing how competitive it is?

Thank you so much in advance for your kindness and help!

Is she very bright and generally in the top 3 in pretty much every subject at her current school?

If not, don’t bother

Thank you for your reply. Yes, she is at the top of her class. I'd like to know more details about her future study plans.