Grey Coat school admissions - how to get in?

[Luna9]

Hi,

My daughter is in year 3 and I have started looking at secondary schools and set my heart on the Grey Coat School; I have read the admission criteria and am aware of how difficult is to get it; I would like to find out from other families with girls attending the Grey Coat School how did they get in? Was it a language place? Open place? Do I still have time to start going to church? Do I need to move in front of the school? In other words how do I increase our chances of getting a place?

Thank you

Thanks, Needmoresleep, that makes perfect sense. I was just a bit worried that someone new to the system might be confused and think you could end up with two offers.

We live in SE London, many miles from Victoria, and quite often see girls in Greycoats uniform coming home on the train or bus. It seems odd to me, but I suppose it's not as far as the Oratory or St Olave's/Newstead Woods or the Sutton/Bexley grammar schools, and some families fall over themselves to get places at those schools.

I know .

I suspect part of the local ambivalence stems from the fact that it does not operate as a local school. Pimlico, in contrast, rents out classrooms to local groups, and shares its library and sports facilities with the local community. Plus educates local children.

Greycoats seems to attract plenty from Kent via Waterloo, and well as those coming into Victoria or by tube. Perhaps a fall back if you don't get the Grammar. I certainly got chided once by a colleague from Kent for sending my DD to a private school. I tried to explain that we were not offered any of our preferences, only a failing school some way away. She was astonished. Quite a lot of her friends children went to Greycoats. I am not sure that making sure you tick the boxes on the admissions criteria gives you as much moral high ground as I think she felt she was entitled to. (I am sure there is some theological question about whether in these circumstances it is more moral not to baptise, than to play the schools admission game.)

Poor DD had to get on a bus past Greycoats. Full of kids coming in from far and wide. We really wished someone from the school had given them a talk on not standing as a big group by the entrance of the bus, leaving others to push past them to get on and off, and perhaps the very long entrance criteria might include some understanding of basic social norms, like giving up seats for the elderly and disabled.

Sour grapes? Moi?!

I felt like that about Haberdasher's Aske's, Nomore! We didn't get a place there for our son, nor at two other comprehensives we'd have been delighted to send him to. We did get our fourth preference and would have been pretty sure of a place at our fifth and sixth too, but I would rather have attempted home education than send him to any of those. All in special measures, on and off for years. He went to a private school instead.

So glad all that is long behind us!

We're thinking of grey coat for DD for 2015 entry. Live in SE1 area. Not religious but DD very academic. Open day today and the queue is unbelievable. My heart has sunk and feel we have no chance.

My ds passed a language aptitude test for another school. He, and all the other children I know who got places by this method were also applying to independent schools and were doing verbal and non verbal reasoning practise to pass these tests. We went with the independent school and he really isn't any good at languages but is very logical.

Hi,

Anybody who has passed the language test this yeare who can give an udpate on what the test was like

Thank you

The language place can't be tutored for, it tests the child's logic. We didn't put in for a language test but was lucky to get a church place, but that's also not a guarantee as it's point scored.

I really don't know how that offer places as we are about two miles away and girls in my DD class come as far as N7 and se27!

We went for the language test this year, but I am afraid I can't remember much other than they were given a sample of language (Martian) and had to deduce what different words/sentences meant. I think there are some tests online somewhere that are similar.

There were lots and lots of girls in each sitting, and lots of sittings on different days. So the odds are very slim.
My dd didn't get in. A friend of hers at school did though. By all accounts this friend is exceptionally clever. My dd is high achieving but can't catch this other girl. I think it is an intelligence/logic test really.

Thank you vercy much miylifeisgood for this informat

I honestly cannot understand all these convoluted admissions criteria. Surely, if a school is truly comprehensive then it should be based on distance. The introduction of up to eight or nine bands with inner and outer rings must always ensure that most of the children are of average or higher ability thus skewing the intake. The idea that a child who lives yards from a school cannot get in because he/she is no 16 in a band where the fifteen kids have already been offered a place is an utter nonsense.
This is what is happening in the Academy schools in the area that I live - and it is an open secret that it is purely a back door selection process whereas the LEA controlled secondary schools purely allocate on distance.
I think it stinks.

I absolutely agree, LaydeeC. The banding system makes it very easy to manipulate intake: if they have 17 very able children in one band but can only offer 15 places, they simply put two of them into a less over-subscribed band so that they can ensure they get places also.

Apologies for bumping an old thread. I wondered whether anyone knew roughly what sort of distance you'd need to be from this school if the girl had attended church weekly for all of her life [and didn't sit a test for a language place etc]?? Is this something I might be able to get by emailing the school? Thanks in advance.

Allmimsy, Haberdasher's Askes now allocates on distance (it used to be lottery). They have also got rid of the banding. In SE London Charter (old and New), Kingsdale, Prendergast, Sydenham Girls', Harris Girls' ED and Deptford Green are all good options

Ah, I've just realised this is a zombie thread, the original kids are now in year 6!

Can you still apply for a normal place if you dont get the language apptitude?