Is KGS much harder to get into than Surbiton High?

[ontow]

We are wavering between these schools and like both. We are registered at two others and need one of these as a back up. School are fairly non committal. Any help appreciated.

Surbiton High must be easier - just look at stats. ~50 girls places vs ~200. Plus KGS attracts a reasonable pull of pretty academic girls/parents who actively seek co-ed vs Surbiton High does not have that differentiating factor - it's "just another girls' school" (I don't mean it in a derogatory way at all - just that it will be competing for candidates with other girls' school of which there are plenty).

So if you are pretty confident about getting one of choice 1 and are truly indifferent between KGS and Surbiton should you have to fall on your back up, I'd say Surbiton is more of a fail safe option.

That said, KGS is easier for girls than for boys as there are so many girls' options (no co-ed though).

KGS almost certainly harder to get into than SHS, not only because of the numbers involved but also the academic standards achieved. KGS seem to be on the 'up'. SHS stay pretty static and not usually top 50.

I have never heard of anyone not getting into SHS, but there must be some!

I know one girl who didn't get into SHS. She's now at Claremont Fan Court.

SHS isn't that easy to get into, not from the state sector anyway. You need to be a very solid level 5.

Definitely not solid level 5, Tess. SHS is where the 'less academic' children at our junior school apply and are accepted. I know girls that have gained scholarships at SHS that didn't even gain a place at other girls' schools, which makes me think it is probably 'easier' to get into than KGS (that, and what Irisha said about numbers of places).

I can only speak of the girls i know from our state junior school, fair enough SHS definitely easier than LEH, but most who got an offer from SHS also got KGS if they applied to both.
Now at SHS despite getting level 6 maths in their SATS finding themselves not in the top maths set. It's fairly academic from what i hear.

Sadly there are a lot of children 'taught to the test' for SATS and levels don't really reflect their actual wider ability in the subject, so it isn't surprising when children come into Year 7 and apparently 'under perform'.
Obviously SHS is not on par with LEH academically, but I'm not comparing it with LEH...just some of the many 'other girls' schools' within reasonable distance. At our junior school it is the choice you make if you are good at sports and/or get a really good scholarship in sport, art or drama (as not many other girls' schools are quite so generous in these areas at Year 7).
It's a perfectly decent school but not quite the same league as KGS academically, which really seems to be on the up in recent years.
However, they do offer lots of really generous scholarships so if OPs DD is reasonably academic she could find it a very good backup plan indeed!!

ohtobeanonymous you are being unfair about SHS - it has a big, broader intake and some very clever girls who have chosen to be there (over LEH, Wimbledon High etc). KGS is also good, but like tess73 most people I know who got an offer from SHS also got one from KGS if they applied to both.

Hi trader - didn't think I was being unfair by commenting on my experience and the numbers applying/number of places available. No doubt there are some very academic girls who choose to be there, but in regard to the OPs question about which would be potentially 'easier' to get into, it seems unlikely to be KGS (who informed me at their recent Open Day that they regularly get around 600-700 applicants for their 90-100 year 7 places). Even if only 200 were girls (given that more boys are likely to be applying given the lack of boys' school choices) that is 45-50 places - 1 in 4 being offered a place. 800 girls would need to apply for SHS' 200 places for the same chance, and there are not nearly that many applicants.

As someone who personally doesn't like LEH at all very much, I am certainly not saying a less academic school is not 'as good' as a more academic one, merely trying to address the OPs question. It sounds as if OP is looking for a slightly less academic choice because it is her 'backup' school.

Does anyone have experience of Surbiton and girls with dyslexia? Has anyone had experience of getting into Surbiton with dyslexia where 11plus test are often more problematic?