SW/W London Independent Schools thread part two

[Chillaxalready]

There. I've done it and started one.
1001 messages and counting!

That should've been sahms

Shams! Ok sahms! What about sahds???

You will get all sorts everywhere. DS2 is at state primary but plays a lot of cricket and 90% of the boys are from prep schools in that sport. Mostly great boys, but you can tell that they've had the prep school education as they are more forthcoming than the average, very polite also, but an average more confident... and I could imagine them appearing pompous and a bit full of themselves if they were asking questions as was experienced in the posts above.

I know all sorts of parents through cricket and DS1s school with a wide variety of wealth from £300m in the bank to ex-footballers to bursary parents, and I treat them all the same with my sarcastic wit and they are all pretty much just down to earth people - with decent, confident and well brought up kids to match.

sahd

Oh rats lost my post. Advice desperately needed. Think DD and I are going to want different schools. What should I do? Has anyone faced this and what did they do to resolve it? Thanks all.

DarkBlueEyes, you pay, you decide then. Is it fair?

DarkBlueEyes, if all criteria are equal and for me these are: distance from home/choice of travel, cost, breadth of curriculum (in particular languages for me), sport, music, drama etc, and general feel, then I'd maybe let DD decide. However I don't think most 10 year olds can make such a rational decision about a school. I would have thought they are far more likely to be swayed by which of their friends were going there or what the snack was like at the exam! Good luck with your decision. I am sure it will be the right one, after all they are all selective and all fee paying and usually when we enter our DC for an exam we do it in the knowledge that we want them to go there

DarkBlueEyes, I agree with Castles. If you fell STRONGLY that DD's favourite isn't right for her, you should try and convince her. Discuss motivation and long term implications - at 10/11 DD will be able to take these into consideration and understand that won't lose her BFF even if they go to different schools.
However, if you can't convince her and go against her will you risk being blamed for everything that may go wrong in her life for the next 7 years! I chose and applied only to schools I knew I could live with and let DD make the final choice. It would not have been my favourite as a 10 year old, but I know it's the right school for her. And because she feels so strongly about it, I think she'll have an extra incentive to make it work for her.

Working on the assumption that you only sat her for schools you liked; then I'd let her choose. She's the one going there.

If for whatever reason you've changed your mind about a particular school then that's different.

Additionally - I would want to hear sensible reasons why she thinks the school is better for her. Friends going wouldn't be acceptable.

Do the state school offers come out on Sunday night after midnight or Monday evening? School registrar has asked us to call her on Monday afternoon for an updated picture, however, not quite sure when parents will know if they have the state school they wanted and there reject offers and allow waiting list to move.

I think we get the results at 5pm on Monday. Apparently there will be an email and then you log on.

Thank you mertonmama? There are some privates (Halliford and St James) that want deposits and contracts returned by midday on the Monday 2nd March, so we were unsure how parents who are yet undecided if they def. want to go private can make that decision before knowing their state option.

I don't think they can! Most schools seem to have Tues deadline to allow parents to deliver deposits in person if necessary.

Guess they want to release the results after the office closes to stop a flood of phone calls!

I don't think it's on for the deposits to be paid before state offers; few schools do this (although most only give you a day or so to decide).

I know someone who got a private school to agree to an extension of 2 weeks for that reason - no harm in asking?

i got St Catherine's to extend the deadline for prep school dd1 got a place and the deadline was a week before the state allocations. i just told them how could i possibly decide when i hadn't heard. they weren't too pleased but accepted that i would tell them the day after. i guess they want to know definite numbers from offers made so they are ready for the calls from desperate parents who get disastrous or no school allocation.

though it's different with secondary when exams etc... have to be sat rather than just cheques paid to secure a place. maybe the local state schools to Halliford/St James's have an earlier allocation or is 2nd March national offers day?

2 March is allocations day for all of the UK. Only difference is timing of results. For all of London it is 5pm.

Any one heard anything on waiting list on WHS or PHS?

theintrepidfox (I do like your MN name!) we did the same thing - let dd choose from schools we could live with. She offered 4-5 to apply to, she chose to apply to two (one state, one indie). The fact that we'd narrowed it down to ones we were ok with meant we could ride the 'its MY future/school/life so I should choose' storm with impunity - and have the luxury of simply offering points to consider.

Now, we just heard she has an offer for the indie and will certainly be offered a place at the state one too (well in catchment) - and she is in a total dither and moaning that she doesn't know how to choose

But luckily we don't have to give our decision till the 6th March - time for dithering over the weekend

Now, we just heard she has an offer for the indie and will certainly be offered a place at the state one too (well in catchment) - and she is in a total dither and moaning that she doesn't know how to choose

That's women for you...

sahd

Elibean: promise her loads of sweets / adventure holidays / designer shoes for the money you'll save by choosing the state school, that may help her make up her mind (and will certainly help your bank balance!). Wish we were near a good state secondary...

Waiting, you do know you are risking your very life posting inflammatory statements like that?

crossroads, I like your thinking...

Anyone go to the KGS morning this morning?