Is it too early to start a 2016 girls 11+ W/SW London thread?

[orangina]

What do we think? DD is sitting 11+ for various consortium schools in January 2016 and I am slightly desperate for a thread to compare notes, pat each others shoulders etc..... I lurked on last years thread, but it didn't start until much later....

Just booking up open day places and filling in my registration forms now.....

Sorry for your news Empress. But great she already has a place. The numbers are crazy crazy! We have to wait for all of them until 12th- so scared!!

I wish there was just one date that all the schools agreed on for releasing the results, i.e. like National Offer Day for the state schools. For Crazy and others who have no news until the 12th sending out good vibes ...

Sorry for the 'no' letters for WHS today to those that received them.

The numbers this year are truly crazy. I just read an article about Latymer - over 1000 this year as has already been mentioned on this thread, and they also referenced a couple of the really over subscribed grammar schools including Tiffin - 1,800 applicants this year for 160 places.1,800 !!

And then I was wondered if there is any way of accessing a list of numbers of applicants to the London Indy's. I think it would be a great tool for comforting DD who is still smarting for her KGS rejection. Does anyone know if such a list exists?

Been lurking with interest and wishing there was a boys equivelant thread.

We will have all of the results all on the same date by the way Empress! By chance (or design) results for our DS's 4 schools will be posted on the 11th (KGS and Emanuel as mentioned on this thread and two other boys only). Had interviews at all (Emanuel interviews everyone anyway) so hopeful at least one will come off.

Not sure how it will feel to have so much to think about all on one day....

To all on the thread: I have felt all of your waiting pain both for interviews and results and felt your joy and sadness along the way. Hang in there till the end.

Good luck for your results still to come. As has been mentioned, it usually works out well in the end even if not as initially hoped for .

Here is the boys thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/2481562-ALL-NEW-WHITGIFT-TRINITY-DULWICH-ALLEYNS-10-11-2016

SlightlyJaded according to the Head at KGS nearly 1000 sat the exam - for 100 places effectively as 20 ish usually awarded at 10+ - hope that gives your poor dd some comfort!

And we're a no from Putney too. Again like WHS the odds were long, but there was always a chance. Now we have to wait until 12 Feb for the others.

Wishing better luck to other PHS DDs.

Mummyinatizz- oh no, sorry to hear :(( hope next week you will get much better news! Do they have wait list systems in WHS or PHS? It's still early days before everyone gets their envelopes and make final decisions.

Countess - 1000 for KGS?! Oh my goodness, this sounds like a lot!

So sorry to those getting no's - it's so hard. I would be interested to know if there are actually a lot more children in the system this year. There are bulge years and is this one of them- or is it more that people are applying to more schools? Are there are a lot lot more children applying and therefore there will be more not getting places - rather than the usual shuffling around and everyone landing somewhere?

Long time lurker here. Can someone explain to me what is going on in terms of numbers? I get that there are more wealthy foreigners living in London, but I'd have thought private schools were becoming increasingly out of the reach of most people. Certainly, friends of mine who were educated privately now can't afford to do the same for their offspring. Just seems odd that the supply/demand balance appears to be getting worse and worse at the same time as affordability is falling. Can anyone explain??!

And should clarify - am lurking because my DS has it coming next year which I am dreading, needless to say

1000 children applying for 100 places sounds like crazy odds, but to give you some perspective. Most years at our prep between 8 and 12 children are offered places, and at most 1 or 2 go. Often no one goes, as KGS is less popular with the parents than LU, Hampton, LEH and increasingly Ibstock. It's a great school and perfect for many children, but sadly seen as a banker by many parents at academic preps. These children are applying for between 4 and 6 schools and often get 5 offers. This means if you are really keen, take heart!

Mummyinatizz - I'm sorry to hear. Hope you get good news next week.

I'm also interested in numbers, and if anyone knows how many applicants to how many offers particular with PHS and JAGS. We received a letter that our DD is on the wait list for PHS which was first choice. I see WHS was 450 to 50, I'm thinking PHS would be around the same? Does anyone have any information on how quickly the wait list moves. Do they wait until after 3rd March before putting next round out, or is there a likely hood that they drip feed offers, as places become available.

Good luck to all waiting for offers.

I think you will find there is no shortage of money in London so there are plenty of families who can afford the fees.

In terms of waitlist, they will call and offer as soon as they can. For every parent agonising over choices, there'll be someone going through this for the 2nd, 3rd, nth time who is very grateful to return forms asap.

I think it is also true that there are plenty of foreign parents in West/Central London for whom state schools are a definite no go and who only apply to private schools. The resulting squeeze on places and sky high fees (due partly to schools being vastly oversubscribed so they feel they can charge what they want) means that London state schools have an increasing number of English MC pupils whose parents were privately educated. An interesting situation may arrive if things continue as they are going where most of the pupils at the top private schools are foreign in which case I can see more calls for the removal of their charitable status.

Under the law as it stands, you can't just remove charitable status. You have to wind up the charity.

The wholesale closure of private day schools would exacerbate the demographic time bomb that is the shortfall London school places (for those pesky foreign pupils would still be living there). No politician would touch this at the moment.

Sareba - well done to you and DD, you're so close! Have you got other irons in the fire? Yes am told, the numbers at PHS were similar to WHS.

Not sure about waitlist for PHS, but recall last years posts here re WHS waitlist not moving much/at all last year.

I think people have definitely upped the numbers of schools they apply for. We for instance applied for three, then had a last minute panic we wouldn't get any and applied for a fourth. Even on this thread people have routinely applied for 5 or 6. So wait lists will move. One assumes schools are over offering if they have spotted this general trend. If not I think there will be a knock on effect next year.

meditrina I haven't heard any suggestion that legislation would be drafted in such a way that schools would have to wind up i.e. it has only been suggested that the tax breaks derived from being a charity could be removed ie the schools could continue as trusts etc just without the charitable status. It was estimated that this would result in fees rising by a few hundred pounds per pupil annually. Note that around 20% of private schools are not charities anyway. I therefore personally don't think the removal of charitable status would make much difference ie its more media puff from the schools . Indeed it would free private schools from eg providing more bursaries which in most cases don't come from the school's own funds but from other parents' fees i.e. it seems to me crazy that to demonstrate their charitable nature the schools raise their fees to provide more bursaries putting them out of reach of middle earners so eventually they will only cater to the super rich and those on bursaries..

If your child is offered a place at two schools you can decline your least favored of the two straight away, that frees up a place instantly. With dd a few years ago she was offered a place at PHS which we declined as soon as she received an offer from LEH. That meant we could also call another less favoured school and decline her place there before their offers even came out. Declining places quickly is really important as it reduces stress for the other girls & their families.

"It has only been suggested that the tax breaks derived from being a charity could be removed ie the schools could continue as trusts etc just without the charitable status"

That is not a legal possibility at present.

Under the current law, the only way to end charitable status is to close the charity (which in these cases means closing the schools, selling off the land, buildings and major assets at market value, and redistributing the profits to continuing charities in line with CC guidance.

I am not aware of any current proposals for a new law which would allow the transfer of any charities' assets to private ownership (whether an individual or a trust).

We live in the SW London area and 7 years ago when or firstborn DC was applying for primary school there was a crisis in our borough for places which had been building up for a couple of years already. This was due to an increase in births and migration into the area (and poor planning IMO). This was solved with bulge classes in existing schools and eventually a new primary.

These kids are now approaching secondary age and the provision for places has fallen short of the mark again. It's an all round state/private problem.

I had a chance to speak to the headmaster at KGS as my DS was one of the last to come out of the exam room in January and I asked him about the numbers. So just to clarify 1000 sat the exam that day but 750 were for 11+ and 250 for the 10+ in the afternoon. He said this was overall a bit of an increase on the previous year. For 11+ he said some of those holding 10+ places from 2015 do not take them up so although advertised at 100 places it may be around 110.

After Emanuel's exam I asked the head of the lower school the same question. He said 640 sitting for approx 75 places (a little higher than the 600 cap I note).

So for 11+, about a 1 in 6.5 chance at KGS and 1 in 8.5 at Emanuel it would seem on the face of it...

BUT do remember they over offer and a child can only accept one place out of all the schools they have applied for. If you get waiting list there is a good chance it will shake down overtime especially after Grammar school offers on March 1st.

Best of British luck!

it's much better odds than that

so 750 for 110 places at KGS
i bet they offer x3 (guessing) so that is 330/750