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.....

I would be very wary about having league tables in your thinking at this point in time. All of these schools are good. My dcs school has jumped about in the various published league tables by 40 places or more over time, despite most of the results being fairly static, similar level of Oxbridge/medics/1st choice uni etc. The only perceivable difference is essentially the ability range of the bottom quartile in any given year, and how strictly the schools weeds out at AS level. Your dd can do very well at any of them. And perhaps because I've seen teenagers get ill, or go through a patch which coincides with exams, personally I'm happy to have chosen a school which doesn't seek to weed out too ruthlessly.

As you open the envelopes, it is time to think about ethos - are the schools wanting the best for the girls, including allowing them to make choices which don't show up in the league tables. Which headteacher message was more in tune with your own views on life and education. Journey times and complexity is a biggie, not just for your dd, but also in terms of how many evening/sports events that you as parents will want to attend. When do options get made, and how wide are the choices. It is definitely worth checking this now as many schools will have just (ie in the last few weeks) updated their policies for GCSE and A level selections.

Completely agree with Lady Muck. The schools people are discussing here are all very good. It is not that significant if one is a few places above the other in the league tables in the whole scheme of things. Having been though this I would put location, school culture, fit, etc well ahead of the exact place in a league table at this point in time.

I completely agree. A secondary school is going to take your child through probably the most volcanic 5 or 7 years in your DC's life. Bearing in mind all these schools are good, I would not look at all as league table positions - actual or perceived- as important. I would also not just look at your choices through the lens of a highly biddable 10 or 11 year old with high academics - a key question is " if the shit hits the fan, is this school still going to be a good place for my DC". I would be listening for any mutterings (probably from current parents) about schools who lose interest in children who suddenly are not on a straight trajectory from Level 6 SATS to A* GCSE's. We know teens at the moment who have glandular fever, a mother just diagnosed with breast cancer, separating parents and just general fall off of keenness - all of these pretty common I would think, and I would be very interested in what do schools do in those types of circumstances.

Also, I really cannot overstate the importance location/ease of journey, both now and in the future (a school bus may seem great for a Y7, but my feeling is that DC resent it as they get further up the school). A good daily journey and accessible friends is honestly more important than league table positions.

couldn't agree more.

all of these schools are great. choose whichever you think your dc will be happiest at. if they have a strong preference go with it - then when school is tough (as it will be at least at some point) they may blame you a lot less

btw the league tables have become a nonsense. many don't count igcses so total bollox really.

Completely agree. Go for the nearest school or one with easiest journey. Go with your gut - the one that feels right for you and your child and the one that is going to look after your child through the teenage transition the best.

Believe me when you have a door slamming or grunting teenager on your hands you will be mightily relieved that you chose the school with the best pastoral care or whatever rather than the one that topped the Sunday Times league the day you completed the paperwork.

Hi. I do not think my post was clear. We are not worried about league tables. What is a worry is 900 applicants and not knowing what is a pass mark, or even if dd was invited to interview to one school, does it mean then she has a chance in another of the Consortium.
When I ask PH, G&L, CLSG in that order.....what I wonder is if pass is 80-85-90? Or less? Or the same for all of them? and then final selection is based on interview? Trying to keep calm in front of DD. She is keen on a school but she thinks interview was not great but the exam probably OK.
Just worried.... I hope to deliver good news....
I take on board the commute point. I completely agree.

Any offers coming through by e-mail? We are waiting for CLSG e-mail tomorrow morning (hopefully!) Good luck everyone!

Hi there, I have been lurking on this thread as have a Y5 DD and about to start the process for 2017 entry so I have noted the sage advice meeted out here! DD is at a mixed prep. We are relocating to London and our headmistress has indicated that an academic girls school would be ideal for her - CLSG or SPG. She is not sporty but takes part, is very musical and is very good at languages. I notice that the CLSG website under parental guidance advises that Children are encouraged to read ambitiously. In reality, can anyone who has been through the system advise what this looks like in RL? DD has read all of the classics retold (Usborne) and enjoys a very varied diet of books - both fact and fiction. She loves reading and I don't want to put her off but should I be encouraging her to read the 'real' versions or is their another 'tier' of books in between that I should focus on. She has done the HP series, Chronicles of Narnia, Wind in the willows etc. Any advice gratefully received! Thank you and good luck to you all with your offers.

I'm not a fan of abridged versions of classics. At this age, if she isn't likely to handle the fact that Beth actually dies in Little Women for example, don't let her read it. There are plenty of other books. It's about reading widely and enjoying it.

If you Google 11+ reading lists there are plenty of recommendations. However I would also advise getting them to read stuff they actually enjoy. I still clearly remember the torture of getting my DS aged 10 to read Carrie's War!

Pradaqueen, sounds like your DD is reading range is wide, and I would agree with PP, to allow her to read what she enjoys. Adding newspapers (what ever you deem appropriate at her level) is also good to support her comprehension.

Passionfruitmartini, only gone through this once (last year) but my understanding is that the schools cannot give you a definitive cut off point, because the pass and acceptance rate will vary each year. For example, whilst CLSG and G&L have the similar numbers who apply, they will not have the same numbers who accept due to location, and where an applicant resides. So their cut off may vary to reflect this. And I know of girls who were accepted from schools in a group and rejected by others in same group, so don't lose heart just yet.

CLSG can often get added to a prospect list because it's in the same consortium as others, but in reality, due to location, can get rejected.

Therefore those that really like CLSG, if offered, will expect the deadline for acceptance to be brought forward from the formal acceptance date, on a first come, first served basis (as they have done for last 2 years).

Good luck to all, I remember tonight being a pretty sleepless one so here's a for getting yourselves to this stage of a tough journey!

PradaQueen - don't limit your reading list to classics and older books. Also look at modern books. Just throwing out a few ideas very quickly, Wonder, Curious incident of the Dog in the NightTime, Annabel Pitcher books, Katherine Rundell, Eva Ibbotsen, the 100 year old man who climbed out of his window. The Young Adult genre is wonderful right now - my dd and I have a great time reading them simultaneously.

I wish someone had told me how enjoyable this stage would be, back in the days of Biff & Bloody Chip!

I wish someone had told me how enjoyable this stage would be, back in the days of Biff & Bloody Chip!

Couldn't agree more.

Can't believe we are one sleep until Consortium schools report! It feels like longer than a month that the process started though.

Thank you everyone - and best of luck to your DD's! Maybe one of them will invent the new 'Biff and Chip'....it was a happy day when DD became a 'free'reader!!

Good luck to everybody who is waiting for the postman today!

Some of the letters will contain waiting list places. It might be helpful to think about how you deal with those. One mistake (in my opinion) that I have seen some people make in earlier years is to react with strong emotion to "only" getting a waiting list, and suddenly express/develop a strong(er) love for a school that gave a direct offer.

Reacting positively to waiting lists makes sense for several reasons:

• avoid your DC feeling (unnecessarily) bad, set a good example with your own reaction
• avoid your "true" school preferences being influenced - if you believe a school is worth waiting for before you got that letter, then why not after?
• there is still a real chance! Two or three weeks from now, some waiting lists will start moving (and until then it is impossible to predict for a particular school what will happen)

• there is no stigma attached to coming in off he WL (nobody knows or cares) and unless DC is overtutored is not likely to struggle to keep up

- it might feel like you just want to get it over with today, but if you have an OK back-up plan then a few more weeks of uncertainty is not that bad. You don't have to decide today!

Excellent advice from NWGirls. I echo the waiting list comment - no one knows of even mentions it once your DC starts senior school so no worries about any perceived "stigma". Also the difference between a firm offer and being on a waiting list is so small that your DC won't struggle if they take up an offer. Finally - please release the schools you KNOW you don't want as soon as possible. Get those lists moving. Good luck to everyone.

Offers from G& L, Latymer and LEH for my DD in the post this morning. Plus a scholarship offer from Putney High last week.

So happy! Hope you all get the offers you are hoping for.

Well done to your DD Shirley. Is that a clean sweep of offers then? Do you have a favourite in mind? We have an offer from KGS this morning, the last school we were waiting to hear from. I think we know which school we will go for out of the four we applied to. Good luck to everyone else.

well done all, esp shirleycantbe - clever DD!

My DD got 2 offers, 2 wait list and 2 nos so an even spread and one of offers is the one she really wanted so feeling quite pleased!

Good luck to everyone else!

I'm now lurking officially I have a DS yr 4 in w London. Do you apply separatley to sit the 11+ , sorry have just moved from an area where it is not used...can someone give me a quick idiots guide please!

Well done Crazy and Ashers DDs and good luck everyone else. Thanks mummyinatizz! We are feeling v lucky!

Well done to those with offers

Unfortunately it was a rejection for DD from Emanuel but she does already have an offer from SWPS which we are all happy with. Just goes to show that there really is a lot of pressure on the SW London schools. I am glad that I don't work in senior school admissions trying to second guess how many other offers the top-placed children are getting!

Good luck to anyone still waiting for exam results (including Tiffin)

One no, 4 yeas, one of which is a 50percent academic scholarship.
We are thinking between clsg, jags or Schs. Hard not to be swayed by the scholarship.
Good luck to everyone else still waiting-feeling very lucky to even be contemplating these choices- those of us with more than one offer should release them Asap.
Thanks so much for all the support on the thread.