11+ Sept 2017 London Independent Girls School applications - all welcome!

[Pradaqueen]

Hello All!

Inspired by another recent thread and last year's SW London Girls thread, I thought I would create a thread for those of us applying to London Day Schools. I have put independent as I think 11+ has passed for most of us. Anyone care to join?

I have a DD (10) who wants to sit CLGS and SPGS. Ideally she would like to be a music scholar so looking at schools with a strong music department that is a commutable distance.

[Puddinglane12]

Yes, I am thank you. I'll try that now

[nocampinghere]

Puddinglane12 I assume you're talking about entry for Sept 2018, probably worth starting a new thread.

[Puddinglane12]

Does anyone know what proportion of girls that do the JAGS pre-test, get called back for the real exam?
Also is the sports scholarship very competitive? I know these things are relative, but just wondering what the thoughts are.
DD, does rounders, gymnastics, netball, hockey and athletics in school. She just has a natural flare for sports, we don't push her at all.

[Puddinglane12]

Joining as well. We are doing JAGS, and 2 in Croydon area
Does anyone know anything about the JAGS pre-test. Seems no interviews at this stage this year.
I know it's early days....

[efrieze78]

Clsg - did the same for 7+. Over offer and first X people to pay despotic get a place. Makes people reserve their place even if they ultimately drop out. Although few do.

[AnotherNewt]

"what does CLSG do?

over offer and then accept the first number of acceptances ? "

Yes.

It's on their website - if the number of acceptances exceeds the number of places, then order in which acceptances received is the key factor.

I don't know if they have had to activate it before. I think the rescinding of offers is a dreadful system.

Not all schools co-ordinate their admissions round dates, and there are awkward mismatches of deadlines all the time. But this is a whole separate league of awfulness.

[amidawsh]

what does CLSG do?

over offer and then accept the first number of acceptances ?

really? is this usual for them or have they realised they've got their numbers wrong this year?

[MN164]

London schools (at least all the ones I know of) seem to have co-ordinated the process and discussed it collectively to work best for the students and for the schools. Responses all came by 10 Feb and acceptances all due by 6 March (after state school day). All schools run a waiting list to deal with under-acceptance and, to my knowledge, if you pay a deposit you get it back when they replace you with someone from the wait list. That is as fair as it can be.

City seem to be "playing the system" and stressing people to accept weeks ahead of the 6 March and even their own offer day. They also have a no-refund policy on the deposit, so it's all about making it work for them at the expense of student's ability to choose.

There will, of course, be a number of girls that have either only City as an offer, or already know that City is their first choice. But given how high the City requirement is they must know that girls will also have offers at others because they are a) bright enough and b) couldn't risk taking only one exam. Their policy discriminates against such girls. They should adopt the same policy as all the other schools and run a proper waitlist.

[Eastlondmum]

We received the same upsetting email from CLSG today. We had been for a tour of the school just this morning as my husband is away next week for work and could have not attended the offers holders open day. What happens now? How likely is that anyone will change their mind and thus lose their deposit?

[nylon14]

I know! That was a huge turn off for us. Why should we get stressed out just because they made too made offers.

[MN164]

Not impressed by the CLSG first past the post offer system. As if the 11+ wasn't stressful enough. What's the point of having an offer holders open day to help girls decide and accept if they withdraw the offer beforehand?

[S999]

So did we!

[nylon14]

We just released a place at SHHS, good luck!!!

[Thisdoesnotgeteasier]

Thanks. We are waiting on Surbiton specifically. There seem to be a number of people making KGS v Surbiton evaluations and I'm sure some of the SHS offerees will have received offers at the likes of LEH, Putney and Wimbledon, so hopefully some movement. I thought the exams would be be stressful part - it's the waiting!

[AnotherNewt]

Difficult to generalise ThisDoesNotGetEasier

All the schools will have made more offers than they have places, because they know that prospective pupils will have applied to several schools and may get plural offers. If the expected rejections do not arrive, then schools can get distinctly nervous.

The last biggie is when state school offers come out (1 March).

Schools may well start using the wait list before their deadline if they know they are low on acceptances. (Or OTOH they may write to WL parents saying 'no chance' if numbers are obviously high early on).

Remember that right from the day they make the offers, the schools will have been getting phone called from both parents and prep heads about WL (or rejected) candidates, to see if there is wiggle room. So there is very little way to tell who from the WL might get an offer, because schools vary on how they manage them. Some have a further internal meeting to consider all on WL and decide which ones to make firm offers to, others don't. And offers to those on the WL can come at any time, depending on how the numbers are playing out.

[Thisdoesnotgeteasier]

From previous years, does anyone know if any of the SW schools (e.g. KGS, Surbiton, etc) start offering waitlist places as people start coming back with decisions post half term or is it typical to expect that there won't be any real movement re WL offers until after the 6 March deadline that many of the schools have (or maybe just after the state school allocations on 1 March).

Still hoping for one school where DD is on the waitlist and would ideally like to avoid paying a deposit elsewhere (although our state option is excellent and we might still go that route).

[Jens1234]

Thank you - I am indeed talking about south Hampstead high school

[amidawsh]

ah-ha!

[NWgirls]

Amida: If there is no typo it is likely to be South Hampstead. (Abbreviation jungle...)

[amidawsh]

is SHHS Surbiton?

if so they had an extra class for yr7 2016 so they might be being more careful with their initial number of offers this year preferring to fill from the waitlist.

this is pure speculation though.

[S999]

I think it depends how much they have over offered this year.
I do know two families, we are one, who won't be taking the place so definitely scope that you will get a place.

[Jens1234]

Hi all, dd got wait listed at SHHS for Sep 17 year 7 entry which is our preferred school because it is close to our home and because it is such a good school. Does anyone know how likely it is she might get in? How many offers does the school usually make and how many girls are on the wait list? Any other tips?

[tripleweetabix]

ds at city boys so can confirm their head is leaving for spgs.

[amidawsh]

The current head of City Boys is the old head from KGS. She was great, but only there a few years - would be surprised if she was moving on again so quickly?

[DiHappy]

Got LU and KGS offers this morning, both top choices, here comes pleasant dilemma... :)