HELP NO 11+ OFFERS

[mosi2014]

DS has got no offers despite reasonable academic ability. Clearly none of the schools were right for him. No feedback given. What to do? In SW London. Prep School for 2 years and try some schools again for 13+ (very few don't do the pre-test). Ideally I would prefer a laid back school with smaller class sizes. Appreciate any suggestions.

Your prep school head should be on the phone sorting out alternative options for you.... unless you have had a complete relationship breakdown with the school... this is what you are paying for

Your current school sounds awful. I'd look at a prep going up to 13+ to 'finish off' the 2 years to 13+. A school with a good track record of preparing the kids for their next step. God, how stressful. I really feel for you.

What secondary schools have you got on your radar?

Poor you!!

I would really consider the idea of a boarding Prep to 13 where he could flexi board perhaps 3-4 nights a week, or search for some which have a school bus to London (I know Lambrook & Papplewick do, but they're quite selective).

^ the reason I suggest this is that boarding Preps often have spaces as fewer people nowadays want boarding and the cost that comes with it.

Again thanks for all the suggestions.

Have spoken with a few schools

Firstly focusing on prep schools.

If he attends a prep school which can he sit at 12+/13+ with no pre-test?

Harrodian, Ibstock, Emmanuel, Radnor, any others?

Did not previously apply to any of those, but interested to hear that people sat tests for Ibstock and Radnor well after acceptance deadlines.

Thank you

Dulwich and Alleyns both have competitive 13+ exams.

Make sure you register early Emanuel - they close their list when they reach the maximum number of candidates they can accommodate (which is 150 for 13+). Number of places available falling, as not many pupils leave these days.

12+ would be ad hoc places, so you'd probably need to ask the schools what they do to fill them.

You don't need pre-teens for London day schools with very few, mainly very academic, exceptions.

You should then ask preps when you do a tour. My guess it will be a range. A few years back now but we knew girls who picked up occasional Yr 12 places at JAGS, employers changed their minds about a planned relocation so she missed 11+, and Francis Holland. And a boy who 'got nothing' for whom it may have been a blessing in disguise as he opted for a sporty boarding school at 13 rather than being towards the bottom at Emanuel, and emerged from school happy and confident. There may also be some newly arrived expat children, who again can end up with good destinations.

Prep heads should know their destination schools and have a good idea what might be possible.

Look at Newton. Yr 7 is a year where you can be fairly sure they will have places. Even when Yr 7 numbers were small they had to run at least two sets because as well as those aiming for standard 13+, they had the pretest kids taking top CE papers, and some less academic boys either planning to board at 13 or thinking about a longer commute to places like Reeds Cobham. It is a happy school and the Head is well regarded by parents and senior school heads. (One told me!)

Somewhere like Newland House goes to 13 and loses most of the girls and some boys (those going to KGS for example leave at 11). They could well have space for yrs 8 & 9.

Sorry about typos.

Pre test not pre teen.

And yr 8 not yr 12.

Given each 11+ application involves an element of luck, there will always be some who get nothing. But there can be silver linings. Some children can really thrive in at the top of a prep, rather than at the bottom of a busy secondary and gain both academically and in maturity. It can also be a chance to review, perhaps investigating the possibility of SPLDs and tailor secondary school choice appropriately.

I'd second Newton. Good track record of helping parents get children into the right school for them. Good relationships with upper schools too.

Another vote for Newton.

My two were there all the way up, but both cohorts added children in Year 7, all of whom settled in really well and ended up well suited at 13+.

Fantastic school - we chose secondaries based on whether they had a 'Newton ethos'.

Also try Feltonfleet in Cobham that has a coach and minibus service. It's a popular option for children from central London who dont get an offer. It's a feeder school to St John's Leatherhead at 13.

We were in a very similar position some years back having returned unexpectedly from abroad after Y7 state secondary allocations were made and when all London 11 - 18 private schools were full. Despite going on numerous state waiting lists, by July we had just the one offer from an undersubscribed, requires improvement secondary. We could have held on until September and would probably have got a better offer but did not feel that was fair to DS. We went down the weekly boarding route - something we had never anticipated - and DS could not have been happier.,Definitely worth a look.

How's it going OP?

Thanks for checking in JamDonutsRule. Progressing- sorry to be cryptic. Will update when I can! Thanks again! :-)

Glad to hear it's going ok!

Now it's past initial acceptance deadlines, and state secondary offers day, I was just wondering if the cryptic progress was indeed still progressing.