Latymer Upper, Godolphin & Latymer, Putney High ...

[OMGwhattodonow]

Just wondering how brainy do you have to be to get into one of these schools? They all suggest they are only for top students but how many top students are there - presumably St Pauls, City and Westminster etc bag the brightest?

Where do average to above average kids go?

Struggling a bit to come up with a shortlist here, looking for a school that DD can get into but also has a good bursary scheme.

Any thoughts very gratefully received.

JAGs (James Allen Girls) in East Dulwich has a fantastic bursary scheme...

That is a gorgeous school but I have heard it is even harder to get in to?

All 3 are tremendously oversubscribed I am afraid .. I hear that latymer Upper has v good bursary but also that there are around 1000 who sit the main exam with that going down to 300 for interview for then 100 places or so - and that's the fee paying no bursary challenge. The v brightest from my DD school went to G&L / then very closest brightest Putney with Latymer Upper a total lottery ! You might want to take a look at the scheme for Emanuel - likewise oversubscribed but a bit less stringent than the 3 you mention.

Emmanuel is not accepting applications unfortunately :-(

'Latymer Upper a total lottery' what do you mean by this? Do they take more of a range of children?

Hi OMG - I don't know the other schools at all so don't know if they are easier or harder than JAGs. It's true the JAGs is pretty competitive and full of clever girls but my daughter is there. She came from a state school, admittedly has always been on the top tables and is pretty clever but she's not a genius. They are very committed to giving bursaries to those from lower income families and I think gave out twenty bursaries (of varying amounts) this year to girls beginning Yr 7. It's a fab school.

Will phone them tomorrow and see what I can find out.

Other schools that maybe fractionally less academic are surbiton high, Wimbledon high, Francis holland, streatham and Clapham high. Nottinging hill and Ealing High.Depends where you are but KewHouse, Radnor House co ed,s if west London. Old Palace if South which I think is part on the whitgift foundation so should be good for bursaries. Mill Hill if North London

Bagging the brightest is not an exact science. Schools are looking for fit. It is far from unknown for the coeds (Alleys and Latymer) to reject applicants who go on to get offers from Westmister or SPGS.

Also they will be looking for potential, which can be different from top table in Yr 6.

Interesting - thank you. DD good at science and French and Math, also Sport and Music. Weak in writing.

Not sure why I capitilised the latter two?! I think I am losing it a bit!

Surbiton too far away. I think Wimbledon as tricky as Putney - maybe more so? Francis Holland I have not looked at.

Do GDST give generous bursaries? Someone I spoke to was a bit cynical but not based on first hand experience?

Dear OP. I don't think there is much of a difference between City and G&L in terms of entry requirements (and GCSE results for that matter). If you are "bright" enough for one you will most likely have an offer from the other and vice versa. This was more obvious when the schools where in the same consortium, but believe it is still the case.
Last year my DD, who came from a normal (good, not outstanding) state primary, got offers from both. We got caught up in the "exploding offers" at City, as people rushed to accept places before the school own offers' holder morning and national offer day, which left a sour taste and not sure we will consider this school again for our DD2. But if you like it and get an offer, make sure you accept straightaway as their offers come on "a first come, first served" basis.
Although we didn't look at schools south of the river, there are families from our area that apply to JAGS. What I noticed is that girls, who did not make it to City interview round, had offers from JAGS (both at 7+ and 11+), so if you like this school and the journey is feasible don't be put off from applying. Good luck!

Hi OMG

In my experience GDST do not give what I would call 'generous' bursaries. When I first looked round a GDST school I was almost put off applying as I was told that bursaries were 'very difficult' to come by there, and 'not to hold out too much hope' (this was just a casual conversation with one of the staff so they didn't know anything about my finances. This view seemed to be a long the lines that they didn't give many out and anyone with a household income of over £32k will get nothing (this is true, says so on their website) Anyway, we did apply and were offered a 30% bursary which is considered 'very generous' by them but as I told the registrar for most low income families this still makes going to the school impossible...I'd still have to have found another £11k which was absolutely not do-able. So, in summary, they are hard to come by and if you do get one they are not especially generous - though if 30% would be enough for you then go for it

If you need a generous bursary and cannot make it work without (and remember all the additional costs that aren't always covered), please make sure you have a state school back up and always talk positively about the state school. We put ds in for Latymer Upper, Hampton and Emanuel, knowing we could categorically only do it if he got a bursary. He is very bright - in the end got Level 6 SATS, has done two GCSEs early (one in Y9, one in Y10) getting As, and is on track for 8s or 9s in this year's GCSEs but he didn't get in to Latymer or Hampton, and Emanuel said he'd done exceptionally well in the exams but that in his year the bursaries all went to kids who had scored over 90% on both papers.

So he went off to the local comp which fortunately we had always been nothing but positive about - and there he found a whole lot of other kids in a similar position and for those whose parents had been less than upbeat about the comp, the children felt crushed.

You may well get a bursary but please make sure you have a plan B. Of course, when you go round the schools, the kids love the private ones because of all the bells and whistles but it's worth encouraging a like of the other option too, just in case.

Yes, that is the other thing to add. They do need to score very well before being considered for a bursary so need to be in the top scorers overall (that's of all the kids, not just the kids are applying for a bursary)

Agree about being positive for your local state choice - I knew getting a bursary was a long shot (but someone's got to get them so may as well go for it!)

Yes i echo the posts above. My understanding is you need to be scholarship material, or close to it, to get a bursary, not just pass the exam.

Some schools have bigger bursary pots than others. Some rich ones will give financial need more weight than just entrance exam results. Most openly say their bursary funds are limited, so as well as need they look at exam results and give to those with highest marks who are in need. Often these children receive bursaries plus scholarships and the two together is what makes it affordable for parents.

Thanks everyone for this. Good advice and much appreciated. I did hear the news about City last year, I agree about the sour taste.

Poor kids who have worked so hard for a place.