As the Tiffin deadline looms, is there a girls SW London grammars / indies thread yet?

[FlumePlume]

I just realised that I need to get the Tiffin Girls form in ASAP, and wondered if anyone else is in the same position? I could do with company in this process!

We’re not yet decided but probably applying to Tiffin, WHS, SPGS, Sutton High and maybe one of PHS / Emanuel / KGS.

Best of luck to everyone - nail biting times!

Not sure if it helps but when we heard from PHS four years ago (how time flies!) it was on 4 February and it was a Wednesday. It was a letter in the post so that would equate to 6 February this year.

Dd spots the envelopes before I do, and has memorised all the dates when they (and emails) will arrive. She’s got a good memory generally, and usually knows term dates, when she’s going on a school trip etc, so this is standard for her. So she knows when to expect the letters and we will open them together. We won’t make any decisions until we know what offers we have on the table - I’ve been trying to stop her from dithering over possible options until we know if they exist, but she currently has two first choices, so it may be an issue.

Sandybayley thanks for that, I think that's the day WHS post their results too. How is your DD getting on at PHS?

@Sweetnhappy1 - very happy with PHS. DD is a bright spark and we chose PHS for being strong academically but a bit more relaxed than some of the other girls schools. She's made some lovely friends. It's pretty down to earth compared to some of the boys schools, maybe a GDST thing?

The rivalry between PHS and WHS is very funny , particularly as we have friends in both schools. We turned down a place at WHS in favour of PHS but would have been happy for DD to go there. We also liked JAGS but felt the journey was too much.

@Sandybayley that's great to hear. We would be delighted if either of those were am option, I agree that the differences are likely to be overstated. I'm wondering what the equivalent boys schools would be, have to start thinking of DS once this is all over.

@Sandybayley
How did you choose between PHS and WHS? We'd be delighted with either if lucky enough to get offers.

@HeadSpinning2019 - funnily enough WHS is closer but we thought it was too close (we live in Wimbledon) and we wanted DD to spread her wings a bit.

I just liked PHS better (just a feeling) and there was the fact that she got a good scholarship 😉 that swayed things.

Very different Heads at those schools.
A diff vibe can be picked up by going round them both, one seemed more international (PHS).
i couldn't quite get my head round how much space there was at PHS - would you say it's similar to that at WHS?
after a while you start to feel a bit lightheaded walking round them all and then they all blur into one big tedious experience.
if i had the choice i would go with the closest school but it is apparent i am lazy and want an easy life.

jsut my thoughts!!!!

We looked around both and ended up applying for WHS and not PHS - I thought WHS was a bit more individual, doing it’s own thing. The same sort of vibe as SPGS (but less so). PHS seemed a bit more polished and sporty, with more of a ‘type’. And I do find the Head at WHS very impressive. It didn’t make sense for us to apply for both, given we had already picked a stretch and a should-get-into.

we applied to both because of location

like an idiot

DD applied to both as we couldn't decide.
Slight concern re WHS is that we don't live in Wimbledon and it seems lots do.

Lots do live in Wimbledon at WHS but lots don't! Out of interest I just looked at DDs year group list and almost exactly half the year lives in SW19 or 20. The rest live all over the place but I'd say almost all south of the river- few in Fulham etc.

Thanks. Good to know there are lots outside Wimbledon at WHS.
Trying not to get too keen (!) on any at the moment ......... but it's hard.

We applied for both precisely because they are equivalent schools, but because their testing is different, you do hear (often on MN) of girls being offered one but not the offer. So we are hedging our bets. Could get neither of course!

@Jimjam68 - you're absolutely right about the offers. We know a number of girls who got one and not the other. I would always suggest applying to both if you live locally.

Lots of SW19 girls at PHS with more from a bit further afield (Clapham, Fulham, Battersea,Chiswick etc). For anyone intending to row, the PHS boathouse is in Putney but WHS row in Hampton. That makes a difference for early morning sessions.

Didn't know that about the boathouse. Thank you!
We know some in recent years who only got one of LEH and G&L too.

Definitely worth hedging bets.

It’s a tricky balance between going for lots to hedge your bets, and avoiding exam overload. We initially applied for four independent schools plus Tiffin, but withdrew from one once we had an offer, so dd ended up doing the process for four schools. That felt like a very busy November, though not so bad in January.

Flume we just did 3 that were a doable journey... didn't do any back ups as i didn't feel any of them were worth the fees.

That's sounds a bit like us.. did 3 (plus Tiffin) that both she and we would prefer over our local state school. Didn't do a back up other than those as we prefer our state school - and it's proximity- to any others.

I think I've said before but I think we were very naive coming into it all. DD has always been top or in the top 2 or 3 of all her classes with great school reports (although no sporting or musical achievements) and I assumed that would be enough to go pretty much where you wanted. Not going to a prep school means you don't get specific feedback I know but I am still shellshocked as to how oversubscribed and competitive everything has been.

Will have to think carefully for DC2 who is less academic and confident.

I think it's sheer numbers....
all thse snide comments about Emmanuel and St John's

HA HA GOOD LUCK

obv if you have stellar kid you're laughing

(to clarify - snide comments are not on this thread)

That’s interesting Kalifornia and TheExtra - people I’ve chatted to in exam queues seem to have applied for many more, so I had assumed that was standard. I ruled out quite a few due to distance / awkward journey, but we’re well placed for public transport so there were still quite a lot of options. I agree that I woudn’t (and didn’t) apply for anywhere that wasn’t substantially better (in terms of fit for dd) than the likely state option. I see no point in paying for the sake of it.

yes i know lots who sit 5

we didn't bother with KGS in the end as i got the arse about them wanting me to repay to register after DD had sat the 10plus
sorry just feck off you money grabbing arses

sorry feeling a bit ranty today

It's tricky when it's not an oldest child though. With our son we only applied to the three that were close enough and offered something above and beyond our local state option (which I'd have been happy with). They were all very selective (top 40 I think or maybe top 30. Usually a top level figure of 10 applicants per place though of course they all over-offer). At the time it felt very precarious and I think it was always a distinct possibility he'd have been offered none.

However, with subsequent children we became more set on private because we didn't want to feel an inequity between their educations. They've never sat more than three exams though (consortium means that they can sit one exam for more than one school). Third child has applied to five because three schools were on the back of one exam. It feels like too much though - all the bleeding interviews etc.

I don't know how anyone manages more than three lots of exams. Child's barely been at school this term. Just as well it's just endless sats prep.

I've just had a friend in tears on the phone saying she wished she'd applied for more. Also have another friend who's applied for three privates although they're definitely taking the grammar place. They're doing it 'just for fun' and because the prep head wants the clever child to get loads of offers for their website. This sort of trophy hunting is vile when there are other children who are being rejected all over the place.

I'm sitting here doing no work because we're waiting to hear about interviews for one of ours. It's such an emotion and energy sap. Gah.

There was a child in DD's class who sat for seven schools! I felt really sorry for her, particularly as she did not get in to many of them. I think that must have been really tough for her. She was only recently ten years old at the time. Obviously we were a bit extreme only sitting Tiffin and one other, but like some posters have said I honestly did not feel that the others I saw were somewhere that DD would have been substantially happier than our state options and I did not feel inclined to pay the money for something that didn't seem a perfect fit.