I know DC who got into one of the schools on here on the wl and ended up as head girl. Don’t let it deter you one bit!
Flume - on the subject of the stats, I can relate to you exactly what I was shown by the head at our prep. I was actually quite surprised that they use numbers to guide senior school entry, but they most certainly do! The head showed me a chart ranking the schools on this basis.
CAT scores are not quite like IQ scores because the top score is 141 (IQ scores can go higher). The CAT tests assess potential ability, rather than actual academic performance at that point in time. So the CATs assess different areas in maths - spacial as well as numerical ability. Then thete is something that approximates to VR and NVR but it’s nothing like the papers in the Bond books etc. CAT tests are done on a computer and can’t really be “taught”. The school do other tests to assess your reading age, comprehension skills etc but these are different tests as I understand it (on paper). The pupils do these tests twice a year and no big deal is made of it. Parents barely know they are doing the tests at all or what their DC’s scores are. It’s only at 11 plus they get mentioned.
The “average” score nationally would be in the 90-100 range. I think this covers about 60% of the population. However, in certain areas and certain schools (state or non-selective primaries) this “average” is skewed by the demographic. So in this school, the average is 115. I suspect that a state primary in affluent parts of Putney, Chelsea, Fulham, Wimbledon, Barnes and so on, would be very similar. There will be many areas like this where the average is skewed. Obviously this has ramifications for secondary school selections in that area.
The head showed me a chart. Schools such as Westminster, St Paul’s Boys and Girls and (I think) KCS require CAT scores averaging 135. LU requires 130. G&L 128. Wimbledon and Putney High used to be about 120-125, but now it’s more like 125. The head was showing me this to explain why it probably wasn’t wise to use PHS as a “easier” option. Things have changed a lot in recent years and WHS and PHS are becoming more competitive. The same can be said for KGS. Even Ibstock, which used to be more of a failsafe option for some, now gets the same results as KGS. All schools are becoming more and more selective as the years go by, simply because they can be.
The head said some schools are more predictable in terms of entry than others. For instance, LU is quite unpredictable because they interview about 450 for 120 places but then tend to take the more articulate, outgoing characters, often turning the more academic, quieter ones away. Some schools put more emphasis on interview than others. Hampton is more predictable and has certain feeder schools (ie. prep heads can have more sway in influencing offers there). The Consortium schools are all a bit of an unknown this year as the exam has changed.
At this prep they are streamed into 3 sets for maths and English. The head will not write you a reference for a school that is deemed out of reach for any particular pupil. Their relationship with the senior schools rests on “sending” them viable candidates. As you can imagine, this does not go down well with many parents! So for KCS, Westminster or SPGS, it’s a couple to a handful at most from the top sets for English and Maths - it varies year to year. LU tends to be pupils at the upper end of the top Maths and English sets, but it does happen that one or two get in who were in the middle set for one ir the other. Same with LEH and G&L. PHS and WHS are the “stretch” options for those in the middle sets, as is KGS.
This is just about the admissions though. In recent years, PHS and WHS (though supposedly “easier” to get into) are achieving over 90% A-A at GCSE - very similar results to LU or LEH. The heads have changed at both which may have had something to do with it. Also, G&L, although supposedly easier to get into than say LU, SPGS or KCS, achieved over 98% A-A last year. It’s only a fraction lower than SPGS now in terms of GCSE stats. KGS is now getting 85% A-A* as the norm, as is Ibstock which used to be regarded as a less pressured environment. Schools change, but it is a SW London “bubble” and actually, a bright child will do just as well in any of them and the academic differences in standard are wafer-thin when you consider things at a national level.
So those are the stats as they were explained to me - sorry for the essay!