4 rejections from senior schools - options?

[john249]

Our daughter is at primary school in Kew. We have applied to 5 senior schools (Kingston Grammar, LEH, Latymer Upper, Tiffin and Putney High) but, with 4 rejections, are now very worried - Putney High result is the last..
Christs in Richmond is our first choice secondary but we are unsure about chances there (not religious family).
Any help really appreciated.

OP, sorry to hear your news. It's a very difficult process especially without the guidance from your school head. The rejection at first stage Tiffin should have been an indication to apply to a school that would have been more certain of offering a place like St Catherine's in Twickenham. The other schools you have mentioned are very competitive and reject a large proportion of applicants at the first stage. Fingers crossed for Putney High and your state school allocation. Come mid March if you are not happy with your state school allocation then you can ring round St Catherine's, Kew House, Radnor House and see if they are taking any late applications. For boys St James's in Ashford to do this. If you would consider moving house you could speak to Ewell Castle and Claremont Fan in Esher. 11plus is a brutal process made harder by the volume of dc regarded as bright sitting the exams. Support your dd and say she has been unlucky in a lottery but she is going to end up at the right school for her.

I suppose you know you applied for 5 very tough and popular schools. Most people would have included a banker on the list. What advice did you get from her primary school?

Anyway what’s done is done. If you don’t get Putney High, I would phone schools such as Radnor House, Kew House, St Catherine’s and More House. You have missed their assessments but they might still be able to make an offer or put you on a waiting list.

Is your daughter in the private sector now? If yes, I’d be urgently onto head for interview as they will often assist.

I had a friend in a similar situation a couple of years ago (daughter state primary). Didn’t get any of the day schools or state school option. They ended up sending their daughter to a prep school (up to 13). They get lots of girls leaving at 11 so had plenty of places. They then were they good at advising about schools and she went to a day school at 13+. Would mean 2 changes, but they were seriously thinking of moving as the school they got was so dire.

Sorry should have said meeting with head not interview

You could look at a prep until 13. My DDs old prep (not London) had the majority of girls stay until 13. It buys a bit of time. What about the Harrodian? I know two girls who have gone there. What about further afield and weekly boarding? This would open up more possibilities.

Many thanks for your advice. It's enormously helpful. Our daughter is in the state primary. Extremely bright, bilingual, musical, not interested in screentime...but all parents are proud!
Our daughter has had tutoring for two years with a local tutor whose advice we have followed on selection. KGS was the back-up.
We will certainly look a prep schools. My impression is that the prep schools in our wider area (Richmond and around) do not admit girls at 11 (as all their girls leave at 11) but the boarding prep schools further away (Surrey and Berkshire) do (as their girls often stay to 13 to move to another boarding school).
We have never used Mumsnet but it is suddenly a lifeline!

I know girls in similar positions who have sat late for Surbiton High and Radnor House and got places- worth a try?

Have you thought of Portland Place? It would be a journey from Kew, but worth looking/enquiring about late applications?

If you are considering girls boarding Prep schools speak to Feltonfleet in Cobham, they have a large number of girls from 11 and weekly boarding, you can ring them on Monday and take a tour before 1st March. Feltonfleet is used by the more central London preps for girls who don't get offers from Common Entrance exams.

Agree re Kew House. Also try Ibstock Place. If you do look at Portland Place also look at Queens College.

We got the rejection letters this week too and it is just the worst when you know that you have a bright, wonderful child & they still don’t make the cut.
I would look again at schools that you may not have considered in the first round of applying and go through the process of phoning them to find out at what point they would typically look to their waiting list and how you might go about joining it.
It’s a horrible time!

I can recommend Godstowe Prep in High Wycombe. Most leave at 13. This might suit you but there will be others nearer you. Prep schools will have taught separate subjects for two years prior to y7, but a bright child would thrive there. As a few leave at 11 to go to local Grammars, they usually have spaces.

KGS is no longer a back up school. It might have been 5+ years ago but it has become extremely competitive since then.

I'd speak to Ibstock. I know children who have been offered places there post 11+ after failing to get into other schools. Being bilingual will be to her advantage too.

Also, St Catherine's in Twickenham. Again, I know girls who have sat and been offered places there after 11+ results have gone out.

Are they outright rejections or wait-listed? There is often movement on the lists due to the same girls all getting offers at all schools.

Don't know London schools well at all, but other boarding options would be St Catherines in Bramley, or Priorsfield in Godalming.

They were outright rejections. She is a talented girl, but maths results are so binary...so I would guess it is the maths.

I think I will call Ibstock and other local schools on Monday. Officially of course they have closed admission applications but unofficially I am hopeful they may be interested.

This advice is really immensely helpful. We are so grateful

Sorry to be negative but Ibstock is also a very popular school. However you may have more luck with some of the others mentioned above.

A friend of mine was in a similar situation. Her DD now thriving at Notting Hill and Ealing School. I don’t think that’s been mentioned yet but might be worth adding to your list. Good luck.

Less selective schools may well have a second sitting once initial results for other schools are out.

Another one suggesting Feltonfleet for 7 and 8.

There are quite a few girls preps in Battersea that go to 13 but lose a lot of girls at 11+ so they might well have spaces for yeard 7 and 8 if not too far away.

Feltonfleet for two years would be a fantastic choice if you’re considering 13+ boarding. Their ethos is brilliant, more rounded than other schools.

I’m sorry that your dd is in this position. 11+ process for London day schools is brutal. I was in a similar position to you a few years ago. Hopefully PHS will work out and she will get a place there. If that doesn’t happen and you don’t have state school option that you are ok with then either

A) find a prep place for 2 years and try again at 13+ for a day school or a boarding school place. There is always some movement at Y9 in London day schools. If you are in a prep you will have support for the process that you didn’t have this time being at a state school. I think finding a prep place should be easy.

Or

B) target less selective day schools as suggested by pp but be realistic. Make a list and phone round the registrars. Consider recent results of each school as a guide to how selective they are. Notting Hill and Ealing is very similar to PHS and so I don’t think your dd has a good chance of an offer there if she doesn’t get offered PHS. In addition to other schools already mentioned I would try St James School for girls. Registrar there was lovely to me and very helpful when I was in a similar position. Also try Queen’s Gate School. They have a lot of bilingual girls. There is St Benedicts and St Augustine in Ealing too.

Have the schools given any feedback? It might be worth asking which area she was weaker in eg maths/English and see if it corresponds with the other schools. If she was weak in maths in one school but weak in English in another you could try contacting the schools she has been rejected from to explain this or havevthis information at hand to discuss with other heads you might approach. I’m not sure if all the schools give this feedback though. Good luck. Rejection is horrible but remember lots selected to go through to the interview stage won’t actually be offered a place in the end.

I am so grateful for your guidance.

I’m a teacher in a west London prep school. Kew House is very oversubscribed now and there will little chance of a place there. I wouldn’t bother with Ibstock either. Radnor and St Catherine’s in Twickenham are definitely worth calling though. Until the consortium results are out they probably won’t be able to do much to help.

I feel your pain as I am dealing with senior schools for work and also have an 11+ age daughter who has just had a no from one school already. This year is a bumper year and LEH for example had record numbers apply for only 60 places. Horrible horrible process.