As the Tiffin results day looms, a second 2019 SW London grammars and indies thread

[FlumePlume]

A new thread to avoid the doomsday scenario of running out of posts as envelopes are opened on Friday, waiting lists move (or don’t) and e-mails are opened on 1 March.

Many congratulations to everyone on such great news!

We didnt have SPGS however KGS with couple of very large scholarships, yes for G&L and LEH of which we have released all offers as we have accepted a very surprised free place with LU(previously had a scholarship with Guildford High School however will be releasing it too), it has always been my favourite. She wasnt upset with a NO from SPGS at all as she didnt like it from the day we brought her to visit, I think she showed it in the interview. I am on the way home now and will be leaving for a holiday from tomorrow. The 11+ trip is over for us even we still have CLSG and Tiffin however we have the school we want most. So excited about the journey the next 7 years.

Greenleave , overjoyed for your family and especially your dd. I've been following you since KGS 10 plus and always thought your dd would end up with an exceptional range of offers. Congrats and lucky LU to be gaining your dd. Enjoy your holiday, you must be shattered by this process.

Yes, I am!

Thanks so much Poppyred25 for your kind support and loads of informative advices. I am so grateful for many posters like yourself on mumsnet.

Wow Greenleave! Huge congratulations!!!

And yes, thanks FlumePlume you'r thread has been a huge help and your advice over the past months has been really helpful...

And haven't all these kids done well... So much pressure work and stress - I'm not sure I would have managed it at their age... Proud parents all round. Time to catch our breath now a bit. x

Well done to all the ten and eleven year olds with offers and good luck to those on waiting lists.
Greenleave - brilliant news on your dd’s success!
My dd was the only girl sitting indies from her state school so really appreciate the support & advice from here. I think this thread shows it is possible to gain offers from a state background and secondary schools give equal weighting to state school candidates. Prep schools give extra advice (but is this to boost their own results?) and some have contacts in the admissions departments but none of us know how much influence they have nowadays. I actually think state school candidates might have a slight advantage as the schools know they haven’t the extra support. The other point is that the numbers sitting aren’t what they seem when you take into account the multiple schools being applied to (8 or even 10!). I think this is to boost the prep school’s image as they can claim to have lots of offers,but maybe I’m being cynical! A child can only accept one school offer!

Congrats to your dd Greenleave - it sounds like an ideal outcome for her!

Does anyone have any inside info on Tiffin? We’re wondering whether to make the decision this week, or to hang on and see if dd gets Tiffin or a place from the WHS waitlist. I really like SPGS, but it is a huge amount of money and a long journey compared to WHS. On the other hand, if WHS don’t want the sort of child that dd is, and SPGS do, then maybe we just need to go with that and assume the schools know what type of child will thrive in them.

Personally I'd wait for all the info to be in before making a definite choice which would then be hard to reverse. The level of fee and journey are really important. In a way you've got a lovely wait ahead - you might get Tiffin or WHS and if you don't, you've already got a great option.

Re WHS I wouldn't take it personally or decide your DD wasn't wanted or disliked in any way. It is a numbers game and using whatever method a school has chosen, they can't offer to everyone. A WL place suggests they would be happy to have her.

If the SPGS fees are a real push and if WHS really is your top choice, ring them and also email about the WL making clear that it's your top choice and mentioning you have an offer for SPGS and expect Tiffin too. These things might swing it! If you then get a WL place,nannditnreallybis your top choice and works best for journey, budget etc, don't let the fact you were a WL and not first round place put you off accepting. No one ever knows or cares later and it's all a bit meaningless with rankings in entrance exams not being reflected in later school performance. You're in a good position now. Keep your options open a little longer and a quick email and phone call might open even more doors now you can contact WHS from a position of strength. Enjoy!

FlumePlume, now all the offers are out I would wait until after half term and see if the wait lists start to move as people make their decisions. An offer before the deadline would be good, if not would you be willing to lose the deposit on SPGS if a place at WHS came up and you decide they are your preferred option?

Been lurking around for a while! Did anybody out there apply to Notting Hill and Ealing? There is barely any discussion/gossip about the school anywhere compared to other SW/W London schools. Looking to say yes to an offer from it but seems like such an unknown it's almost putting me off! Thank you in advance!

Flume I've heard of waitlisted girls going on to become head girl at the school they were waitlisted for, don't take the waitlist personally.

WHS will go to waitlist, they made 70ish offers for 60 places. They are expecting to go to waitlist and were trying to avoid overfilling the year group due to the impending building work.

What deadline have SPGS given?

I think what WombatChocolate says is a good plan.

Personally turning down SPGS is insane. Your DD is very lucky to be wanted. 11+ outcome has a surprise always, but girls who are identified to be suite to the school almost always do well in my opinion, as if the school knows who to pick. Look at the result.

Don't give up hope. I know someone turning down a WHS place. Others will be too.

ilikegibbons - we did and have an offer from NHEHS too. We have been there a few times (opening evening, interviews etc.). DD liked the experience and like the staff she chatted with. Feels very nurturing to us. What attached you to apply initially?

Attracted* not attached!

I would go for SPGS 100% if I was given a choice. The other great schools are all great but SPGS wins without any hesitation.

HerdingPigs thank you! We only found out its existence because of the Consortium and applied because it seemed very down to earth somehow whilst having all the + points - academic but nurturing, lovely kids, great music, good facilities, pool etc. But DD sat the exam elsewhere so haven't seen it as much as other schools. And it's very "below the radar". It always seems to be the same schools that get discussed and I can't tell why this one isn't (though i do remember the Head saying it was West London's best kept secret!)

Re Tiffin and SPGS, from my personal experience of DD's year at SPGS, every girl who also took Tiffin (that DD knows of) seems to have got in. I don't know how it works the other way round!

Congratulations to all of your brave and hardworking children. May they all have very happy secondary school experiences ahead of them.

@Flume which school do you really want? Which does your DD really want?

Wombat I’ve seen you give very insightful advice all over this board, so thank you.

Jimjam I would much rather make a decision and not lose a deposit - it’s about when to make the decision. Dd would like to know NOW where she’s going, and she prefers SPGS. But I don’t think she understands the full impact of 20 min walk versus an hour (walk then tube, with a change).

Sweet Same deadline as WHS and others - 12.00 on 4 March.

Wycombe I know SPGS is the big name, but I don’t want to be swayed by that.

Glaciferous Interesting, thank you! Funny that there should be more correlation between Tiffin and SPGS offers than between SPGS and WHS.

Bool Dd had them as joint first choice in a ‘would be a nice decision to make’ (as did we) until the WHS waitlist. Now she much prefers SPGS, I think she feels rather bruised by the waitlist. But she doesn’t, I think, fully understand how much it might make her extra-curricular commitments (at least an hour four days a week after school) harder to be an hour away rather than a shortish walk away. And she has no experience at all of fitting in homework after school, so she doesn’t understand about that, either (current homework is very short and always over a weekend). The extra-curricular stuff is all one thing which she loves and is good at (and is good for her, physically and mentally), and is only likely to ramp up.

One of the reasons schools tend to over offer is because they know that people get quite upset about being put on the waiting list. Even candidates who were originally desperate for a place will often take somewhere else that offers a firm place even if it wasn’t initially their first choice. I suppose it comes down to wanting to go where you feel wanted.

@FlumePlume - I think you're local to me and if so I would think carefully about the SPGS commute. I actually think the Tiffin commute isn't that great but it is better and lots of SW19 girls do it. I know of girls who do go to SPGS from our area but there aren't many.

I know people will say definitely go for SPGS for the reputation but to be frank it sounds like your DD is able and will do academically well at any of the schools. Do not underestimate the importance of any easy commute. All 3 of my DC can get to school within 30 mins on a bus or 15 mins in car if I need to get them to early morning rowing/circuits/music. This happens quite a lot!

ilikegibbons, NHEHS seems to have done well academically, and we met a few old girls from DD s current school (not many) and they are really happy there. I think the location and smaller external intake put some people off but we like it and are seriously considering it. (Maybe you can phone the registar and ask if you can see the school again?). Good luck with your decision process!