Secondary schools state v private sw London

[cantwait2020]

Hey just wondering has anyone got experience of the following, we're not in a catchment area for good secondary schools so we're debating wether to move or not which is highly stressful as there's hardly any properties to move into. Dd is sitting 4 private exams in jan what if she doesn't get in and what if we move after we receive the results in feb are we just on a waiting list to get in?

Anyone have any experience it's head wreaking. Thanks a lot

Hi OP. Can I ask where you are in SW London exactly and which independents you’ve applied to? Don’t worry - there will be thousands in your area doing the same thing. It won’t be outing!

Sure, st Catherine's, kew, ibstock and kgs..

Sorry sent it too fast we're living in east sheen

Oh ok, they sound like good sensible choices, with KGS a bit more of a stretch. I’ve gone through all this 3 times with girls and boys. I actually have one at St C’s. The only thing I wouid say, is that if there is any SEN, Ibstock or St C’s will not deal with this. I’ve hesrd KH is brilliant though for DC whose profiles are more “spiky”.

I also have DC at LU and G&L. They were both offered places at KGS and Ibstock, so I know the process, but this was a few years ago.

I’m not sure about state options too much, but I do know people who moved to get into the catchment for Coombe Girls and are very happy with it.

I would go through the 11 plus processes with those schools and see how she goes. You will know by Feb where you have offers. You will probably find that the application / interview process makes your mind up along the way!

Also weigh up how much you would be paying in stamp duty and moving fees. This might be more than the school fees!

Sorry just saw your update. Would RPA be your catchment school then?

For state you have to apply quite soon. Certainly moving in Feb won’t get you a good state place as you’d go on waiting lists.

Kew is still pretty easy to get into. Ibstock harder than it was. KGS much harder. Other options local to you include Latymer Upper, St. Paul’s Girls, Pitney High and Godolphin but they are all very academic and difficult to secure a place at. Another easier bet is Harrodian but it’s full of ultra rich kids.

I agree KGS has become more competitive over the last few years. I think it’s very popular as it’s co-Ed, when so many other schools in the area are single sex. Plus the results are on the up! Having said this, at least 12 DC from the prep mine was at were offered places last year, and they were not all top set English and Maths, so definitely worth a go.

If she's quite bright and prepared then she should get into one of the schools you've chosen.

As someone explained above, you'd need to move now to apply for a good state school as the deadline is 31/10. Presumably not not a problem if you're renting but pretty much impossible if buying.

Mind you, for state school catchements, aren't you priority area B for Waldegrave Girls? That's a sought after state school and you might have a chance.

Thank you yes there is a slight SEN didn't know this good to know

The other thing you could try is the exam for the Girls Consortium Schools. It’s just one exam - all multi-choice and nothing you can prepare for so this takes the stress off a lot. It’s all over and done in less than 2 hours. You can apply for any of the 12 schools (though some are North London), but you could do FHS Sloane Square and G&L in one exam. They maybe are more academic schools, but if they get in, they will cater for mild SEN much better than St Cats or Ibstock (both of these tell you that if you need additional support, you’ll have to do it yourself out of school).

Put Radnor House on your list - academic profile fits alongside Kew (with its heavy bias towards its two feeder preps in terms of outright offers). Lots of kids from Sheen there. Very kind school and can handle SEN. It's directly opposite St C's.

Thank you puffy you're right I should it's been going around my head I'll do this now thanks a million...

Is your daughter is a state primary or a prep? If the latter, they should be able to advice on independent schools which would be a good fit. It’d be different recommendations if she’s very able but has very mild dyslexia vs average or lower ability with SEN.

She's in state school who didn't even notice it and they won't make any recommendations as they want you to continue it's state, she probably needs more support so private is probably the best option. Hopefully she'll get in though it's such a stress on parents really not a fair system in this country at all

We went through 11+ last year. I used to wake up at 3am thinking what if he doesn't get a place.
We ended up with a choice of 4 including our first choice. Moreover ALL the children at the primary ended up in the right schools for them. No child was left without a place and there were few if any surprises in terms of fit. So in that respec the system, as horrific as it is, does work. It's just so hard to believe that when you are in the middle of it.

Tbh, state school teachers don't often know much about the independent options. Might not even be that familiar with the state school either as you'll normally only have 1-3 realistic secondary options so there's no point deliberating over the merits of different schools.

I think you're looking at a good range of options. You could always add Radnor House as a backup just in case.

Yep that's me now;) 3amer;))) very true that's why I can't wait to sleep roll over February ;) thank you for your reply you're right too

If you are East Sheen then definitely check out if you are area B for Waldegrave for state, and I second Radnor House for private.

Yes the distance on offers was very close to east sheen so it's not impossible nothing is guaranteed I guess just have to pray for the best

State comps are the one thing that could be 'guaranteed' if you move close to one

How many DCs do you have? It could be worth moving to somewhere like the Grey Court catchment. There is a lot of movement to state for 6th form this year, parents of the more able think that Oxbridge is now stacked in state schools favour and are playing the system. Also some local state schools including ridiculously Grey Court are on the contextual offer list at Bristol.

I say ridiculously because the two more academic schools on your list had A level results of A-B grades 87.3 % at Ibstock and 84.7% at KGS. Grey Court had 71% which is higher than both St Cats and Radnor, and although they have not released Kew's results they will also be lower. The A-B statistics are seen as particularly important because these are the grades you will need for a competitive RG uni course.

Try posting on the Richmond local forum and you will get some fantastic advice from very passionate parents who have done a lot to improve the state choices available to Richmond parents.

cakeisalwaystheanswer, you got me looking at the official A-Level stats for the borough of Richmond. On the measure of % of kids achieving AAB. Radnor and Harrodian are ahead of Grey Court and Orleans Park but Waldegrave beats all of them.

Progress wise, you really get your money's worth at Radnor. The best state option for the greatest progress is Teddington School.

I live in your area and I was also under impression that State schools are no good in the area. After going through the process, now looking back, I think there were alot of hype in the whole 11+ process. I met my friends on Sunday who moved to the grammar school area for their son to be able to have a place when he was in year 5 and he failed to get a place in grammar school, ended up in a State school. They were bitter, no doubt. Fast forward, I was told on Sunday that the boy is now going to the top grammar school in the area because of his brilliant GCSE results. This time they thought about it long and hard and only decided to move because the grammar school has better 6th form for the subjects he chose as he had a great time at his current school. I know its hard to believe and not try for what we think the best for our child and in our mind, grammar or private is the only option however its truly isnt. All the best and good luck!