SW London girls independent/grammars thread 2020

[autumnnightsaredrawingin]

Last year, there were two amazing threads which were super helpful about exactly this, so I wanted to start a thread for girls due to start September 2020. If anyone from last year wants to contribute please do!

We have narrowed our choices down to 5, sadly not in the right postcode for Tiffin, and decided not to do the Sutton grammars.

So, she will be doing PHS, WHS, LEH, SHS and Woldingham. Also registered for Emanuel but we may pull that one.

@mynameis2, these are prep schools in SW London that may have occasional places in year 5 or are willing to put DS on a waiting list if he does well in his assessments. You are right that most schools don’t have a regular intake at 9+, but we need a school for DS because we are relocating from abroad next summer.

I’d rather not share names here as some schools don’t like to advertise that they have available places.

No problem. Good luck to him and your dd. My dd did the 11+ last year so I was following the thread to see if I can answer any queries. I also have a younger DS which is why I was interested in where you were sitting 9+.

Hi I've been lurking too - thanks autumnnights for starting the thread! My DD sat LEH and have DS at Hampton so it's the obvious choice! She felt it went well, but then since has been focusing on the bits she could've done better (not like her to over analyse mind you so shows how much she wants it!!!)
Waiting with baited breath for the next letters so could do with some company! Anyone know what the interview involves? DS had a general interview at Hampton a few years ago which was very relaxed...

My dd sat LEH last year and is now very happy there. The interview had a few general questions and then some “thinking on your feet” questions you can’t really prepare for. There was also a 3D puzzle to do and talk through your thinking process to solve it. It was quite tough and the girls are sat near to each other with separate teachers (rather than in a room on their own) which can be distracting.

Good luck to all the girls sitting G&L today! I was on these threads 4 years ago when dd was going through all of this, and now she is at G&L helping with the entrance exams today. I remember how all consuming it was then, and wish all your dds the best in getting through this process (and all of us too!).

Thanks orangina

DD seemed happy after consortium test thank goodness. She reported that it was all very relaxed and the teachers were kind and friendly. I' was so happy to hear that it had been a nice experience at least!

You'd think I'd be used to the numbers by now, but I was still a bit taken aback by the number of girls sitting the test. They all seem articulate, bright girls - how on earth do they choose?! Anyway, that's a worry for another day. Another exam out of the way - yay.

Jealous of those of you who have now finished! Hope you have a fab time celebrating the end of the exams!

Oh and the FHS SS cookies were on a par with Surbiton apparently

@Contessa28, I agree with Mynameis2 about the LEH interview. DD did hers on Tuesday as they had a special date for overseas candidates. DD really enjoyed hers. I agree there’s not much you can do to prepare.

Fingers crossed for everyone who has sat for G&L or FHSS today. DD was “helping” at G&L this morning.

She sat both of these schools last year, so happy to help if I can re-any questions about the interviews / activities days (if your girls haven’t already done these, that is).

Both are fantastic schools. DD was very lucky to be offered a scholarship at FHSS last year and she actually wanted to go there because they have a ”Pets Room” (?), but in the end, it came down to journey time. Lovely school though.

Good luck again to everyone - on the home stretch now!!

@ColaPip my little one was at FHSS today too for the consortium and raved about the cookies and break in the courtyard. She was happy when she came out and we are done with papers now. It’s the first time in days that I managed to have a proper lunch! I think I may have a little nap now...good luck to all those with more exams in the next few days.

Hi abc79 - a nap sound wonderful, enjoy! A big well done to your DD, wonderful to see them some out smiling after such a hard slog over the past few weeks.

Well done to all the girls who sat the consortium exams today!

So is it just Emanuel and Ibstock left or are there others? My DD has her Putney sports scholarship assessment and Emanuel and that’s it. Nearly there!

It's probably too far out for most on this post, but we have SWPS (Sir William Perkins, Chertsey) still to go tomorrow morning.

WHS Creative Assessment is on Monday then done ✅

Thank you @RevolutionofOurTime I realise that. I have posted before but didn't get much traffic. As I'm applying from outside London I don't know much about these schools and it is interesting to read what people think about them, as presummably the girls that go in Y7 will be the girls staying for sixth form eventually and I've seen what they have to offer at that stage.

Pip - maybe start a thread in the “Further Education” board?
The most tricky schools to get into for 6th Form seem to be the co-eds because a lot of girls from PHS, WHS, LEH etc want to move into a co- ed environment by that age. If you think about it, some girls will have been at the same girls school since the age of 7, or even 4, so they want a change. So KCS 6th form is super-competitive, as is LU and Westminster, but they can cherry-pick the girls who are on a trajectory for the highest grades (and then some) to boost their A-level stats.

Atomic -are those A-level results from 2018?

Do bear in mind, thode G&L results are not the full picture as they tend to guide pupils (possibly the more able girls)? towards the IB. I think about a third do IB, maybe more? They were recently identified as the “joint top-performing school in the world” for the IB, so I can see this becoming a more popular choice there in the coming years. Their results at IB are exceptional.

I think KCS also offer the IB (or they used to anyway).

@AtomicRabbit, thanks for posting the data again, it’s an interesting table. I also wonder how pre-U grades would compare (some schools offer those in addition or as an alternative to A levels).

I am in awe of all the girls and their parents that sit more than one school exam. Way to stressful.

DD did FHSS today - she found it fun, although she jumped everytime they announced how long they had left.

It's the only school exam she has sat apart from the GCH Banding test.
She said she didn't answer 7 question over the test, 4 in one section as she didn't understand them to start with, she worked out what she needed to do but than ran out of time to answer them all.

• No idea if this is a good sign or not. Just the interview to go.

@ColaPip I will have to ask her about the cookies, she didn't mention them, unusal as she is very food orientated.

Glad she is all done as they start rehearsals for local am-dram production tonight. Planning on letting her sleep in tomorrow.

Its only a year since we were on the same boat as everyone here however seems like a long distance, she is now in LU and loves everything about it and so are her friends who go to other schools. Good luck to everyone, not long now.

In SW London we are spoilt with choices and all these schools are amazing. Interesting fact about LU maths exam as we were told the same last year but she didnt see a different however maths was her strength.

We had a bad interview experience that she didnt like one school after a visit, agreed to sit for exams when I insisted however didnt answer any question during the interview so ofcourse wasnt offered. I although found all schools admission teams were amazing in helping us accommodate timing issue or giving us time in having all info to decide which school we would go to(Eg. G&L sends her to the exit when she handed the papers so that she could attend the KGS scholarship interview while KGS allowed her to be 45 mins late so she could do it; GHS was very understanding and ofcourse to us LU was the best).

@AtomicRabbit - KCS most definitely do IB. My DD has just submitted her subject choices for next year.