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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Grey Coat Hospital - waiting lists

176 replies

davisson · 04/03/2020 10:42

Anyone ever had any success on getting into Greycoats via the waiting list - CofE place - and if so what was your position on the waiting list to start with. Just when we get the letter from them, want to prepare myself and not have any false hope (which of course I can't help but have at the moment)

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Original poster
davisson · 31/03/2020 14:24

No news for us yet, although good to hear that there's movement for other people...I think if we didn't get offered a place in the first swathe though, it's going to be a very long wait....

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Original poster
davisson · 31/03/2020 14:24

...but one I'm prepared to do...

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Celeriacacaca · 31/03/2020 17:35

I work at a secondary school in Wandsworth. We just got our post-acceptances list today - much later than usual, so all areas will be delayed, I'm sure and it may take longer to come through. We have 55 parents who haven't responded so I imagine GCH May have similar...

Original poster
davisson · 31/03/2020 22:26

thank you @celeriacacaca - I haven't given up hope yet!

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Original poster
davisson · 01/04/2020 08:24

Actually - delete that - after a sleepless night over this (yet again) I feel totally depressed....can't see any hope on the horizon now we didn't make this cut.

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Sofrano · 01/04/2020 17:42

Davisson, I’ve been following the thread as our dd is on a waiting list for her preferred school. In London but not GCH. I was a bit surprised she didn’t get in straight away so had a few days of wobbles. Then the current situation took over and I’m not really dwelling on it.

Do you think you can start to think of all the positives about the school your DD has been allocated? There must be something, even if it’s the uniform is a nicer colour or it’s a minute less to travel? Anything?! It’s just these are tough times and if this is what you’re fixating on you aren’t doing yourself any favours.

I’m sure your daughter is a fantastic individual who will have a good enough time at any school. When and if they get there!

Noneleft · 01/04/2020 17:44

We were on the waiting list for a CofE place and had an offer a few days ago. The list is on the move so I imagine it won’t take too long to get to 10.

JoyceByersWasRight · 01/04/2020 18:27

Davisson, please don't give up hope, she is 10th so still in with a good chance. I'm keeping everything crossed for your DD.,

Kittensandthat · 01/04/2020 19:19

Noneleft, do you mind me asking what number on waiting list you were? I am following this thread on tenterhooks! Maybe it works differently/moves quicker for CofE places? Davisson, are you Ok? Number 10 on list sounds like quite a positive number. Higher than me and others I know. So not too bad a place to start for an offer before Sept. Has there been any movement??

Noneleft · 01/04/2020 20:10

We were 5th.

Noneleft · 01/04/2020 20:13

So if @davisson is on the same list, it follows that they are now 5th, at least. Someone after us could also have been given a place, no way of knowing. We might be on different lists for different bands, but I wanted to share to hopefully give some hope.

Kittensandthat · 03/04/2020 09:03

@davisson, wondered how you were and if you are feeling a bit more positive.

Original poster
davisson · 04/04/2020 08:46

Hi @Kittensandthat and @JoyceByersWasRight thanks for your kind messages. Much appreciated. @Sofrano and @Kittensandthat good luck to both of your daughters in your wait. GCH said we moved up to 6th and all offers have been responded to. I know that doesn’t sound bad, but it requires 10% of her band to drop out - do that many ever do so? - and I’m also worried that late applications, as people leave the private sector thanks to the economic situation, will actually push us further down the waiting list. I presume there won’t be much movement quickly now the initial shake out from 16 March has happened - people have other things on their mind so it’s a question of patience!. @Sofrano you are right the school she is going to she’ll survive at, even if not the one we wanted, and this is all very small beer in the emergency we find ourselves in - so I apologise for that....and for those of you already hit directly by the virus I’m particularly sorry. These are scary times. I guess I just want to feel confident that next year she’d have somewhere that I was confident in both pastorally and educationally....

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Sofrano · 04/04/2020 10:34

Hi @davisson , I didn’t want to make you feel worse, sorry if I did. I just wanted to put a different perspective on thinking about the schools place thing. I can also understand that it might actually be helpful to worry about school places at this time.

We aren’t too worried about our waiting list movement from a personal view point but it will be interesting to see what happens. Ours hasn’t moved at all so I’m assuming people who would have gone inde are keeping hold of their state places.

You don’t have to have 6 people drop out. Just one then the five in front of you on the queue to not be bothered about moving.

Who knows what will happen. People might not be able to afford independents but on the other hand some will and they’ll see the amount of schooling the indies have been given at the moment as opposed to their state peers and will want that for their children. People might want to move to be nearer families or get out of London for a simpler life.

I’m surprised you don’t know you’re banding. I’m sure you should be able to find out, or should have been able to at application. Anyhow number 6 is a good movement in what’s only a few weeks and in unprecedented times.

All the best!

Original poster
davisson · 04/04/2020 11:42

Thanks @Sofrano and all the best to you too. Wise words and yes we really don’t know what will happen....and you didn’t make me feel bad - I was just acknowledging your point of view was a good one.

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Kittensandthat · 04/04/2020 16:00

That sounds positive @davisson!! We were 15 on list and I checked on Tuesday afternoon and no movement. Maybe no more for us now if all responses have been received? But I think you are in with a good chance of offer before the end of summer. Keep us posted.

kisel1 · 24/04/2020 13:29

Thank you everyone, no waiting list updates for the last two weeks, will keep waiting.

Kittensandthat · 24/04/2020 19:08

Hi @kisel1, same here. Well, no movement at all. We are Other Churches. Are all waiting lists moving much more slowly than usual? Are people not taking up their indie offers? Or holding positions on waiting lists? Sigh.

Sofrano · 25/04/2020 11:24

Waiting list at another London state secondary which does banding. Some bands have moved a few places but last year they’d moved tens of places by this time. Other bands have had children added to them so bumped people down the list. Still not sure how that has happened.

Isthisthenewnormal · 25/04/2020 11:39

Sofrano this is easily explained. Parents have applied for places outside of the regular timelines, maybe those who had independent school offers, but have reconsidered and applied for the state school since the Covid crisis. They will either live closer or have scored higher (whichever determines the waitlist position) than those already on the wait list. The lists are moving slowly this year for the same reason with parents holding onto state school offers to wait and see.

Sofrano · 25/04/2020 15:29

Yes, in most schools this would make sense. I don’t understand it for this school though. One of the admissions criteria is that the girl MUST sit the banding test and that happened in October. Maybe I’m just not thinking straight but o can’t think where these girls who did sit the banding test but didn’t put the school on the original application form have come from. It’s not important, and sorry to derail, it gives me something else to think about though, rather than C

AveEldon · 25/04/2020 19:23

Girl sits test, makes state school application alongside indie applications. Accepts indie school. Declines state school.

Covid/other change of circumstances means the parents decide to reapply/join state school waitlist using existing test score

Sofrano · 25/04/2020 19:42

Yes, but the band that has been added to is unlikely to be the same band the children accepted to independent schools would be in? Anyhow, I expect you’re right. But yes, waiting lists not moving in the right direction!

OhTheRoses · 25/04/2020 19:59

Winding back to 2009 here. We were 8 stops away on the tube. DD got a place at Greycoat on the first round; it was our 2nd choice. She was 1st on the W/L at the other cofe school which was 2 stops away. She was offered 1st choice within 48 hours and I immediately notified GC. For at least three months, despite two phone calls and a registered letter GC wrote to us about her place. Therefore, don't give up hope OP. There will also be movement up the chain. A would be Paulina or two will have parents posted abroad, this will cause movement lower down; as LEH loses a girl or two, an offer opens up at PHS or WHS, then Surbiton. An acceptance at LMS slithers to PHS and someone forgoes their Surbiton offer and deposit for a late offer at LMS. Goes on for months.

Biggest mistake we ever made was turning down GC and Surbiton for the other cofe girls school.

Happy children thrive op.

Kittensandthat · 04/05/2020 19:07

Any good news to report on those waiting lists?