13+ schools in Surrey/London that DONT require pre-test in year 6

[WishfulMum09]

Hello, my son will be attending prep for year 7 and 8, he didn’t quite get through to 11+ but missed the pre tests. Can anyone recommend 13+ entry schools in Surrey/London that do not require the 13+ pre tests?
Ds loves sports but not in the higher teams. He is in middle sets at his prep in most subjects.
We would also need about 50% bursary.
Look forward to your suggestions

Where in Surrey? Whitgift/Trinity in Croydon perhaps

@LIZS doesn’t whitgift do pre test in year 6?

Looking at the website that may be new this year, but not clear if 13+ is exclusively based on pretest. Worth asking their admissions.

Your new prep head will guide you, the head will have links to know which 13 entry school have spaces & bursary options that may not look possible if you contact the Admissions team directly.

If he's currently in Year 6 then I think pretty much all of the schools will now do some sort of testing in Y6. However, not all of them will be full so may be happy to talk to you about coming in for an assessment in Y7.

City of London freemen’s have Space but the travel seems tricky from where we are and transport is limited. Also I heard pastoral care there isn’t that good. I’ve called other schools such as St. John’s, St. George’s etc but all full. Is there still chance if I call after summer holiday?

St George’s have taken kids via 12+ or 13+ but I know they were very oversubscribed this year. You could try King Edwards Witley, Halliford, Cranleigh? They might not commit now but hopefully might let him sit next year.

Ideally we would like whitgift but checked the 13+ And seems they already did pre test. Halliford is an option but I heard bursary is minimal and he needs to be a scholarship level to get in which he’s not. Anyone knows anything about COLFS?

It is a risk that even after 2 years at a prep school (bearing in year 8 tends to be geared towards CE or entrance exams with little new teaching) he may not achieve the school place and bursary you need. Is the prep head fully aware of your financial needs. Have they tested him to benchmark potential destinations? What is plan b if independent does not work out?

He sat a CATs test with then and scored 123 on average, all she said was she has connections with some school but I still feel insecure. Plan b would be a good state but is that healthy for a 13 year old after prep and not getting through 11 or 13+? He sat Hampton, Epsom and Emanuel.
If I’m honest I am still hoping for a last minute place becoming available but starting to loose hope..

@wishful, you will get a place, see my other post in Sw girls thread, private Schools are about to enter a crisis if parents are unable to pay summer term fees, expanding class sizes is quickest action to help balance books but I suspect bursaries will go to current pupils whose parents have lost their income.

I would be very wary of doing year 7 and 8 in a prep school in your position. With your need for bursary and I think there will be huge pressure on bursary/hardship funding soon I would choose option of a good state school. I would try king Edwards witley but most of the others you mentioned have had huge number of applicants this year from boys so they will have long waiting lists. Another try are those prep schools that are now going up to 16 - st Edmunds, Cranmore. Downsend.

Have you tried Ewell Castle?

Have a look at The Royal School, Haslemere, and maybe Frensham Heights.

No.. will call these schools first thing tomorrow x

I have known quite a few boys go to State school after Prep and do fine. In fact one parent said she wondered why she'd paid for her older sons - and they'd got into a very good school. But the best state schools are not necessarily easy to get into.
Some of the Preps which now goto 16+ might be an option?

Whitgift has two entry routes at 13+. For the pre-test option, assessment takes place in Year 6, but there is still a standard 13+ admission process which takes place in January/February of Year 8.

@Theatre I hope you are right, I’ll call them tomorrow. I heard they have a big bursary pot and sports are great. @Frostyskies1223 I do hope we get some luck and a space becomes available. I know bursaries are harder but surely if I can afford a % that might help!

@WishfulMum09, DS (Year 8) has just gone through the standard 13+ entry route for Whitgift and I can't see any indication from their website that they're planning to move entirely to pretesting in Year 6. Their admissions office staff are very helpful and I'm sure they'll be able to clarify for you.

Those cat scores and fear of a pre test don't bode well for an academic scholarship ?

Entry to most schools is 130-140 cats for normal places. Good luck !

@iwillnevereatspaghetti I’m hoping in these two years he’ll make some more progress... I know it’s competitive out there but I’m hoping if not anything then perhaps he could get into St James, halliford...

Entry to most schools is 130-140 cats for normal places.

Not true, especially if a CAT average in the 120s is the result of a spiky profile with exceptional strengths in one area and lower scores in others.

Going by the experience of DS's Year 8 cohort, a number of whom went through the entrance process in the first half of this term for the likes of Whitgift, Emanuel, Dulwich College etc, it is perfectly possible to be awarded an academic scholarship to a good senior school on the basis of a very strong performance in one subject with an average CAT score below 130.

The biggest problem with 13+ entry is that the number of places on offer is very small in comparison to 11+. For example, I'd estimate that 80-100 children sat the academic component of the Emanuel 13+ entrance exams, and the school said they were looking to offer 6-8 places. On sheer numbers, those aren't great odds.

OP, you mentioned that your DS sat for Hampton, Epsom and Emanule. Was he waitlisted at any of them or did he just received straight no's?

@TheatreTaxi sadly a straight no. Unfortunately he didn’t have any extra curriculum which his prep said could’ve been a reason. His new prep have said they’ll get him involved in choirs, bands (he plays drums) etc.

Extra curriculum won't have been the main reason for refusal at 11+. Academic performance more important. He would have been offered at least full fees or wl if those were solid. I fear your hopes of a bursary may prove an obstacle even if he secured a place.

If you are going to need a bursary to make it work, I would forget prep school and concentrate on getting on the waiting lists for as many good state schools as possible and going that route. It will be far, far harder to try and find a state place in 2 years time and much harder for your son to move at that point. You will be looking for a school with a space and that may well not be one that you like or is easy to get to. At least now, you will be judged on the admissions criteria and there is lots of waiting list churn.

Loads of children move from private to state at 11+ with no problems at all.

If you are currently able to afford prep fees without a bursary, your chances of getting a bursary for secondary are very slim. I know a number of parents whose children have been offered scholarships to schools you mention in your first post but no bursary and are opting for state instead. A number of schools reserve bursaries for those children who have been offered scholarships.

With what is happening at the moment, bursary pots will almost certainly be being redirected to help keep GCSE and A level students in school whose parents have had their businesses crippled.