Are Independent school waiting lists moving at all...?

[ticking]

Mostly curious (based in surrey/west London area), we have our place and are happy with it, but was wondering are people dropping their places due to money issues, or whether they are hanging on to them?

It seems to have been a particularly tough year to get into certain schools, and I'm just curious if after all people are hanging on to places or ditching them for the state sector with all the financial uncertainty?

I'm a bit confused about how a state school can increase it's intake because of receiving a lot of enquiries from parents about places. That doesn't happen where I live, the intake is a set number and places allocated according to school policy and everyone else is WL. The WLs are very long and most won't get places but the most popular schools don't increase their numbers to accommodate keen parents.

I’ve heard of movement on the Ibstock, Hampton and St Johns waiting lists...

I know that DS's school has been turning away both day and boarding applicants hoping for a last minute space, so sounds like numbers have held up. At our primary I know of one family joining from private, and one going the other way.

cakeisalwaystheanswer by no means all schools are full though. The birth rate's lower than a few years ago. There are OK schools around here that are only two thirds full.

Thanks alto, but there is a comment by mimble up the thread saying that their school is looking to add a class because of parent enquiries. That wouldn't happen here, the parents would have to find places at other schools that do have spaces but which are probably not as desirable.

Oh sorry, my fault for not rtft. It might be the LA asking the school to add a class, if there's a shortage of spaces generally? That's certainly happened at relatively short notice in secondaries here recently.

I was expecting to see numbers fall but we haven't heard of anyone leaving so far but have been told to expect some new joiners in September.

This is at a prep in the area the OP is looking at.

Schools with lots parents who are overseas expats might see movement as some are returning to home countries.

I’m aware of one family returning to overseas from our prep

I will be interested to see how many borders come back to prep boarding in September

Just been told there are 3 new starters in y10 in our senior school, This does take the year group over by 3 pupils.... there are spaces at the school but not in the y10 group .

bakeachocolatecaketoday is that private or state ?

Cakesisalwaystheanswer, obviously I can't answer for your area but, as I said, the school is taking another class this year after parental enquiry.

@Homelandisending - Private

According to this article there has been a urge of enrolment in indies from 'first time buyer' parents moving from state schools.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/12/private-schools-see-surge-interest-parents-look-structured-learning/

I would be interested in the basis of that. Defo not the case at our prep

Most definitely is the case at our prep, and many other schools we know.

I'm finding it hard to believe all these parents have suddenly discovered this pot of money they never had before at a time when people are on 80% pay and might have even lost/are going to lose their jobs 🤯

It probably depends on the area. Around here (affluent grammar school area) there are lots of families who could afford to go private but don't because the state options are very good (if you can get into the schools you want). I'm guessing those are the sorts of parents who might now be reassessing their options.

@Meredusoleil - we wondered that too. We know quite a few financially comfortable families who have always bemoaned not being able to afford independent, so had ‘no choice‘ but to send their kids to state, yet live in large houses, drive nice cars & take multiple holidays etc... and are now considering moving to private. Although many are like us, deliberating state versus independent options, knowing the latter is a considerable stretch. No magic pot has materialised, but we decided to drop our grammar place in the end. Partly compelled by a fear of what state provision has been like around here..generally not good!

Our local grammar provision has been very good. With the current situation, I can completely understand primary school parents looking to move to private now in order to make sure their children are getting the support they need to help with the 11+, then have nothing to pay for 7 years of secondary if they get into the grammar.

@Homelandisending

Our local grammar provision has been very good. With the current situation, I can completely understand primary school parents looking to move to private now in order to make sure their children are getting the support they need to help with the 11+, then have nothing to pay for 7 years of secondary if they get into the grammar.

That reasoning makes more sense to me. Although I always tend to assume the child will continue to go private at secondary once they start at a prep for primary!

@Meredusoleil - Some do..some don’t. We started out intending to go prep then grammar, but had been fairly uninspired by what we’d seen and the outcome of a lot of the pupils, and the general overall school life experience that the independent choice would offer; so are sticking with private. Over 30 kids qualified this year at our prep, and only 13 are taking up grammar places they were offered. Mostly brighter kids taking up scholarships or more highly sought after independent school places. Quite a few qualified on appeal this year too..definitely more than in recent years, and some quite surprisingly too! But that’s another story...

I think it would depend whether you can easily afford it or if you are prepared to make sacrifices and ultimately what you value. Also, how many other children you have. A mother at my dc's primary just turned down one of the top schools in the country for the local grammar (her DC also got scholarships two other indies).

Yes of course, I’d say most of those families can easily afford it, and some we know have financial help from grandparents. We are in neither category, so will be continuing to make ends meet, however our dc’s scholarship award was a generous major academic award, so without that we’d have really struggled. A lot of scholarship awards nowadays are quite nominal, particularly if not an academic award; the ones we know of have been between 5 and 10% max.