HIGHGATE busary and admissions advice

[saintrockz]

i am finding it difficult to find information on the 11+ admissions process on Highate. I have contacted the school but they keep pointing me towards the website, there are no videos on the bursary process, the 11+ admissions process. I wanted to get a prospectus or a video showing the facilitates but i cant locate any links. I am a single parent living with parents and wanted some advice on the bursary process, is it a company is it an interview? would anyone mind PM their experience of the process and how they found it?
I am also wanting to find out why have the number of applicants increased so much. I thought that it was UCS and the single sex St Pauls, City(boys/girls) westminster that were the most applied to. am i right that 900 applied last year?
What is the ethnic mix like, being of ethnic background I would hope that the school would be mixed like london is but as i do not live in hamstead I am unsure.
If there any other information hidden on the web please let me know i just dont have the patience to wait till sep tember for the open morning.

thank you all you kind hearted people.

im sure you are asking why highgate, well my DC is smart but not an acadmic high flyer, loves sport and music i was told that highgate offer wonderful bursaries so thought I would try whats the worse that could happen!

OP, are you able to say roughly where you live? You mention Highgate and Latymer, but it’s not clear whether you are in between them or elsewhere. I’m sure people will want to help with further suggestions for you to consider.

...and since you mentioned bursary applications in the same breath as Latymer, as I right in thinking you meant Latymer Upper rather than the grammar school?

*am I right

yes i did indeed mean latymer upper! i live in nw10 and both schools are accessible by public transport and are co-ed.

Mill hill is too difficult to travel to by public transport.

are they reverting back to the written exam or staying with ISEB?

Highgate’s website gives details of its 11+ written papers for this year, to be sat at the school on 6 December 2021.

Yes, Highgate is uber competitive.

@saintrockz can't tell you about the bursary process, but I've heard that bursaries at Highgate and Latymer Upper are both reviewed annually.

Highgate was really tough to get into this year at 11+, even for those who are tutored, and has pretty high academic standards.

Not sure where you are but if you will consider boarding, do consider Christ's Hospital which has bursaries.

Hi there @saintrockz, here are some answers to your questions.
1: Yes, Highgate is super competitive: for every 10 applicants (approximately), one will be successful. Might sound like bad news, but just have your kid do lots of practice papers before you get in - this helps a lot.
2: There is an ethnic mix. Most pupils are the kids of middle class professionals, who are generally quite a diverse group. I don't really see why this would be an issue, but if it is for you... there's your answer!
3: I can't find any videos online, but you can get a free tour by emailing their office. Hope this helps!

I'm not a Highgate parent but do have experience of North London 11+ process.

Please don't be put off applying. These schools are actually desperate to attract a diverse intake and good bursary candidates.

About Highgate being competitive - yes it is, but the number of applications is misleading. They might get 900 applicants but lots will take up offers from other schools so it's not 1/10 getting in if that makes sense. They will make a lot more offers than the number of places they actually have. In terms of tutored students not getting places, the 11+ process is designed to heavily weed this out (for example flagging up English creative writing which is clearly preprepared and interviewers not taking it at face value when 10 year olds tell them how much they love Shakespeare.)

As a bursary applicant the bursary application is totally separate to the academic application. Your child would be offered a place or not then you would be offered a bursary or not separately based on financial evaluation. It's quite a high threshold in terms of income and assets and I'm not sure if you living with parents would affect your application if they own the house.

In terms of diversity I would agree with others that City of London and South London privates have more black children but Highgate is more diverse than other local competition. None of of them are particularly white British but it depends what you mean by diverse.

If you are seeking a bursary place North London I would encourage you to do what most parents navigating the process do and apply for a range of schools with slightly more/less academic reputations. If you're in NW10 that's on the Jubilee/Met line maybe so you might look at John Lyon for a less competitive option? Agree with others that boarding can be amazing for bursary students as there's a bit more of a level playing field at school. Good luck!