SW London Girls' Private & Grammar - applying for year 7 in 2022

[SkaterGrrrrl]

I watched with interest the information and support on this thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/4177427-PART-3-SW-London-Girls-Indies-11-Results-Decisions-Panic-Over and wanted to start the same thread for South West London parents with daughters who will be applying for secondaries (independents and grammar) for places in year 7 in Sept 2022.

Where are you applying, how are the virtual open days going..... and to tutor or not to tutor?

@uk2020 , yes you can apply wherever you like as long as you give 1 term's notice before you leave. I really wouldn't worry too much, as I say if you work in a school office there isn't much that surprises you!

[quote Skatingpark97]@uk2020 , yes you can apply wherever you like as long as you give 1 term's notice before you leave. I really wouldn't worry too much, as I say if you work in a school office there isn't much that surprises you! [/quote]
Thank you so much!

Joining this thread as my DD will start 2022. I'm finding it so difficult that all the in person open days have fallen. Had meeting with headmistress who suggested DD try for Surbiton High, Ibstock Pkace with KGS as an aspirational. I would have liked her to try for LEH but they're canning the English exam this year, so her best subject will not be tested. Plus there seem to be so few places available (once prep places taken) her dad is not keen.

@refusetobeasheep

Joining this thread as my DD will start 2022. I'm finding it so difficult that all the in person open days have fallen. Had meeting with headmistress who suggested DD try for Surbiton High, Ibstock Pkace with KGS as an aspirational. I would have liked her to try for LEH but they're canning the English exam this year, so her best subject will not be tested. Plus there seem to be so few places available (once prep places taken) her dad is not keen.

If you and your DD like LEH she might as well give it a go- it’s all a bit of a lottery anyway. I definitely know of some girls who got LEH this year and didn’t get KGS and vice versa.

I've found my people! I will read the previous pages later. Currently have DD in SHS Prep (which I realise is a very fortunate position to be in as we have the senior school "in the bank"), but also considering others such as LEH. Putney High seemed to similar to SHS to bother changing, SPGS seemed a bit old fashioned/low tech in comparison. Is anyone else considering Claremont Fan Court? Happy to answer any questions on SHS culture etc. but I can't say for sure how the senior school is.

Finally got to see an actual school today and DD loved it! Was anyone else at Sutton High tours tonight? Also booked to see Croydon High too. Anyone else managed to get to live events?

Yes, took dd2 to Sutton High this evening. She liked the trampoline! Also the cup cake

I wish PHS hadn’t cancelled, and that WHS would do tours. For a 10yo from a small state primary, it makes so much difference to actually see the size and the facilities. I don’t think dd2 had really clocked that, despite all the online open days.

I guess schools like WHS know they don’t have to try too hard. They will be inundated with applications anyway even without tours!!!
We really valued seeing a school in person and will definitely apply - I liked the girls who toured us and felt the general ‘vibe’ was positive. So hard to judge atmosphere on a virtual event but I felt I really understood the ‘feel’ of Sutton tonight at least.

WHS seem to have in person open events coming up in autumn, from the website it looks like bookings open on the 1st of July

Hello everyone ,

We went through this process last year and stepped back to help anyone this year as the thread was such a blessing .
DD got offered places at LEH ,PHS,WHS and Nonsuch but we went for WHS in the end
Anyone having any questions with regards to ISEB or WHS - please feel free to ask

@Stircrazyschoolmum lovely to see you here .

@Trialsat11

Hello everyone ,

We went through this process last year and stepped back to help anyone this year as the thread was such a blessing .
DD got offered places at LEH ,PHS,WHS and Nonsuch but we went for WHS in the end
Anyone having any questions with regards to ISEB or WHS - please feel free to ask

@Stircrazyschoolmum lovely to see you here .

Hi Trialsat11: May I know if LEH requires a reference from current school? Thanks!

@uk2020 , LEH 100% requires a reference along with all the other private secondaries. It will probably be requested from your dd's prep in late Nov or near the exam in Dec. It would be quite unfair to put your dd through the exam process without letting her prep know anyway - it's a truly exhausting process even more drawn out and uncertain than pre-pandemic times.

@1forward2back

Finally got to see an actual school today and DD loved it! Was anyone else at Sutton High tours tonight? Also booked to see Croydon High too. Anyone else managed to get to live events?

We went on what was billed as a self-guided tour of LEH on Sunday. Walk around buildings and facilities. Some staff were there including the head but no pupils, and not so much an opportunity to ask questions as to see the school. Great facilities, we were impressed. DD is very into drama so was blown away by the drama department.

@uk2020 every private independent secondary takes a reference from your daughter's primary school which usually goes out in November or early December .

As far as i know , private preps gather data at the end of Year 5 pertaining to the child's achievements besides acads like achievements in music ,art , sports , any clubs done outside school , interests and build up the reference using that and the previous school reports

We didnt take up LEH because of the long commute but nonetheless it is a wonderful school and all the best .Last year , the format was GL assesment for Verbal and Non verbal (Non verbal very time pressed ) and the Problem solving was a lot of logical puzzles (My DD loved this part )

LEH are now offering proper open days on 16, 24th and 30th September.

WHS have just opened booking for autumn term open days. No Head’s talk, but at least a tour of the school. They’re designed to supplement rather than replace the virtual open days, by the sound of it.

Highropes I think some of the tour dates have a heads talk at WHS but some don't- have a look as we booking onto the October one which includes Heads talk.

Hi @Lockdowndramaqueen I noticed you guys are using a tutor for your DS. Was your tutor helpful in giving you an indication as to what study to continue over the summer hols? We’re freestyling the process and am (ashamed Lu) feeling quite neurotic about what I should or shouldn’t be doing with our DC in these last few weeks.

*DC

Tbh @Thisonesfortheroad my dc has not enjoyed all the lockdowns and home learning and we are def in a slightly dif position to if it had been business as usual. I think we will take it quite gently this summer but we know what their weak points are and will work on those. Mainly long form maths and speed in maths for us.

Not sure our tutor helped us identify that per se as they have quite a specific programme of work they follow. Doing a mock exam was useful as could see dc’s strengths and weaknesses.

@Thisonesfortheroad

Hi *@Lockdowndramaqueen* I noticed you guys are using a tutor for your DS. Was your tutor helpful in giving you an indication as to what study to continue over the summer hols? We’re freestyling the process and am (ashamed Lu) feeling quite neurotic about what I should or shouldn’t be doing with our DC in these last few weeks.

Hi thisone if you don't mind me replying.... our tutor has said that for the 6-week summer holiday children should have two weeks completely free of any studying and for the remaining 4 weeks they should be doing timed past papers to practice. She says there's always a learning gap over the summer holidays and you can bet the prep school kids will be working and doing revision.

@SkaterGrrrrl don’t mind at all. Ours is at a summer camp for another week so I guess we’re kind of on track with your tutors plan! I figured rest was just as important and was thinking of doing a mix of quick practice and longer pieces over the remaining weeks alongside the usual play dates and day trips. But then this creeping fear came over me that we’re not taking it as seriously we should.

Now you mention it… What do preps actually do to prep?

Pass! We are at a state primary!

It is an interesting one... we have friends applying to grammars who are doing a lot of summer study, plus intensive creative writing camps plus have quit all their sports clubs. Each to her own, but for me I would rather DD kept playing sport, both for fun and as a stress buster. (Plus presumably belonging to sports club looks good on applications?)