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

[Emo76]

Continued

I would be more cynical, it is not that they are more popular than expected, they want to lock people in with deposits before state school allocations are out. Awful tactics.

@SW17cleocat I’d block her number. Really rude and just nasty. JAGS and Alleyn’s do target 50:50 but children get places on their own merit! Well done to your DD!

Hi all, we’ve just got a place for TIffin grammar and are trying to decide between it and an independent school. We know very little about Tiffin as we never visited the school and there isn’t much information on their website. Has anyone got any experience with making that decision? Any information is really appreciated. Thanks

The same here. It’s really unexpected, to a good way as we are in W post code. The independent schools in Hammersmith are more convenient for us. Do you know if Tiffin will have offer holders event? We haven’t been able to visit the school due to Covid.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, trials and tribulations. I’ve been following the journey and your posts have been a comfort, an insight, a help.

To those still waiting, hang in there, there will be movement.

To those with decisions to make, congratulations on options and best of luck!

@travelturtle Thanks. Just called school and left the message. Hopefully they will call me back to arrange something. TBH, DD is very impressed with everything she's seen in independent schools as we have quite a few chances to visit the school and talk to the staff and students there. We feel that we don't know anything about Tiffin.

I have some wonderful news to share, DD has been offered a place from the waiting list place at FHSS. She is delighted, I am delighted, relieved and so excited for her. I really loved the school when we looked around and for me it was my first choice for her. It's an easy journey from home too.

Thank you for the kind and gentle support received here. I hope everyone else who is still waiting / deciding gets the outcome they hope for and that all the girls start a happy Year 7 in due course.

@Emo76 that’s such brilliant news - what a relief! We are still waiting… excruciating! Congratulations to your DD, it’s a wonderful school

@Emo76 I am so happy for you and for DD!!! It must have been a long wait but it sounds like finally waiting lists have started moving. Hope we have some more news from different WL on this thread.

Congrats @Emo76. What a huge relief. We have released all offers (except PHS!) and hope everyone on WLs gets good news soon.

Great news @Emo76 you must all be so relieved. This process is so tough but good to hear when it works out well in the end.

Has anyone heard of any other waiting lists moving? Here’s hoping!

@Cinnybuns I have everything crossed for you - I suspect movement will start now that the state school offers are out (as someone suggested a while back).

Thank you @Emo76 - and good luck to everyone on the WLs!

Congrats @Emo76!
@Cinnybuns, I spoke to admissions at the two schools where DD is on the WL yesterday and both said there hadn't been any movement yet. One of them said it was an odd year as parents seemed to be taking longer to make their decisions than usual.
I'm not a poker player so have accepted one of the offers DD held and will take a view on whether to withdraw that acceptance if the waiting lists at either school move in her favour.

I noted someone on another thread had a SPGS waiting list offer become a place - if that helps to know!

The process is so incredibly uncertain that we made a point from the beginning not to get attached to any particular schools until we had options. We applied to 6, got rejected from a couple 'less selective' before interview, and on 11 Feb, got offers (& a scholarship) from a 'most competitive' and 'less selective' along with two firm rejections (not wait lists) from another top and less selective school. In other words, no matter what anyone says, this process will never make any sense to me - not least because it's a horrible thing to put 10 year olds through! My point is, it took us a couple weeks to make our final decision but this week we did finally release one of the two offers (giving up the more selective 'Hammersmith' girls school if that helps anyone else making an unconventional choice). I hope that helps give insights into why wait lists might be moving slowly - the process is ridiculous and it's impossible to get excited about a school until there are actual offers in hand because it literally makes no sense! Good luck to all those still waiting - the kids will be fine, as bright kids will do well regardless of school selectivity (and clearly we might argue, some may do better at schools in which they don't feel stupid for getting an A instead of A*!). Perhaps us parents have some healing to go through after all of this though, it has been awful!!

Congratulations @Emo76 my daughter started there in sixth form (quite a different application process). Unfortunately we have quite a commute (from Wimbledon) so this tube strike means me driving her leaving the house at 7am!
While she doesn't 'love' the school (it is school after all), she is happy she made the move and I'm sure your daughter will have many good years there.

@AmericanLondon I grew up in the States and quite agree with you! My dd 's old school went from nursery through sixth form and is non selective so never had to go through what your kids have had to, but the sixth form application process was stressful enough for me to never want to go through that again. She didn't get in to her top choice which was devastating, but the intake was only 15 girls (as at FHSS where she is now) so competition high.

We have just accepted PHS and will release NHEHS and SWPS later today so I hope that helps some movement.

Thanks @SophyRivenhall I think we’ll do the same very soon; I’m no poker player either!

Hi all

First of all, massive thanks to all those on the thread - it is so helpful and good luck to all those on wait lists. I think it is a tricky year (I went through 11+ last year too but with a son) and I think schools have been far more conservative with their offers compared to last year.

My query is to do with GDT schools. I just wondered if those who have accepted places at GDT schools have any views/ thoughts concerning the teacher strikes over pensions that are currently going on? Or if they have been given any information by the schools. I am hanging on a wait list for Putney High (but do have one other option too) but a mum of a girl who joined Putney last year told me she is very worried that the end result of this dispute will be that lots of the good teachers will leave the school as a result of this dispute over the pensions. Anyhow, just thought I would ask! Wondered if anyone else had concerns.

Thanks!

@Fashionables, there is a (rather lively!) thread on the GDST pension dispute here:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/education/4470113-GDST-Trustees?pg=11

Blimey- I see that you mean about lively…..