Westminster vs St Paul's vs KCS wimbledon vs City of London

[Justarrivedlondon]

In terms of difficulty in getting in, is the ranking as the above, and is Westminster significantly more difficult (or just marginally more difficult) to get in than the others?

KCS, St P, W are all equally hard to get into, these being the top three schools. City is marginally lower down the league tables (I think it was no 4 on the list when we applied!) so potentially a bit easier to get into, but by a thumbnail. All schools are extremely academic. We found that the same kids often got offers to all.

We applied to two of the above, but also to a couple of easier schools in order to hedge bets.

In the end, we chose the school nearest to us. Don’t underestimate the importance of distance. The schools supposedly have different “feels” (or so I thought) but now we are at one of those schools, I reckon they’re probably all much the same in terms of their education/ethos (differences more linked to location, architecture). Fast paced, well resourced, and not for the faint hearted!

Ps apologies, I see you are specifically asking whether W is more difficult than the others. With possible marginal exception of City, short answer: NO!

All are hard, and KCS is at the top of the league tables for boys (& co-ed).

In other words, if you have your heart set on W for your son, then give it a go! But DO NOT expect the others to be any sort of fall back — City included!

Some boys get offers to all but a surprising amount get don't. Know boys who have got into St Pauls but not even been interviewed at Kings and vice versa with various combinations of offers/ rejections between all 4 ( and adding LU into the mix as well).
Don't put all your eggs in one basket and definitely think about the journey!

Don't worry. I will apply to a range of schools surely.

Also, my son did the mock test in Sutton and ranked around top 15% (around top 5% in Math and top 25% in English). Which school can he realistically aim at ? Or none in the above list?

I would say that realistically top 15pc and top 25pc does not put your child in a competitive position for these schools which usually take too 1pc

It's worth a go though.
'Top 1%' is a bit meaningless- top 1% of what?!

Perhaps I can explain a bit. Last year about 3000 applied for Sutton grammars, and based on information on mumsnet and 11plusforum, those ranked up to 400 (i.e. 13% of those sitting) ultimately got Wilson's offer and those ranked up to 600 (i.e. 20%) got sutton grammar offer. I was told (but not sure) that those taking the mock are on average slightly better as being those more committed all along. So, with these percentages, and purely on paper of course, is that my son would make Sutton Grammar and be marginal on Wilson's. If that is the case, would he stand a chance for the above schools?

It is really hard to say but other than the registration fee it is worth having a go- unless your son would be very upset if he didn't get in. I can think of a few boys I know at Kings that didn't get into Tiffin but also a lot wouldn't have tried- state schools would not be on their radar at all.

Thanks. We are also targeting independent schools. But since we just arrive here, we have no way to gauge my son's ability level compared to boys here, and so we took this mock, which is attended by many (about 1100 boys) and many says is quite representative for this group of students. Of course, the exam format is different and the mock is only for stage 1. But then, I just want to know if my son is far off, or should we be aiming at schools a bit lower in the academic requirements.

Surely, we will apply to a range of schools.

We did the Sutton mocks. It gives a hint. He was actually in the top 50. But I still wasn’t sure how he’d actually do on the day(s).

He got a place at Tiffin, and various scholarships to various indies. So maybe it gives more than a hint! However, tests throw curve balls. He didn’t pass the second round of Wilson’s (1 mark off the cut off!).

I think your son being in the top 15% is a good sign. He will probably pass to one of the grammars, but it’s not a done deal. But then, it never is!

In your shoes, I would certainly apply to one (or two) of the “top tier” schools, but also go for other great schools that ARE easier (but not “easy”!) to get into: eg whitgift, dulwich.

I wouldn’t bother with the shiny (nice facilities etc) indies that aren’t academic.

In the end you want a school that your child flourishes at, not one they struggle in. But equally, you want a school that helps your academic son to fly (or we did. He absolutely coasted at primary!)

However, you know your son! One test doesn’t show the whole picture. Eg my kid didn’t pass for Wilson’s! But he got into Tiffin.

Also think about your child. His personality. At the top tier schools, and I assume the SS grammars, they work FAST. just yesterday, he (year 8) had a list of about 40 French words to learn, biology homework, maths that I didn’t understand, and an after school football match. If he were struggling, or didn’t enjoy learning, he would be very miserable.

Is your son currently at a traditional prep school? You need to think about Common Entrance as well- I know Westminster no longer make offers conditional, not sure about the rest.

Yes I agree you need to target Whitgift, Dulwich, Alleyns and maybe Hampton if you can improve the English. But you also need the support of your prep school, for example Hampton is very difficult to get a place at age 13.

If he’s not at a prep, then do as I did and rely on the league tables to help guide you. Hampton for example, was in the top 10 when we applied, so again, not really very much easier to get into even at 11+.

I note your son is clearly good at maths (top 5%). This will stand him in good stead at a lot of the schools.

We were told at indie open days (not sure how true this is) that a spikey test result (e.g v good in one area, less good in the other - like your son) could still lead to an interview. But perhaps they meant if your child was one of the very very top scorers in one area (ie top 1%, scholarship level).

Anyway, he’s bound to get into something good. Stay realistic, just in case. The top 50 London schools, e.g. Dulwich et al, are still competitive. If you look back to threads on schools like whitgift, you’ll see loads of angst from parents! Btw I’ve also heard good things about Reeds, for boys. This should be really easy for him to pass, if you want an indie to bank on!

I would say Wilson’s and Kings are at the same level. If your kids got a space in Wilson’s he should get an offer from any other top school based in academics, but then you have an interview, etc.