Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

SPGS actual offers and acceptances

220 replies

spnumbers · 22/01/2023 09:09

This has been mentioned a few times. Here's last year's actual results by school. The class was 113. 51 places were achieved by making 53 offers. That's 45% of the class. At that rate, it implies that a total of 4.4 offers were declined. If we think the other 55% is more likely to decline offers, then it's more like 7-12 total offers declined. Enjoy.

SPGS actual offers and acceptances
OP posts:
Lolakath19 · 10/02/2023 10:05

Oh no really sorry to hear that :( this is a bit of a cruel process. Well done for all the other offers. and I am sure your DD will thrive there!

Ernern · 10/02/2023 10:17

LondonMum20222 · 10/02/2023 10:02

We're 2024 entry! But lots of friends are going through it this year, and I know only too well how I'll feel on this day next year if it's bad news for various schools. Nobody really wants to have to have that conversation with their child. It's hard.

You are way ahead of your game!! 😚You will be over the moon at this time of next year! Lots of time to prep! 💪

LondonMum20222 · 10/02/2023 10:22

Ernern · 10/02/2023 10:17

You are way ahead of your game!! 😚You will be over the moon at this time of next year! Lots of time to prep! 💪

Given how utterly dreadful and random and unpredictable this entire process is, I think I'm just trying to mentally prepare myself early!! Forewarned is forearmed, and all that!

HawaiiWake · 10/02/2023 10:55

Pleasegrowmore · 10/02/2023 09:57

No here too.

I actually got a phone call to tell me from Director of Admissions, I think because I emailed about the “glitch”. Clearly it wasn’t a glitch at all but hey, these things happen, it didn’t affect the outcome, just the way we found out.

Sorry to hear how it was on the portal, follow by a glitch comment and the latest update. This process seems rather messy. Hopefully the phone call gave a better explanation.

Parent123456 · 10/02/2023 12:05

Just catching up on the thread. So sorry to hear about the nos :( I hope the director of admission did apologise for the mess up and own to their mistakes..
We were lucky to receive a Yes today but are waiting for HBS on 1st March before deciding.

WimMum2015 · 10/02/2023 12:11

Hi All, My daughter did not get through either. Sigh! But all good. I just wanted to check - are SPGS, NLCS and the top schools consciously trying to increase the intake of children from state primaries - aiming for a certain %?
I heard that in boys school KCJS does but all hearsay.

BonjourCrisette · 10/02/2023 21:59

Sorry to hear about the nos and hoping your daughters all end up somewhere they love.

are SPGS, NLCS and the top schools consciously trying to increase the intake of children from state primaries

I can't say anything about the others but SPGS is mainly talking about increasing bursary provision rather than state primary entry (though there is obviously a big overlap there).

swprep · 10/02/2023 23:50

The economic barrier of entry for SPGS is getting higher every year. Not meant the application fee but the time and effort took to turn a bright girl to a Paluina contender. Increasing bursary provision for the targeted portion from the state primary school seems to be insurmountable task. It is the same for London grammar schools, the economic diversity is getting worse over time.

PS. DD got the SPGS offer and we will release it before 2nd of March.

Ernern · 11/02/2023 00:58

swprep · 10/02/2023 23:50

The economic barrier of entry for SPGS is getting higher every year. Not meant the application fee but the time and effort took to turn a bright girl to a Paluina contender. Increasing bursary provision for the targeted portion from the state primary school seems to be insurmountable task. It is the same for London grammar schools, the economic diversity is getting worse over time.

PS. DD got the SPGS offer and we will release it before 2nd of March.

Congrats. May I ask which school you are choosing over St Paul's?

yetanotherNW8mum · 11/02/2023 01:34

Been reading this thread with much interest. DD got an offer today from SHHS, G&L, NLCS but a Wait List from SPG. She is hugely disappointed since she had her heart set on the school and felt the three rounds went well. Reading the previous posts it seems that a few Wait List places do convert and I hope for her sake it does. She is sadly not focusing on the positives of what she has got but that is a different conversation to have.

The deadlines for the two schools (we have already declined SHHS and G&L, it is now between SPGS and NLCS) are very close and we cannot afford to pay two sets of deposits. Does anyone have experience on whether the Wait List to offers start after the first week or is it likely only after the SPGS deadline of 2nd March? Also, are there conversions later in March as well?

LondonMum20222 · 11/02/2023 06:23

yetanotherNW8mum · 11/02/2023 01:34

Been reading this thread with much interest. DD got an offer today from SHHS, G&L, NLCS but a Wait List from SPG. She is hugely disappointed since she had her heart set on the school and felt the three rounds went well. Reading the previous posts it seems that a few Wait List places do convert and I hope for her sake it does. She is sadly not focusing on the positives of what she has got but that is a different conversation to have.

The deadlines for the two schools (we have already declined SHHS and G&L, it is now between SPGS and NLCS) are very close and we cannot afford to pay two sets of deposits. Does anyone have experience on whether the Wait List to offers start after the first week or is it likely only after the SPGS deadline of 2nd March? Also, are there conversions later in March as well?

Firstly, congrats to your DD on an amazing set of offers. She has done brilliantly.

I totally understand her disappointment, however. (They're only 10 or 11, and they're human - of course they're going to have a favourite school however much we advise them not to).

Re the WL. The general assumption is that SPGS tend not to over-offer much (because so few people turn them down), but in past years, there have been a handful of girls who've got in on the WL. (There are already two parents on MN who are turning down SPGS places). But the main point of rejection will be after March 1st when state school offers come out (as there's some crossover between SPGS and Tiffins, and may parents will chose Tiffins and save themselves £300k!) Hopefully those parents will release before the deposit deadline, but sometimes it'll take time to trickle through, and it may not be before March 6th. (Remember if you turn down NLCS, someone else is hungrily waiting for that spot too, and they don't want to pay double deposit either!)

For now, I would call the Admissions office and ask where she is on the WL as a way of managing expectations (if she's number 20 then realistically there's probably not a huge chance, I imagine) and impress on them that it's DD's first choice.

Re double deposit, there's an argument that in the grand scheme of things - ie 7 years of fees at any of these schools - it's worth sucking up, but that's obviously for every family to decide based on their own circumstances.

Good luck and keep us posted!

yetanotherNW8mum · 11/02/2023 08:06

Thank you for giving some indication. I was hoping that all the declines come in by 2nd March so we would definitively know the outcome by then before paying the NLCS deposit. Question for the two MN parents turning down SPGS, when are you planning to let them know? Asking only to get an indication of timing.

I spoke to the admissions office and they have been very secretive about the the Wait List position, so I don't know if she is near the top or the bottom or even how long it is.

Half a term's fees wasted on deposit to switch later does not feel trivial but fair point about double deposit in the grand scheme of things.

LondonMum20222 · 11/02/2023 08:11

yetanotherNW8mum · 11/02/2023 08:06

Thank you for giving some indication. I was hoping that all the declines come in by 2nd March so we would definitively know the outcome by then before paying the NLCS deposit. Question for the two MN parents turning down SPGS, when are you planning to let them know? Asking only to get an indication of timing.

I spoke to the admissions office and they have been very secretive about the the Wait List position, so I don't know if she is near the top or the bottom or even how long it is.

Half a term's fees wasted on deposit to switch later does not feel trivial but fair point about double deposit in the grand scheme of things.

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your pov) waitlists tend to move right up to Sept and even beyond. I know someone who got an SPGS WL offer over the summer last year. And if you read previous threads on here, you'll see that there's some movement even at the start of term. I guess there's a choice for every family about at what point you just commit to a school, and when does it become too disruptive to accept a different offer.

That's annoying you can't find out the WL place. A lot of schools seem not to be telling parents that this year - I'm not sure why.

Lolakath19 · 11/02/2023 09:53

2 or 3 in our prep are not thinking they will accept either. So keep hope it will move!

LondonMum20222 · 11/02/2023 14:51

@Lolakath19 That seems a lot! Given the original table that started this thread, showing that the top 4 indie preps hardly turn down any offers, 3 in one school seems high! Are you sure parents aren't pretending to have an offer that they're not actually in receipt of?

njshore · 11/02/2023 15:23

Lolakath19 · 11/02/2023 09:53

2 or 3 in our prep are not thinking they will accept either. So keep hope it will move!

Are you at Falkner House? Heard from my friend who has a daughter there that the girls did really well with SPGS offers this year. An all-time high number of offers.

FYI-if it helps anyone, my friend will turn down NLCS & G/L offers for those families on Waiting List.

Chiswickmama · 11/02/2023 16:48

Happy to give real life experience of the WL. It does move and often before state school deadline. It also does move later and yes, the school is v conscious not to make anyone pay 2x deposits. Hth.

yetanotherNW8mum · 11/02/2023 21:42

Chiswickmama · 11/02/2023 16:48

Happy to give real life experience of the WL. It does move and often before state school deadline. It also does move later and yes, the school is v conscious not to make anyone pay 2x deposits. Hth.

Would love to hear more. Would you prefer me to PM you?

Chiswickmama · 11/02/2023 23:24

Sure no problem. x

WimMum2015 · 12/02/2023 19:25

Link2022 · 22/01/2023 10:14

I believe spgs says 50% are from state schools, so you would be looking for most of the data from state schools which don’t publish. I think they would be much more likely to reject for offers at top grammar schools or financial reasons (scholarships and bursaries from other schools). However, this is a very good indicator for private prep schools.

Apparently, like universities, schools are also looking to meet a % of state/bursary applicants. So I have friends who moved their DC to a state school as it would give them a higher chance at SPGS, KCS etc.. Not for financial reasons.

Shiningsun · 12/02/2023 21:10

@Chiswickmama @LondonMum20222 I don’t understand how does a wait list move post March? Is it because of grammar schools waitlists being maintained till July? And that may have a knock over affect on all private schools? This process can be so slow, expensive and torturous for poor waitlisted students.

Chiswickmama · 12/02/2023 21:58

I don’t know all the reasons but people’s circumstances change. Also SPGS is a very international cohort (much like many London schools) so people come and go. Yes it could be schools’ WLs moving elsewhere but there’s always a lot of movement. I think it only affects you if your final decision wasn’t the one you are totally happy with and then it’s for each family to work out the ramifications of two deposits etc and other incremental costs. Hth

BubsysMum123 · 18/04/2023 16:04

I would imagine because they can’t afford it ! Spgs is the best school and most prep schools are aiming to get children there… don’t think anyone would turn it down! The reason some state school applicants may turn down is they may have got into a competitive grammar ( that’s free!) !

redrobin75 · 18/04/2023 17:33

Lots of parents turn down SPSG to go to for boarding schools instead or other equally academic day schools like NLCS.

Waitlist1234 · 18/04/2023 18:27

Well every year some girls girls from the top prep decline offers from spgs so it is not about not being able to afford it only. Some parents prefer a more conservative school and not all parents like spgs ethos.