SW London Private and Grammar - applying for Year 7 in 2023 (Part VI)

[QuiteAJourney]

Following from our previous thread (link below)

www.mumsnet.com/talk/secondary/4731973-sw-london-private-and-grammar-applying-for-year-7-in-2023-part-v?page=40&reply=123775541

Looking forward to continuing the journey together!

Also, quickly wanted to add huge congratulations to everyone with offers for where they wanted and commiserations and fingers crossed for WL movement for those who didn't. I've been following silently while biting my nails over the 10+ this year. Still traumatised from doing the 11+ with DDs 2 years ago and so relieved we now don't need to again. It was so stressful so hope you're all taking a moment to breathe tonight. Raising a glass to you all!

Thanks for details @underthesea3 . Would love to know by how much these schools over offer by. They must all have a formula based on previous years.

Knowing that some schools are seen as a back up (Reeds often the back up for Hampton for example), I wonder how different their ratios look to schools like St Pauls and KCS

It's so hard to know. I know that schools like KCS and Hampton have a much higher acceptance rate but again who knows the actual real numbers of offers:acceptance?! I do know quite a few people with a few offers (3/4/5), so there must be hundreds if not thousands of places that won't be taken up. Hold tight!

There has to be tipping 1000 additional places offered. And I never hear of DC still looking for a place come the summer term.

As you have experience at St George's, somewhere we are considering for our DS, can you share a bit more insight into why that school suits your eldest DS but you think Hampton suits your youngest. Would be really helpful, thanks

Are the people accepting LU places, relaxed about your children being the first year that won't sit GCSEs?

@alltheleaves I am glad to hear you are happy with the school.
May see you around but not sure how much parental involvement there is at secondary.
I never want to do 11+ again but I have another younger one.

Is this definitely happening? They're scrapping GCSE's?

Would be very interested to read your source for this as you seem very certain this is the case. Fairly sure it's not confirmed and is still in an overhaul discussion stage.

If they don't have GCSE's how will the pupils get points/necessary levels for their UCAS forms? Teddies tried something similar but the new head ditched it, you need an assessment recognised by UCAS.

There's no more GCSE exams?

@Rivermarsh - we will be releasing Ibstock and St John's (and Harrodian waitlist) over the weekend. And will narrow the rest down over half term and after the offer holder events. I am not sure how quickly the declined offers will trickle down to the wait list though, with the admissions teams being closed for half term. Hope you get good news very soon.

do you have any more info on LU ditching GCSEs?

Are all schools now dropping the GCSE exams?

No - there are rumblings that they need to be overhauled (they do), but that's a way off. Honestly nothing will happen for a good decade at least and, much like when GCSEs where brought in, everyone will fret and stress and then it'll all be fine. I was the last year to take O levels, and even I can remember the hooha over it all in 1987/8/9.

GCSEs are not necessary and widely understood to be outdated in an era when our DC need more soft skills for their success rather than churning out facts they’ll promptly forget and rushing through essays to fit an exam rather than writing a thoughtful and well researched essay. LU and other super selectives are trying to lead the way to change the system since they are independents.
From what I understand, LU is working really closely with universities, UCAS, etc to ensure the options are accepted by the universities and serve their students better than GCSEs. They already enrich the GCSE years with extra curricula that is highly regarded by universities.
I am very much hoping that they will sort it out by the time my DD is GCSE-age as I’d love to avoid another oddity of the English ed system. Very few other countries (particularly outside the countries that GB colonised) have high stakes exams at age 16.
This is one of the reasons we loved LU - a very thoughtful and intentional approach to education rather than the more exams is best approach of other schools.
For transparency: I work in higher education in the US and the U.K. however these are just my opinions of the drive for change.

@Jibberty i was also last year to do O Levels!

<fist bump>

Quite a few of the independent secondaries talk to each other about 'opting out' of GCSEs but all realise it's not very viable currently. There are various working parties but no plans to drop them.
I have DCs at LU and WHS and both have said they would ideally like not take them but no plans to drop until there is consensus across the board. Won't be happening any time soon.

We want to attend the holder events before making the final decision and then will release offers. I imagine others will be similar. Some might be waiting for the state school offers. For us, it is just about viewing the other schools properly, as we didn't view them other then we saw them during the interview process. We have offers to all the schools we applied to - G&L, Putney, FHSS and Emanuel.

I'm sure we'll run into each other 😊
I've found with secondary you're involved as much as you want to be. There's a great community but there's also recognition that it's secondary and there's no requirement to be involved. You also get communities within, like the musicians' or sports teams' parents all know each other because you meet up that way.

It’s one of the reasons we liked LU, too - but we’re WL. Our DS also has a place at an international school which we specifically looked at because they do IB and not GCSEs. All academic (pun vaguely intended), probably, because DS’ favourite is Emanuel and he has a place there. We’ll take our time making this decision, though.

For those considering to release some offers, can I ask what is the best way to do it? I feel bad turning offers down and want to make sure we do so with the right wording/tone etc. TIA.

Yes, 100% we feel the same way. It is such a hard decision to make and hard to do. But I imagine the schools feel the same way when deciding who gets offers. My dd was super happy she got her first choice, but felt bad turning down one school in particular because she really liked the person who interviewed her. She liked all the schools, so it was a touch decision, but we think we know which one to go for. We will still visit the schools for the holder events to make sure.

We won't release our KCS offer until end of February - DS (not gifted or genius) worked so hard in the past 12 months to earn his place. He is absolutely entitled to keep the prize for himself a few more days!!