All schools rejected at 11+. What now?

[lirik]

Apologies for the wall of text and a clickbaity title. One school, The Leys in Cambridge, put our daughter on waiting list with final answer due March 8th, and 10 others rejected.

We are based overseas, planning to move to UK this summer. Daughter is currently at NLCS (Singapore).

We have hired education consultants to help navigate UK schooling landscape, aid with school selection, applications, etc. We have also engaged tutors to help prep for 11+ over past year or so.

Now that most schools rejected, consultants are proposing to consider Fulham till 13+ and try again after two years, or just stay at Fulham senior till sixth form.
Another option is to try apply to few schools that haven't done their tests yet. Namely we currently have on our radar Eaton Square Senior School and Radnor House.
A good friend recommends to settle in area with good and outstanding schools only and hire tutors aiming for 13+ or sixth-form.
Locationwise we'd prefer London but can entertain outside London commutable to city. In a pinch if need be can consider pretty much anywhere in UK. I recon I can reach an agreement with the employer.

@FrenchFancie it depends on the age of your child. If OP child is 11, she's born in 2011 or 2012, which are very high birth years. This is the first google hit I can find
www.statista.com/statistics/281981/live-births-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/

Around here, you can walk into any primary school for KS1 now.

@lirik

If you're keen on Cambridge you could try a prep school and then try again at 13+

So: Kings, St John's, St Faiths would be your main options. It would give you time to settle into the UK system and we're what might suit your daughter.

I'm local, if you'd like my view on them (we have kids in the Cambridge system) do pop me a DM.

Cambridge is lovely; vibrant but not too big, international, lovely historic architecture, lots of interesting businesses and interesting people, countryside on your doorstep and yet London is only 45 mins away. I'm obviously biased

Twickenham is Richmond Borough and not too different - possibly more affordable housing wise. A few minutes on the train to Twickenham from Richmond and a 10-15 minute walk to either the old or the new school buildings, though in opposite directions.

I believe I do understand. I went to a regular school like everyone. There are still different flavors of state schools.
Actually one of the main reasons I started this thread was to discuss state school option. I have some flavour on independent schools from consultants and my own research. I haven't explored state school option. My mistake. Maybe I should start a new thread on this topic. Suppose we move to some area with good and outstanding state schools only. Let's say we move early summer and apply to state school. What happens? Is it a good option?

Why don’t you ask the hired education consultants for advice? Is that not their job?

Do you have sense of why 10 schools said no?

Problem is that all those outstanding/state schools will probably be full - places are assigned 1 March. If you move to pretty much next door you’ll probably hop higher up the waiting list (depending on admissions criteria) but that’s still no guarantee. You’ll probably be offered the nearest school with a place which will probably, let’s face it, be a less desirable one, since otherwise it would be full.

We have a poster, a foreigner, looking for a school for the child, preferably a private one and you slate her for not wanting to be a drain on the system? Or wanting a more flexible system as they are an international family and willing to
pay for it? Surely you should be happy for her choice as many schools here are oversubscribed. She’s doing everyone a favour.
is this your way to say welcome to the Uk? You sound very envious and bitter.

OP Hope things work out for you. Ignore some very ignorant twisted and envious posters on here. Welcome to the Uk x

You won’t be able to apply to a state school until you have an address in the UK and then will get whatever is “left” in the council area. Some councils will have better schools than others but all councils have some undesirable schools and your allocated school could be some distance from your house. You will however be able to go on waiting lists for other schools and chances are a decent school place will come up at some point. not necessarily before the start of term though.
London schools are far more transient than other parts of the country where people don’t come and go nearly as muchZ

It’s not like the US with defined catchments. When a state school here is full, it’s full, subject to certain exceptional circumstances

Most state comprehensives (not all) allocate places by distance, in which case if you buy or rent a house next door to the school you will be at or near the top of the waiting list and likely to get in. Nothing's guaranteed though unfortunately unless it actually has spare places.

I was about to suggest Aldenham or Mill Hill. Both are mixed and have a significant intake at both 11+ and 13+. They’re good schools with kids with a deliberately wide range of academic abilities. Excellent extra curricular stuff too.

@lirik , you need to get your visas, move to the uk, rent a home and then apply for a state school that isn't full for Year 7 in Sept 2023. The year 7 places are allocated on 1st March. You will be at the bottom of any list for a state school place. Focus on London schools like Fulham School where you may have a place anyway. Don't consider Cambridge unless you get the offer from The Leys which is walking distance from the train station. I know Cambridge well and The Leys has a slightly different pupil body to other private secondary schools.

If you want to stay in the private sector, find a school place and then find somewhere to live.

If you want your daughter to go to a free state school. You will need a uk address to apply, and then will be allocated a space at the nearest school with capacity to take her. This may or may not be one of the schools you have considered. If you are going down this route, try and avoid living in a socially deprived location and be mindful that good state schools are generally over subscribed.

Hi OP,

It might be worth giving Notting Hill Prep a call. They go through 13 but tend to have quite a few girls leave at 11, so sometimes have places in the top two years. Their new head is from Glendower and has a very good reputation.

Thanks so much! What a lovely welcome. We've been to Cambridge just end of Jan. I should've posted here earlier, maybe I could've met you for a cup of tea or a pint. I like the vibe of Cambridge. As you say it is a vibrant place. It is a young place. Having all these students running around and doing stupid stuff keeps the place young at heart. The contrast of the old buildings and young crowd is fascinating.
That being said, we are more of big city children and, apologies, would rather prefer London. Cambridge is still very attractive and we'd go there in heartbeat.
Thank you for your advice. I'll check out the schools you've suggested.

Looking for another perspective. Having second thoughts. That kind of thing.

That's something we are figuring out. we are asking for feedback from schools, which they often reluctant to share. 10 is a bit of roundup. There were too many "long shots" in our school selection. And the "safe choices" didn't come through. The focus is on the latter of course.

I would say most areas operate the comprehensive system now.
When Dd and Ds were looking at secondary school they could get into what were called the towns grammar schools because of the catchment area we lived in. If you lived out of the area and wanted to go to these particular schools then you could take the 11+ and if you passed and were and had an interest in Sports or Science you could maybe get in
I would say the 11+ is something that not many take nowadays
Most private schools have their own exams and the 11+ is for somewhere like Kent which still operate the grammar school/secondary modern system.

I’m not loving a lot of the responses to the OP. She’s a foreigner and is trying to get a spot in a school in a country she doesn’t currently live in. Presumably getting educational consultants is a fairly normal thing to do in Singapore?

Would you consider weekly boarding? Plenty of schools have spaces due to Russian students being withdrawn I've been told via contacts in the business (it's worrying them).

Email the London schools suggested in all these posts from very helpful MN and call them up tomorrow for an idea if space is available due to country relocation.
Maida Vale School, Knightsbridge school, Fulham Prep, Thomas senior.

Also, there is a new school call London Park school, in Clapham, opening this September with head teacher are who was head of Putney. Their registration open and deadline in 22 Feb for 11+. Yes, new school but your kid will be joining new cohorts and not a school group already established if that is important for you.

Thank you. Could you please shed some more light on why not to consider Cambridge and what is the difference between pupils in The Leys and other private schools?

Maybe part of work relocation package? Had a pal moving from Norfolk to Austin, Texas and they had one to help the family. Due to different education level and systems in play can be very confusing or challenging.

Thank you for your support. We are indeed foreigners. We used to leave in London for a bit over a decade ago, before kids. Our understanding of UK schooling system is a tad limited. I should've mentioned it in the original post.