SW London Grammar and private senior school entry 2025

[Wlondon14]

Hi! I know there are a few threads like this out there, but they seem to focus on grammar schools outside of London. I found this group really helpful a few years ago when my daughter was going through this process.

Where are you applying, how did you find the open days? Are you using Atom learning? What is your prep plan for the next month?

I have a son applying to - St Paul's, Kings, Latymer Upper, Emanuel, Ibstock, Hampton, Harrodian

Thanks!

My son said 2 questions in particular were hard in Maths, he seemed confident otherwise. He doesn’t tell me much!

DS was in the hall and he was ok as he was in the middle of the room, but we met a boy after the exam who was freezing too! (maybe it was you and your son who we met😅). Didn't get much feedback on the exam, he ran out of time on last few VR questions and just guessed them, he was able to finish maths and revise (which is rare!). We hear from Latymer tomorrow and Hampton on Friday, the stress...Good luck to everyone, just hoping we get some choices after all the hard work!

Hampton 11+ emails are out. Or at least the "No" emails are ☹️☹️.

I am so sorry@Sunnyside12 , both no and yes email are out. Best of luck @Wlondon14 @SamPoodle123

Thanks! But we didn’t not apply to Hampton. Good luck to those that did!

Hampton 11+ interview emails are out!

Oops added before I saw other postings.

Did you get good news @Wlondon14 ?!

Does anyone know what time the Latymer Upper results are out tomorrow?

It was a few years ago but just checked and our email came at 4.57pm!

I am guessing Latymer will send end of day if they did that previously.

We did. I am really sorry it wasn’t for yours today. What other schools are you looking at?

A couple of others still in the mix. But we had been pretty confident of passing the first hurdle at Hampton due to getting the second round at Tiffin. I think the reasoning paper must've been his downfall!

To those that got to stage 2 girls schools but didn’t get an offer after interview/creative assessment in previous years, what do you think was missing? What advice would you give to 2025 crop? Where DDs make the academic grade through to stage 2, and references highlight the extra-cur. and hobbies etc - I don’t understand how the schools then WL or reject. I hear some private schools maybe sift the parents? Don’t want her confidence dented at this last hurdle of interviews because reading between the lines, getting to stage 2 means you are bright enough but rejection means we don’t think you fit! She’s not doing any sport or arts scholarship.
TIA for any views….

We were lucky to get offers from all our second stages but maybe useful to try to reframe your question.

A WL or rejection after second stage is easy to understand as schools usually put many more kids through to second stage than the offers they make. So they need to put some DCs on WL or rejection - how they go about it is a bit of a black box ... we assume extra curriculars and references play a role but difficult to say how much (and, in any case, other DCs will also have them and you don't know how they compare). But they probably also consider the first stage - you may consider that the first stage exam signals that a child has a minimum standard... whether that is in the top ones will depend on their performance on the first and second stage and other factors.
We know of people that got a WL because their first stage had been strong enough to put them through to second stage but, after an average second stage, it had not been strong enough to make their overall score grant an offer. Nothing wrong or missing with their second stage as such.

Hope that helps.

@SummerDCs I would say that often the first round is still used as the deciding factor in getting a place and the interview is really only for decisions at the margin either way.

St Paul’s second round emails are out

Thanks, still waiting.....wait feels like forever! How did it go for you? 11+ or 13+?

Through to next round at 11+, how about you?

I am only just joining this year but remember your handle from 2 years ago!

Congrats! Well done. Unfortunately, he did not make it through!

Just got our St. Paul's results, good news for us :)

Thank you, sorry to hear. Silver linings as no exams looming after Xmas now???

Sorry to hear @SamPoodle123 , you might have even better things instore.. will keep my fingers crossed for you. Congratulations @Nottoolongtogo

Exactly!! We are done!!! 😅