SW London Grammar and private senior school entry 2026

[firsttrax]

Setting up this thread for those of us with DC joining year 7 SW London schools in 2026.

We’re planning to apply to KCS, Hampton, Epsom and Reed’s.

Have been living in Dubai for three years, returning in August for year 6 at DS’ old prep school.

DS has an online tutor focussing on exam technique and any gaps in the curriculum, plus Atom. Current school is great but definitely not preparing him for 11+!

Huge congratulations to everyone on here! What an amazing set of DCs.

As there are some lovely parents on here who've been through this before, I wonder if anyone has a view on a choice between Emanuel and G&L with the following priorities in mind (in no particular order):

• Academics matter, but I'm worried about grade factories - I'm a Uni professor in a pretty geeky subject. But I think (could be fooling myself) I care more about exposure to exciting ideas and interesting people than perfect grades, so I don't assume that league tables reflect the kind of academics I value.
• We prefer co-ed: In retrospect, I'm not a big fan of my experience in the 90s at all-girls' boarding school, either academically (lots of focus on teaching to the exam to get A*s, not very stretching for a very geeky academic student) or socially. DD has always had male friends - she calls them 'the back-ups' because she can't stand girl drama and runs away to the boys when it happens.
• We'd love a local school. We're in Shepherd's Bush, a 20 min walk from G&L, but an (easy) train from Emanuel. DD would much prefer a walk, and we love having kids hanging out at our house, which seems much more likely if school is local.

DD is coming from a one-form entry state school that sends almost no-one private. She is academic in a dreamy, head in the clouds kind of way, but motivated by competition. She is well-liked and sociable but eccentric and not at all sophisticated - reports tend to say things like "she is unashamedly herself".

Thanks so much to anyone who read to the end of this! @SamPoodle123 I'd love your view if you have the time.

@Somewhereinlondon81

will send you a private message.

Hi - just a personal perspective on G&L (but one I know is shared by every parent there I know), it's a really fantastic school. And no I don't work there! Teachers seem to have such wonderful relationships with the girls. It's not pushy at all when they're in. Pastoral care is very strong. Honestly, we were worried about an all girls school for the reasons most people are but, in retrospect, it's been amazing. It's felt like a school run by women in the interests of women and they don't have all that drama that comes with being in and around boys (well, not in school anyway)! So the whole atmosphere is calmer and the girls really support each other. They really encourage girls to be whatever they want to be. The new sixth form centre is great. The older girls are encouraged to take leadership roles and there's more opportunities for this than in other schools - eg. Head Girls team, Captains for Music, Debating, all the various sports, Drama, various subjects - you name it. As they move up the school, the relationships the girls have with staff are so mature and just amazing really. I never heard of an unhappy student there, and if there were, the pastoral team would be on it. Teachers really seem to care. Can't speak highly enough of this school - as you can tell!

Also have experience of LU which is quite different vibe, different pros and cons there.

congrats to all, hoping it all works out for everyone. We have a slight dilemma in that we have an offer for WHS amongst a few others but are wait listed for Putney. We are in SW14 so Wimbledon not as easy to get to compared to Putney High. Wimbledon was our favourite but in a slight quandary wrt commute.. spend the deposit money on WHS and make a decision if/when Putney wait list place comes?! A nice problem to have admittedly

Of course, you can always wait until it comes closer to the deadline for paying the deposit but it would be incredibly risky to forego an offer on the hope of a WL that might not materialise. But, if WHS was your favourite and your DD got a place, I would go for it. It is a great school - Our DD is there (Y9) and the school has more than fufilled our expectations and surpassed it (it is both strong on the academics and on wellbeing, encouraging intellectual curiosity and combining scholarship with fun galore!).

Plenty of girls at WHS coming from SW14 and close by areas (assume difference between WHS and PHS is mostly some more time on the bus).

PS feel free to pm me if you have any question on WHS. We got lots of useful insights when we applied, and always happy to help.

Morning! Anyone have any experience of G&L waitlist moving in the past few years? I have dropped the registrar an email to tell them it’s our first choice/will accept quickly if offered etc but just want to manage my own expectations here. Thank you!

We know socially over 8 families in Shepherd Bush, Hammersmith, Fulham area that takes the train to Emanuel or 295 bus. They been happy with their girls and boys going to Emanuel and a few from state primary schools. They going to get a brand new science building with lots of labs and already have a newish sixth form building. I suggest going to Offers days with your DC to decide, ask GCSEs choices, music, sport, drama etc if need to be at certain level or open different levels.

We know GL families very happy but they moving at sixth form to coed day schools eg. KC and Westminster.Some move at 13+ to coed but their DC preference.

London day school pupils tend to travel all over the place and social at different parts of London. Great part of living in vibrant city.

Would love to know your experience of LU please. We weren’t expecting an offer and similar to @Somewhereinlondon81 our DD also actively turns to her friends who are boys every time there’s any girl drama so potentially better suited to a co-ed school.

Also I’m not entirely convinced about no GCSEs except maths and English - is it too risky and might backfire as an approach? She is quietly academic, very competitive in terms of grades and also a bit quirky in her hobbies and obsessions! Perhaps she would be driven by the chance to gain high scoring GCSEs?

It’s a privileged position but one you can only properly think about once you have the offers in hand!

@helicopterdad1979 a lot of WL list offers happen the day after the state school allocations (grammar places etc) I’d be inclined to wait closer to the deadline as well as email PHS and tell them how keen you are as well as tell them you have an offer at WHS as this will show she has reached the level needed for several good schools. Not sure how useful but is what we did in your position a couple years ago and it worked!

Congratulations on the WHS offer and WL to PHS! If you are at a prep school now, I’d ask your prep head to call Putney for you. But also contact them now to say you have WHS but much prefer PHS and the reasons for it. We found last year that from our prep many girls got either PHS or WHS as they test very differently. We had a WL from WHS but didn’t even pass 2nd round at PHS which was our preference. We found that the WL only started moving a few days before deadlines…for both schools. So keep a cool head and wait to follow up with a phone call a bit nearer the deadline in March. If the commute is the only reason you prefer PHS then I can assure you that many girls do commute and I find that it has really made our DD very independent and mature. She commutes every day to FHSS! We never got that WL place at WHS and although we were so disappointed then we are so lucky that fate has taken her to FHSS where she’s absolutely thriving. But I would’ve regretted it if we hadn’t tried our best for our WL place.

Shall we find a way to swap places @W4mamabear? 😉 FWIW, as uni prof I like the idea of dropping gcses for really able kids. I think the need to get perfect gcse scores can really restrict a school's willingness to stretch and teach beyond the syllabus - so much exciting stuff you can do with 15/16 year olds that isn't reflected in the curriculum!

@helicopterdad1979 as others have said, by all means contact the school where your DD is shortlisted if you would take that place over one already offered. Most people do - others have mentioned it already (I am personally sceptical as to how much of a difference it makes, especially given the numbers doing it and for schools that have an ample WL...on PHS, we know both families that phoned and lobbied and got in from WL and families that did the same and didn't).

From reading your message I get a feeling that your concern was not so much on the WL front (as WHS is your favourite and you have an offer) but whether the commute to WHS, from SW14 to SW19, was doable. Obviously I don't know your precise location but I assume close to the 493 ... I have just asked my DD and she mentioned that quite a few girls take that journey.

In case useful, a piece of advice from our head of prep, was that sometimes we think of the commute in the context of the 10-years-old in front of us and don't always factor how fast they mature and how being independent on public transport is part and parcel of growing up in London.

@Somewhereinlondon81 - congrats on your DD's offer. I'm not sure my feedback on LU will be as relevant as DC left 4 or 5 years ago. As you know the Head has changed since then and they've dropped GCSE's and who knows what else has changed in that time.

In comparison to G&L, LU feels bigger and a bit less 'containing' if that makes sense? I also got the impression that the atmosphere was a bit more 'edgy.' More kids seemed to be struggling socially than at G&L - that was just my impression though. Recollections may vary!

On the positive side, the trips were amazing as they had 'Activities Week' every June where they all go off all over UK / Europe / further afield. That was a real strength of the school.

This might have changed, but they didn't used to like students doing a 4th A-level unless it was FM or a language they were already quite competent in. They used to push 3 A-levels and EPQ and then they would take the 'Latymer Diploma' which was basically various term-long courses from what they called a 'carousel of modules' plus a voluntary service commitment. It was quite good as DC did a module in International Relations and (I think) another language intro. But whether unis recognised this non-examined Diploma is hard to tell.

It's a very buzzing school - very forward-looking, always adapting. More socio-economically diverse perhaps than say the St Paul's or G&L due to the bursary scheme (I think about 25% receive some form of bursaries - or they did). Quite a large extra intake at sixth-form. Swimming pool on site and direct river access for rowing.

That's my take on it. Can't criticise the academic opportunities there as DC came out with all top grades and got into Oxbridge. But socially, it was a bit 'rocky' at moments. I felt like the school let a lot of shall we say, not very kind behaviour run at times. But, as I say, they have a new (female) head now so this could all be totally out of date.

I’ve got a DC at LU and they and us are very happy with it. I had heard before they started that it was bit more edgy and socially harsh than some other schools but genuinely haven’t noticed it. DC has a great friendship group of really nice kids - both boys and girls. I know of a couple of kids who experienced low level bullying in earlier years ( which happens everywhere) and the parents said was dealt with quickly and well. Can depend on different year groups though at every school. Friend’s daughter at G&L has had a nightmare with her year which apparently has an unusually large number of extremely wealthy alpha girls. But the school have tried to deal with it and teachers have been lovely. LU is much bigger so there doesn’t seem to be any one type who can dominate in a year.
You can’t really go wrong with any of these schools so go to the offer holder events, look at journeys and look at gut feel.

My ds is at LU and he is very happy at the school. He made friends right away and everyone seems really nice. I think it helps if you do the clubs, sports etc, as you meet people quicker.

I am not sure about the whole GCSE's thing, but have to trust the school and hope it will all be okay! He has had a really good start to secondary and we are happy with our choice.

I also have a dd at G&L and she is happy there. Either school, I would be happy to send my third dc to.

I think in any school you can find friendship issues or some difficult behaviors in year groups. It also depends on your dc, who they are friends with etc. So far we have been lucky in both schools. Although, dc are year 9 and 7 so still early years.

I’m not sure I really clocked until now how large the LU year group is! We’re trying to narrow down between LU/Emanuel/KGS.

Emanuel is super close and easy to get to. DS would be dependent on (two branches of) the district line for LU, and while that journey seems very doable I’m a bit worried about what happens when there are train strikes etc. KGS just has such a lively vibe, but without the facilities of the other two.

My DS is coming from a tiiiiny prep, and I’m worried about whether LU is going to be too overwhelming if also “edgy” or less strong on the pastoral side. He has plenty of friends but is definitely on the quiet/sensitive/thoughtful side. Is he just the wrong personality for it?

We’ve signed up to the offer holders days, but I’m a little sceptical that those are just going to be more marketing rather than a real decider!

Not sure if it’s worth it if journey is very complicated but LU has about 165 in a year- not sure how that compares to the others.
In the early years the pupils are in separate teaching groups and then different tutor groups so they get to meet lots of different kids. Mine has also met lots of others in different year groups through music, drama, sport etc.
Certainly don’t feel it’s any more ‘edgy’ etc than any other schools. My DC socialised with kids from lots of schools and they all seem quite similar.
Remember as well there is a lot of movement at sixth form so a school is not forever.

Ps- DC came from tiny one form entry State primary - no problem with size - although did start in COVID so couldn’t mix much!

But if you live super near Emanuel I’d just go for that- so much easier when you and them
can get to school easily! ( although their boathouse is miles away!)

I think when parents start this journey, a few of of us might be underestimating the importance of a pragmatic/practical commute

I did too when 1st DS did his 11+…
there is a lot of homework to do in secondary in 10+ subjects , perhaps after school clubs too, so tricky train rides won’t help (especially district line which is awful!). 2nd dS had to drop his Ibstock offer which we so much longed for, to accept an offer at a closer school (nearly as good academically tbf), mainly cause it’s a mile away

also LU has a diverse GCSE approach , which might not be for everyone, worth considering

Emanuel has had such amazing reputation lately !

well done to your boy !

Thank you for the advice @BrentfordForever and @sevilleseville . Lots of good food for thought there.

I have a DS at Emanuel who is in Y7 - he's very happy there. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions and I will try and answer. It's hard making the decisions!

Those on WL please post when offered a place. It will be nice to know if the list is moving for those who wait

And if comfortable to share when refusing offers to some of the sought after schools so can also have an idea about waitlist movements. Will help many with the unsettling feeling. Thank you

I will be turning down LU, Alleyns (academic scholarship), DC (academic scholarship), Emmanuel, Hampton next week most probably after the offer days. I'm not sure how the scholarship places get reassigned.

I hope these places make some kids and parents very happy, it's been a tough ride.