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+!

Does anyone know when we will hear from Epsom college about whether successful in ISEB and invited to interview?

I read somewhere that 2000 apply, 500 interview and 100 spaces but that doesn’t seem right?!

My daughter sat the ISEB there this weekend. Thank you

500 is probably about right for the interview but they will probably be giving out over 200 offers for the 100 places. I would be very, very surprised if they have 2000 applications though.

How did she find the ISEB paper? Ours is coming up this week! :)

I’d be really surprised if 2000 apply… Tiffin got 2250 this year, usually it’s around 1600. You’d think the grammars would get more applications?!

We just received an invitation to a KGS interview - relieved as my poor son has really been flagging from the exam effort. Does anyone know what the odds of then securing an 11+ place? And what questions we might expect?

Well done, if it’s a straight interview (not maths or English) then the odds are quite high.
In the past the interview has been quite straight forward, you can trawl thru previous posts but work on:
3 words to describe you
what do you enjoy doing
what are you reading
why do you want to come here
what other schools have you applied to

make sure he knows there is no rugby and where the sports grounds are located, ie spend 10 mins going thru the website. If not sporty focus on something else he can talk about - extra curricular.

Thanks, DS got a straight interview so that’s great to hear. It’s a wonderful school - my daughter joined 4th year (year 10) in September.

Congrats @firsttrax! We also got the general interview email this afternoon - so thrilled, as we also really loved the school when visiting. Really helpful to hear about what the interview covers also @tennissquare, thanks!

Fantastic to hear @MunchkinJ ! Also congrats @Whenwillthisendplease ! Really great school, I’ve been so impressed with it over the last few months. Wonderful school, lovely kids!

Anyone else's child at the end of their tether? I didn't think we'd put too much pressure on her, but DD - who's previously been pretty cooperative - is now more-or-less refusing to do any more exam prep. And I'd hoped to focus on exam technique and timing this week! First exam is Emanuel on Friday.

ISEB next week for us - we're only going for two ISEB schools and had both group activity days so after that we will be done (other than one more state banding test).

DD and I are both so over it. She did a practice English on Atom over the weekend and actually got a worse score than her benchmark we started with - and made some really silly mistakes. I am very much what will be, will be now! I don't think she'll be able to tell how well she's done on the ISEB very well either, so we'll just have to put it in a box and try not to think about it until February!

Yes we got to this stage. A total wall where DD did not want to do anymore. We had a duvet day and watched a load of movies on the Saturday before her exams started on the Sunday. It helped to reset her and not get overly worried or anxious. At this stage, what will be will be.

We are exactly at that stage too and are writing this week off because our DD just won’t do any more work without feeling upset and tearful. Scoring low in the ISEB reasoning tests and it’s demotivating for her. I think a reset sounds like a good idea!

Guys, honestly, at this point just cut them a bit of slack. Going into the tests rested and happy is just as helpful as any last minute prep. Wishing all your kids the very best of luck.

Yes we’re also at the same place and I can’t blame them, it’s such a long slog! Just focussing on getting enough sleep, good food, and making sure he’s getting enough downtime now.

Agree entirely. This is about finding the right school for the DC so sleep and time off is very helpful.

Just popping in as someone whose DD went through this all last year. 3 exams for 5 schools (3 schools were the girls consortium) and then scholarship days, interviews and group assessments…. It was insane and at this stage just before the exam for her favourite school DD hit a wall.

So you are not alone - and We gave her space, didn’t do any more prep and just got her to read and relax. She had done loads of exam technique stuff to this date and we had to just go whatever will be will be….

And honestly it all worked out. And worked out for every other kid at her prep school. Yes there was some disappointment with missing offers from preferred schools etc but speaking to parents now they all end up in a school that is the right fit for them.

Good luck to you all…it will all be over soon!

Thank you all - we're coming out of a state school that puts almost no one through this process (and, as it turned out, hadn't really taught her much maths), so rather less confident that we have actually prepared her well - I'd have got her to do exam practice earlier if I'd realised we would hit a wall! But I of course agree that they need to be rested and happy - insofar as that is possible in amongst the utter madness of putting 10 year olds through this!

I think it’s totally natural as a parent who loves your child and wants the best for them to be wanting to do as much as possible to help them succeed. The whole process feels such a leap into the unknown that it makes it hard to be as calm and rational as you’d always want to be!

I think it’s probably a good sign that our kids are showing us that they’re tired and a bit fed up - sure we all feel that way also! Hopefully you’ve got some reassurance that we’re all in the same place, and things will work out ok. Certainly in our home it feels like lots of time connecting/relaxing and reassuring is the best thing we can do now, as tempting as it is to try and do some last minute cramming!

It was the same for us coming from a state primary (and DD came out of the exam enquiring about what ratios were which did not give me much confidence) and it was fine. Fingers crossed it will be the same for you.

a question for all: have your state schools been sending the same number of children to private schools over the last few years ? ours has been sending less and I am wondering if it is a general trend or a more local situation
thanks

@Offtheygo there have been less children going private from state primaries in my area since the intro to VAT. People thought they'd save up in a state primary to go to private in secondary, any many realised it's still not viable financially.
On the other hand, private school children just went private - a little increase in popularity for grammar schools for tighter households, but many of DD's school parents just didn't consider going state at all.

In central London the registration numbers are holding up because of the move by private prep London parents discounting boarding schools due to cost (£60k) and considering day schools only (£30k). The pinch is being felt by the second tier boarding schools etc.

@Offtheygo I think we are the only private applicants in our 2 form SE London state primary this year - I haven't heard of anyone else.

I have heard anecdotally from a friend in the sector that registration numbers are holding, but state primary applications are down. I'm hoping this might mean DD has a better chance at getting in as one part of this process has been me discovering some rather worrying gaps in Maths and English as well - our school stopped giving maths and English homework other than spellings and the tedious TT Rockstars during the pandemic and never went back, and according to her parents' evening reports she was doing really well, so its been a bit of a surprise. I think they've been concentrating on bringing the whole class up after Covid as DD1 went to same school much further along at this stage.

At our school, quite a few left in y4/5 to go to either all through private schools or at the 10+. Far fewer of those that remain are going to go private at 11+ than even last year. So it's 2 things: much more 9/10+ entry & less people going private in total