London 11+ Offers: What did you get and what did you pick?

[drdee]

Calling all mums - let’s talk! Especially September 2026 Year 7 mums - we’ll need this ☺️🌸

My DS is fortunate to have received offers from Kings/LU/DC/Alleyn's/Emmanuel/Hampton, including academic scholarships at DC and Alleyn's. We went with Kings.

They're all wonderful schools with great outcomes. In the end it came down to where I could see my daughter for the next 5 years (they can always move again for 6th form). I found the teaching staff incredibly warm, enthusiastic, and they made us feel very welcome. Music is also one of my daughter's passions, and their provision is fabulous. Finally, I feel the school is on the up (from already lofty heights) with Mrs Paul (ex G&L) and the new building now fully bedded in. Finally, it is somewhere I wish I could have gone at my daughter's age. But really, all great options! Good luck.

Oh thanks - Yes that makes sense. The two schools were quite neck and neck before that so it was used as a tie breaker, but neither would have been a bad decision.

Yeah I’m sure you’re correct that kids may have smartphones at home, but I probs misspoke, I meant peer pressure may be a little less, if they aren’t present on school journeys etc.
Also Highgate tops the north London smartphone free childhood pact (for what it might be worth) so feels like lower risk of being isolated in my view!

To be honest we were going round and round in circles with the benefits of each, that it was also helpful to just have something swing it either way!

My daughter is at Jags, it’s a wonderful school. Lots of opportunities for the girls and I recently volunteered at their alumni careers event, there were women in an incredible variety of top careers after leaving Jags.

After going round and round in circles until the last minute we decided for highgate for my DS instead of UCS. Very hard choice we loved both schools- I hope highgate doesn’t have that much pressure.

@Tinycottage we accepted City offer! Thanks for your feedback xx

Congrats!!!

A place at Henrietta Barnet is like gold dust. Assuming commute etc is reasonable, seems like a no brainer to me!

@Solasum congrats! when is the deadline?

@Solasum sorry by mistake I tagged you:)

@MissRB congrats! when is the deadline?

16th March for HBS. It's a tricky situation when one weighs the facilities NLCS offers vs the bias the institutions are driven towards state sector to level the plain field

@MissRB did NLCS extend their deadline to 16th March for you?

Oh no. We requested but they wouldn't. It's a little unfair as they leave not much time to consider after the National Offer Day.

@MissRB is there a real deadline for HBS? I'm under the impression that the council must assume that you accept their offer unless you actively decline, that merely not responding to their request for confirmation cannot cost you the place. And that this is part of the reason why some girls don't get places off the waiting list until mid-September.

Yes, true. It's not much about the deadlines of various schools though - its more so about the decision as a family and the next step. One wouldn't want to prolong the decision until summer to plan. Got forbid until September start of term.

Anyhow, so do you have an opinion about either of the schools. My post was for purely that.😃

I know several girls who have had the same choice in recent years, some of whom have gone each way. No one has complained about their choices... yet. NLCS offers a lot if you don't have to make too many tradeoffs to pay for it. HBS offers as good an environment for learning, with girls and parents who are no different from those at NLCS in discipline, ambition, and the value placed on education. For a state funded school, HBS seems to have a lot of clubs, many of which are run by sixth formers, just like NLCS. I'm sorry I can't be more specific.

Hasn't the deadline for accepting NLCS passed? So are you keeping places at both schools at the moment? I'm guessing you're aware there will be WL families desperate for one of those spots?

@naughtyparent thank you for your valuable feedback

@Blinkofaneye2 yes I am aware. After all the hard work my daughetr has put in and since it's a well deserved offer, I think it is only fair to take the needed time to decide and not be rushed into it. And hence the hefty deposit that will be lost if decided otherwise. In an ideal world enough time should be given for consideration and not 24 hours.

I am aware of the wait list and the desperate parents who unfortunately count not make it to the first list . Their wait until the offer holders make the decision is unfortunate.

.

"Unfortunate" 🙄It's actually totally unavoidable.

All kids work hard for the 11+.

If you've ever read 11+ threads on here before, you'll know that keeping hold of two offers - esp grammar and indie - after the acceptance date is seen as pretty bad form.
You had three weeks after your NLCS offer to decide what you would do if she got HBS as well. And then two days to make a final decision. And you've had months to consider all the schools you're applying to. That's what all families going through the 11+ have to do every year.

@Blinkofaneye2 I sense a lot of presumptions in your tone. Neither have I said anywhere in my posts that I am going to sit on the council offer or have I said I have accepted the indie offer.

If you were to read my previous post in this tread - my urgency is to make a decision before the 16th of March so that I could move on with life ( it was naughty parent, yourself who have been under all the impressions - far from what my situation is)

There is a system in the place in the private sector and the state sector for a reason. And I am sure they have created it that way after decades of experience. People relocate, places get assigned and reassigned...it's like musical chair until September.

I appreciate ( and I will make an assumption here... perhaps this one is right) you might have been burnt in the past and are taking this personally. And I sadly understand.

I posted the question so that I can make a decision before the 16th (read my early response to a parent) and move on...

It's really sad that just because you have a platform...you are on a moral high horse.

And by the way, you have contributed nothing of substance to this thread. Nor have you given any substantial feedback on the two schools.

I'm afraid it's you who are now making assumptions. I don't have experience of being WL, but it only takes an ounce of empathy to understand the position of those who are.

The system is that you make a decision by the indie acceptance date (which was this week) so that if you have state offers, they can be reallocated asap. And if not, your indie place can be offered elsewhere. That is why there is a date, and that is the system. If everyone abides by it, things run pretty smoothly. I'm afraid those who don't come across as pretty entitled. The 16th is just an arbitrary date you've invented for yourself.

Yes, some people's circumstances will change before Sept. But that's not your position. You're simply unable to decide between two schools.

If you're going to post on a public forum, you can't expect everyone to condone your decisions.

I suggest you spend five minutes looking at the other secondary school threads to see the number of parents anxious about WL places, especially in the state sector. Hopefully that might help you see things from a wider perspective.

@Blinkofaneye2 are you for real. Still no real contribution. Just people bashing.

You are making a fool of yourself in this forum. Please inform yourself before posting. 16th if March is the Formal London Council Deadline - to accept , reject or wish to go back in the wait list. It's an action to be taken. No action means a decline.

I don't know why this discussion of offer holders vs WL . Everyone is honestly trying to make a decision here and move on. Believe me - whole motive of the 11+ process in not to sit with 2 offers. 😁

@MissRB We preferred the private option, which is City. If you can afford it, I would go with NLCS.

However, if you choose NLCS, please don’t keep the state school option until September. I met a parent at JAGS who was very worried about the state school results because she said that otherwise she would have to pay 30% of the school fees (bursary applicant).

You can ask NLCS if a refund is possible - I think some schools allow you to cancel and receive a refund within 14 days, not sure!

Good luck with the decision!