Help - we need your "getting your child into the school of your choice" anecdotes please

[CarrieMumsnet]

Hi all

We've been asked to pull together some anecdotes on the lengths parents will go to to get their child into the school of their choice. This could be prepping for private school entry or working the system to get to the local (or not so local) state school. We're hoping not to get into a debate about whether parents should or shouldn't do this (there's plenty of that debate raging most days in the education topic) but going for the more ridiculous and hopefully fun tales from the school front line.
So if you jumped through hoops to get into the school gates of your choice, please tell us about it here.

Thanks

MNHQ

Any more for any more?

I've just remembered something - there's a girls' school near me - private, primary - that people kill to get there kids into. Admission involves a very rigourous day of assessment, at aged 4 (possibly even 3) ffs, but one of the things they get the kids to do is draw a face. Apparently they're looking to see how detailed it is - so I know of parents who have frantically schooled their kids in face drawing techniques, making sure that they include eyebrows and eyelashes because that, apparently, is a sign of sure-fire brilliance. LOL. God knows what they would have made of DS' stick men. He's still not that great at art, but he's f'ing brilliant at maths. You win some, you lose some.

get their kids (even) Can you tell I didn't go there?