Plan B anyone

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

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tubby
Posts: 137
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:53 pm

Plan B anyone

Post by tubby »

Hi all,

if your DC cannot get into the schools they sat for, what are your B plans, my DD sat for all the selective schools in Redbridge, and i am stressing like mad now, she did not get an interview for city, out of panic we have applied to another school late entry, which they pleasantly accommodated, sitting exams this week, local comp is totally out of the question :(
Waiting_For_Godot
Posts: 1446
Joined: Thu Aug 19, 2010 1:57 pm

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by Waiting_For_Godot »

Everyone's circumstances are so different. Our school choices Pre-test so if it's an initial rejection then the student is still able to sit an academic or music scholarship as means of entry a couple of years later. If your child has a certain talent then it's always worth phoning around schools, even those that appear to be full. The amount of times I've been told no and then had a quick u-turn when they discovered DS played bassoon! Your other plan B could be trying a prep school until 13 and the prep helping DC get into school of choice in Year 9.
lara228
Posts: 201
Joined: Tue Feb 08, 2011 11:23 am

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by lara228 »

Iam looking at schools with an entry at 13+. Lots of independents do have this as their main point of entry but the downside is that you are competing against the feeder Prep schools and standards will be VERY high. If we areonly offered local sink comprehensive will keep DS at home!
tubby
Posts: 137
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:53 pm

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by tubby »

DH and l have discussed putting dd in our local prep school, as lara228 rightly said competition are very high and there are no guarantees. unfortunately DD is not a grade 5 or so that is required nowadays.
mangomum
Posts: 137
Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2011 12:33 pm

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by mangomum »

Plan A&B is a place at a grammar or an independent school as state schools in our area are a No-No. Plan C is another independent school but it's not that great and DS is not too keen on it and again no guarantee of a place.

I hope that we get some good news on 24th or 25th Feb. Then, at least if we don’t get a place at a grammar school we have plan B to fall back on. Until then, I shall keep coming back to the forum for support as everyone here really has been great. Thanks for all your support these past 6 months.

Fingers crossed that our children secure a place at a school that will nurture and stretch them in the same way we have tried to these past months.

MangoMum
MangoMum
Reading Mum
Posts: 1841
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:44 am
Location: Reading

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by Reading Mum »

Plan A for us is Grammar (well Academy now), Plan B is the senior school of the Indie DD is already at, there really is no plan C. Catchment school is not even being considered - we'd have to look at other Indies if it came to it. We are not taking exams till Autumn but would expect to have been told by now if she wasn't going to pass senior school exam. Competition for the GS is fierce (500 odd sit the exam for 96 places) so we are setting DD's expectations at a realistic level I hope.
wyndales
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2012 11:26 am

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by wyndales »

Hi

I'm in Scotland, so no grammar option for us unfortunately.
DD sat exams for two independents last month and we find out the results on 9th and 16th February.
She didn't get called back for the scholarship exam at our first choice but I am still keeping fingers crossed that she did enough on the day!
Plan C is the local high school which actually isn't that bad, it just doesn't offer enough either curricular or otherwise.

When does everyone else find out their results for indies?
Middlesexmum
Posts: 1008
Joined: Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:54 am

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by Middlesexmum »

Our ideal would be either St Helen's or Watford Grammar. Failing that we would consider Heathfield if dd got a place. Or our fallback is a Jewish school - we have applied to JFS which is a wonderful school but I just don't know if it would suit dd.
menagerie
Posts: 577
Joined: Thu May 26, 2011 9:37 pm

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by menagerie »

We're sitting for indies anyway as the grammars we love are that bit too far to travel to each day, and the nearest is a super selective which, even if they did get in, is not our first choice as a school. If they don't get into one of our two top choices we have two fall backs which are easier to get into for some reason but have excellent results. Failing that, both the local comps have Outstanding Ofsteds. Some people think we're crazy not to just go with them, but it's not the schools that concern me, it's the pressure from peers that it's uncool to be bright.
Reading Mum
Posts: 1841
Joined: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:44 am
Location: Reading

Re: Plan B anyone

Post by Reading Mum »

menagerie wrote:it's not the schools that concern me, it's the pressure from peers that it's uncool to be bright.
I can definitely see where you are coming from with this - I went to a girls grammar where much was expected, OH went to a comp where he was bullied throughout for being clever :x
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