Channing 2015 entry

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

Post Reply
11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now
taleila03
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 12:03 am

Channing 2015 entry

Post by taleila03 »

We are in a real dilemna as we have one twin daughter got offered a place at Channing (also at Highgate and SHHS) and the other is on the waiting list for Channing. Highgate closed their list early which seems to have had an impact on Channing who moved their deadline forward to today instead of Wednesday. we were informed that they had an unprecedented number of places taken up.

I am told that there is always a lot of changes with parents paying several deposits while still trying to decide and/or also hoping to get a place in a state school.

Our daughters and ourselves loved Channing and it is our number one choice so we would welcome your advice : should we pay the deposit for one and hope to get another place ?
Ladymuck
Posts: 1240
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:04 pm

Re: Channing 2015 entry

Post by Ladymuck »

Deleted by user.
Last edited by Ladymuck on Sat Mar 21, 2015 2:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Sue123
Posts: 86
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Location: London

Re: Channing 2015 entry

Post by Sue123 »

Hi, I would second what Ladymuck said. If Channing is your first choice for the girl who has the offer or for both girls then I would grab the place on offer and make it very clear to the school that you would love (and immediately accept) a place for her twin. Perhaps drop off the cheque yourself tomorrow morning and make that point in person with the registrar, Mrs McHarg, who is very nice.
I must confess though that I don't completely understand your question - why would you not accept the place at Channing if it is your first choice and if the alternatives for one twin are Highgate or SHHS (all three very good schools and relatively close together in terms of location)?
I have a daughter at Channing and we think it's great.
Good luck!
fairyelephant
Posts: 588
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:59 am
Location: N London

Re: Channing 2015 entry

Post by fairyelephant »

What's your alternative tailea? Does the twin who is only wait listed have any other offers? You should definitely speak to Admissions and see what the chances are of securing a place from the waiting list, it sounds like you should be top being a twin but you need to be in contact with the School over this.
taleila03
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2014 12:03 am

Re: Channing 2015 entry

Post by taleila03 »

Thank you all for your help.

Just to clarify the situation so far: twin 1 has 3 offers and twin 2 is only on Channing's waiting list and they would not tell me where she is on the list.

Channing is our first choice and I spoke several times with Mrs McHarg and she is well aware of our situation. In her email today, she explained that due to an unprecedented number of places being taken up, they had to move their deadline forward. She also thinks it is unlikely they would select from the waiting list. Before this happened, I was due to call her tomorrow midday to check where twin2 is on the waiting list and the likelihood of a place.

We have been offered two places at JFS in the meantime but our heart was set on Channing so we could pay a deposit for twin1 and hope it would help to get a place for twin2. However, there are strong chances we might lose our deposit if we don't want to separate them. There were less places available this year at Channing to start with but it does seem unusual that they are almost full if each applicant on average sat exams for about four schools if not more.
Ladymuck
Posts: 1240
Joined: Wed Jul 01, 2009 2:04 pm

Re: Channing 2015 entry

Post by Ladymuck »

Deleted by user.
Last edited by Ladymuck on Sat Mar 21, 2015 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
fairyelephant
Posts: 588
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:59 am
Location: N London

Re: Channing 2015 entry

Post by fairyelephant »

Channing was very competitive this year with less places. If it were me I would pay the deposit for the twin who has the place and see what happens. I suspect your other DD will stand a v good chance if you do this. There is bound to be some movement as the grammar school places filter through. See what Mrs McHarg says today too.
Sue123
Posts: 86
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Location: London

Re: Channing 2015 entry

Post by Sue123 »

Also, in my experience occasional places do come up - in my daughter's year this has been the case each year starting in year 8. Therefore, if you had one twin in the school already, I would imagine that your chances of gaining such a place would be higher - if you still felt at that point that Channing was the optimal school for your waitlisted twin.

Edit:
Sorry, I keep coming back to this thread. In other threads on this site, Channing School is often referred to as being smaller, warmer and more nurturing than other comparable schools in North and Central London. If you look at the website and read Mrs Elliott's weekly letters, you can see very clearly on how much she prides herself and her colleagues on the school's particular ethos. And certainly our experience has been that the teachers are all very nice and care a great deal about the girls. The girls also seem very nice and supportive of each other.

BUT: I sometimes feel that Channing is also portrayed as a softer option - not quite second rung but not there at the top either - than some of the other leading N and C London indies. I have no direct experience of Highgate, City or NLCS, for example, but the school is, in my view at least, becoming more ambitious with regard to academic standards and exam results. Channing has some very able teachers and some very clever girls, who work very hard. If it is not quite up at there at the very top yet, it is certainly trying to snap at the heels of those schools.

Given the pressure on places, I think that any girl who is offered a place from the waiting list is capable of doing well at Channing and she will almost certainly love the school because it is a happy place. But I wouldn't mistake it for a soft or relatively easy option.
Post Reply