SGGS OOC admissions

[Here_goes]

I know the past is no guarantee for the future, but can anyone tell me whether in previous years, there has never been a second round of admissions for SGGS. i.e. whether all places were accepted in the first round? We are OOC in Banbury but live pretty much on the bus route for the school. Making a proactive move into the priority area wouldn't be the end of the world for us as we rent. Obviously, it is completely result dependent and so would wait and see what scores look like before making the final (and swift) decision, however if anyone can shed some light (offer advice/basis of probability etc, etc) I would be very grateful.

[kenyancowgirl]

I am not aware of there not being second round offers but your biggest issue is that your DD will have to be a very high scorer to stand a chance. Being in the priority area is the best scenario, as it gives you more wiggle room the closer you are. Notwithstanding, SGGS is an all encompassing school and your DD will need to immerse herself in school life - we are much closer than you to Stratford (and have boys at KES) but the charms of the A422 are completely lost on me....it is horrid driving in and out several times a day (sometimes) and from Banbury is worse. All our friends who lived in Banbury have moved, having put up with the travel for about a year, either into Stratford or to a nearer village. This will help if you have other children too - if you can stand another move, I would do it.

[Here_goes]

Thank you KCG (if I may?). We do indeed have a younger dd which is of course another consideration as if one got in and the other didn't then we would need to work out commutes for the whole family. The ideal scenario (hahaha) would be for our eldest to score high enough to be accepted from OOC, and take the bus for a while and then if our youngest achieved what looks like it might be good enough to qualify, then we would move closer to Stratford. If she didn't then we would probably look for somewhere equidistance between Kineton and Stratford. I'm just not sure I'm up for taking the gamble though on my eldest dd scoring high enough and then being offered on second round. I really think I need to just wait it out and see what her score looks like mid-October. You can be sure I will be back on the forum sweating it out with you all again then!! In the meantime I hope all the dc are having a nice break and thanks for replying KCG.

[kenyancowgirl]

Is Kineton your catchment school then?

[Waynetta]

Hi
we're about 1/2 mile OOC 3 miles outside Banbury and everyone we've ever known go to SGSS (also OOC) just stomachs the drive -often because they have other children at different schools or other commitments. The bus journey is often positively regarded (esp as the KES boys now get the same bus!) although getting home earlier would also be welcome. I think it also depends on what you're used to - I work in Stratford and the 35 minute commute via Kineton and Wellesbourne is the shortest I've ever had so I really enjoy it! I used to work at Warwick Uni which was a miserable commute.

Re the score, most go with a few marks above the qualifying score -sometimes offered on March 1st too.

My elder DD goes to Kineton and I'm a governor there so feel free to ask for any further info

[Here_goes]

Thanks Waynetta. That's really good to hear. I think the only thing we can do now is try the best we can for the exam and results and try to make as informed a decision as we can in October. We looked at all the schools last year, and I am really glad that we did as I think the normal timespan between open evenings in year 5 and making the application are quite short. We will definitely go and see them again this year.