Hello

Can someone please provide me a list of all grammar/selective schools (for girls) where there are few places which are open to all - i.e. not dependent on catchment at all and purely offered based on entrance exam scores.

I know Henrietta Barnet is one. But what else? (in South/East region)

Thanx

Edit: thread title changed
from "Which grammar schools are super selective?"
to "In which selective schools one can get offer from outside [catchment]"

super selective does not mean no catchment. In Kent there are super selectives which only take something like the top 3% of applicants, as opposed to Busks which offers places to about 30%.

You might get a better answer with a different title

This question has been asked several times before, so you might find a list if you search.
ETA: this is one example: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=45857

It sort of does that, though - that there is no other barrier to entry Like comparing KEGS and CCHS in Chelmsford with CRGS and ColCHS in Colchester. The Chelmsford grammar schools reserve the first 80% of places for IC applicants. If the 120th IC girl applying for CCHS (PAN 150 IIRC) scored, say, 106 and the 31st OOC applicant scored, say 112, the 120th IC girl would get a place and the 31st OOC girl wouldn't, even though she was higher up in the overall rankings. Whereas the Colchester grammar schools have no catchment, ranking applicants only by score. So if the aforementioned two girls had also taken the CSSE exam and the OOC one ranked within PAN and the IC one didn't, the OOC girl would get a place and the IC girl wouldn't.

So there you go, OP, ColchesteIr County High School for Girls. Sitting the same exam, your DD can also compete for dedicated OOC places at Westcliff or Southend High School for Girls. Either way, you can move to the seaside if she gets in, which has got.to be an advantage over HBS .

But scary mum is quite right. Using the 'search' function should bring you many discussions on the subject.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

I meant I am trying to find selective schools where there are some places (however small) which are not at all dependent on living on school catchment area.

Then perhaps, as suggested, you should change the title of your thread and search on similar titles so that you can see where all this information has been provided previously on this forum. Thanks Toad and Scary for you help though

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mad?

Well, if she doesn't mind a challenge and your DD takes a shine to Chelmsford (what's not to like? Best Thai food for miles around , just about the tiniest city centre in the UK and its got a JohnLewis almost next door to a branch of Hotel Chocolat ), some if not all of the 30 places at CCHS allocated on score-regardless-of-place-of-residence each year go to OOC candidates

Also, it's the same exam as the one for the Gloucestershire grammar schools (3 girls only, 2 boys only, 2 mixed), none of which have catchment areas. I don't know whether CCHS or Gloucestershire CC mention on their 11+ registration forms how you go about sitting the exam in Stroud / Gloucester / Cheltenham and also be considered for Chelmsford (possibly not, because despite the regularity of threads on the subject on here and the very few folk who genuinely may not know whether work will take them to Essex or Gloucestershire by the new school year, I suspect neither authority thinks many would need or want to), but you definitely can't take the exam in two different areas, so there must be a way of doing it.

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Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx

There are two girls schools in Sutton (Nonsuch and Wallington Girls) which have some open places based on exam results.

However, applying for a school a long way from where you currently live does carry risk. You won't know for certain whether or not you've got a place at any school until after offer day on 1 March, which doesn't give you very long to find a new home for your family before the start of the autumn term. Also, of course, moving will have an impact on other aspects of your life - your DD's siblings, your work patterns, your move away from current friends and activities to somewhere new.

If you are offered a school on 1 March that's a long way away, you're then committed to moving whether you want to or not. You can't change your mind and ask for a closer school. You might be able to go on a waiting list for a closer school but there are no guarantees and it does add to the stress and uncertainty that you face as a family.

Also, moving the whole family for the sake of a school can put a lot of pressure on a child. What if she starts at this school and hates it? Would she feel obliged to pretend everything was OK, given that the whole family has moved in order for her to go there?

You know your own family best and will want to do what's best for them. If your local schools are truly dire I can see why you might want to look further afield. Just be aware of some of the complications.

My locals schools are truly dire!

I don't want to go thru hassle of moving before DD gets a place (I understanding moving to catchment will improve chance to a great extent but I can't figure out whether that move is worth it).

Hence my plan is to prepare DD for schools where it is possible to get a place (however small the chance is) and move if she indeed gets admitted.

I shall only consider moving to schools where I think I can realistically move later (based on housing/job etc.)

You’ll also need to have a look at the schools as well, and given the timescales between getting results and submitting the CAF, you’ll need to do this ideally before getting DD to sit tests.

Do not underestimate the hassle of moving house, even if renting. Especially if you have tight timescales and also possibly having to find a primary school place for year 6 depending on when you move.

I’d suggest a more targeted approach to finding a school rather than a scattergun approach. Since you are probably loooking at moving anyway, why not work to move to a region that has a good overall selection of schools (GS and others) so if your DD doesn’t qualify for a GS you have a good fallback too.