Wallington and Non-Such Views

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envcon
Posts: 5
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 9:36 pm

Wallington and Non-Such Views

Post by envcon »

Dear all

I am after some advice, though it may be premature and unnecessary – all depends on the outcome of 2nd March.

In summary, my daughter has passed the Wallington Girls and Non-Such exams. I thought I favoured Non-Such, just the feel of it, specifically the English department and teachers I spoke to and also the fact that they taught Latin and always intended on putting this first on the CAF form. However I ended up putting Wallington first on the list on the CAF submission day.

We are in area for Wallington and we are out of area for Non-Such, so she would have to get a top 80 score for that. She scored 247 for Non-Such (which I think should be there or thereabouts for an out of area place, but again don’t know) and obviously don’t know what her score was for Wallington.

Whilst I don’t know yet whether she will be offered a place at either school - I have increasingly began to question putting Wallington first. I can’t give a logical reason for this, and despite how I feel now I did a lot of thinking and research before submitting the CAF form, but increasingly in the last few weeks am doubting my decision. My daughter herself has expressed no preference with regards to either school and if she did I would be happy to have gone with that.

I would just like some feedback/views from anybody out there who has daughters at either school at the moment (particularly in years seven and eight). Not the exam results side, but the feel of the schools; the good, the bad and the ugly. What are the new heads like, what changes (both positive and negative) have they have put in place? I visited both schools on the open days and its just so difficult to gauge any level of detail on those visits, but its probably that level of detail that distinguishes the differences between the schools. My daughter is currently at a very small school so either school is going to be a big change for her.

I fully appreciate that both schools are excellent and that an offer of a place at either would be a great achievement by my daughter. Maybe I should just count my blessings and leave it at that. Feel free to tell me that.

I’m not even sure if I can change the order now (or request a change post 2nd March if she were to be offered a place at one of them?), but I just feel I have to do something at the moment about working out which of them she maybe more suited to as the 2nd March date approaches and the hope that she is offered a place.

As I said at the start of this posting, the above may all be premature and rather presumptuous…

Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Scoopy19
Posts: 82
Joined: Wed Sep 29, 2010 10:04 am

Re: Wallington and Non-Such Views

Post by Scoopy19 »

Everbody's opinion on the pros and cons of the schools is personal to them. DD1 and I preferred Nonsuch to Wallington on the basis of the sport and we both preferred TGS to Nonsuch on the basis of location, sport, art, feel. So my point here is that only you can know which school you prefer based on what you like/don't like/feel is important. I would think hard about why the change of heart and question whether your view has been coloured by others. Also don't underestimate the importance of being close to school.

She is at TGS and got in on the first round but after 1st March, as she had passed sufficiently to be awarded a place at both Nonsuch and Wallington, we were sent letters asking us to go onto the waiting list for both. Therefore, if you still feel Nonsuch is your preference after 1st March you will get a chance to go on the waiting list if your daughter's mark is higher than the OOC cut-off.

Good luck.
loopylou
Posts: 403
Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 9:08 am

Re: Wallington and Non-Such Views

Post by loopylou »

There's nothing you can do about changing the order at this stage. The deadline has passed and any changes would potentially demote you to a late applicant status which means you probably won't get any schools on your list at all - certainly not any popular ones.


If you get offered Wallington and decide you really prefer Nonsuch, you can ask to go on the Nonsuch waiting list after March 3rd. You won't be put on it automatically since it will be assumed that you are happy to have your first choice.


Being on the waiting list doesn't guarantee a place but the waiting lists are held in order of qualifying score so, with 247, your daughter can expect to be above many of those who also passed the test but with a lower mark.


That’s the logistical side of things, but on a more personal note, I would say try to stop worrying about it. Nobody ever knows with complete certainty that the school they have chosen is definitely the very best fit for their child and it is normal in the last few weeks before results day to have a wobble and flip back and forth between the choices you made last year. You must have had a reason for placing Wallington first even if it is just the fact that both are very good schools so it makes sense to go for the most local one. If however you become convinced it is the wrong decision, you do still have the waiting list option to pursue. Make sure you decide in advance what you would do if offered a place at Nonsuch from the list since they won’t give you very long to decide. In that event, you’d be effectively holding 2 offers for a few days and you won’t be allowed very much time to drop one and accept the other.
2outof3
Posts: 331
Joined: Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:21 pm

Re: Wallington and Non-Such Views

Post by 2outof3 »

Envcon,

I have two at Nonsuch (though both now in the upper end of the school) and I would agree with what others have said and not worry too much.

That said, I know what you mean about having irrational thoughts about schools and I have always gone with my gut feeling (heart over head etc.) I had a completely irrational obsession with one of the boys' grammars in Sutton but my son is now in year 7 at one of the others. I must admit that though he seems very happy and is storming ahead academically, I still find myself sometimes thinking "what if......" It's very strange as I have no rational grounds for thinking that and in fact there are things I've heard about the other school that suggest he is probably better suited to where he is. If you feel very strongly about it, then you can always add your daughter to the waiting list after allocations day and with a score of 247, you would have quite a high chance of being top of the OOC list.

Travel is a big issue though and in your case, if the journey is considerably further to Nonsuch than to Wallington, then you might want to ignore your gut and stay put in Wallington!

As an aside, the new head of Nonsuch seems to be making changes that I approve of :lol: You will have seen the proposed changes to admissions (though I think the new PAN of 210 is huge!) and he is very much about educating the whole child. The school isn't perfect though and I have become increasingly disappointed with the sports coaching (as opposed to the opportunities) over the years. Music is fab and drama is much higher profile than it was when we first joined. Academic results last year were lower than expected and things have definitely been ramped up this year. There also seems to be a good crop of offers for Oxbridge/medicine etc this year (though you may well not be bothered about those things yet :D )

Good luck with your deliberations

Good luck
cjl
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jan 14, 2014 3:25 pm

Re: Wallington and Non-Such Views

Post by cjl »

Well done to your girls for doing so well.

I am looking for a tutor to help prepare for the nonsuch and wallington exams and would be very grateful for any personal advice or recommendations.

Many thanks and good luck with your deliberating


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