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Admissions, school visits, fees, waiting lists and offer decisions — discussed by parents going through it now.

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Sixth Form (16+) Pinned Answered

16+ round 2026 — which schools moved their assessment dates?

Three schools on our list have shifted 16+ assessments. Useful to have the moves in one place.

16+
David23 Apr0 replies
Senior School Visits Pinned

What to actually ask Heads at open days (beyond the boilerplate)

Sharing what I've found useful. Standard questions get standard answers. These three got me much more honest responses…

open dayinterview tips
Veteran of 3 admissions cycles5 weeks ago0 replies
Bursaries & Fees Pinned

Means-tested thresholds in 2026 — which schools changed quietly?

Two of the schools on our list updated their bursary thresholds without a press release. Anyone tracking this properly?

Means-tested
Anya22 Apr0 replies
Music Scholarships Pinned

Grade thresholds for music scholarships — realistic picture?

Grade 6 piano and Grade 5 violin. Looking at four schools with music scholarships. What is the honest bar in 2026?

Isabel22 Apr0 replies
11+ Applications Pinned

Cohort welcome · How this room works, and the house rules.

A short note from the convenor — what this room is, what it isn't, and how to ask for recommendations without burning an invite.

House Rules
The Editors21 Apr0 replies
11+ Applications Answered

Has anyone heard movement on the waiting list yet?

We were on the waiting list for 11+ and had our first call yesterday — wondered whether anyone else had heard anything this cycle.

Waiting list
Helena24 Apr0 replies
SEN Support Answered

EHCP timeline — how long is it actually taking in 2026?

Our borough quotes twenty weeks. We're at thirty-two and counting. Seeking advice from families who have been through it.

EHCP
Tom21 Apr0 replies
Senior School Visits Answered

The three questions that actually tell you something at an open day.

Everyone asks about co-curricular. No-one asks the three that predict whether a school will fit your child. Compiling a list.

Open Days
R. Okafor20 Apr0 replies
International Families Answered

Term dates — aligning a US school year with London entry.

We are arriving from the US in August. The six-week gap between US school end and London Michaelmas is awkward. How have others bridged it?

International
Catherine15 Apr0 replies
Prep → Senior Transfer Answered

Has anyone done the Wetherby → Sussex House jump in Year 3?

Considering the move for September. Curious how the transition went socially, and whether the 8+ assessment was a genuine evaluation.

Pre-Prep8+
T. Harper10 Apr0 replies
Senior School Visits

Open day vs private tour — does the private tour show you anything new?

Open days feel a bit like a show. Schools that offer private tours afterwards — is it worth taking up, or does it just confirm what you already saw?

open daytours
Year 5 dad4 weeks ago0 replies
Prep → Senior Transfer

Garden House to senior — are we leaving it too late at Year 6?

Most of DD's class registered for senior schools in Year 3. We didn't. Now in Year 6 and wondering whether the door has effectively closed on the top tier.

prep to seniorregistration
Mum of one5 weeks ago0 replies
11+ Applications

Honest 11+ shortlist for SW London — am I being too ambitious?

DD is in Year 5, comfortable top-half at a non-selective indie. Currently looking at SPGS, Putney High, Wimbledon High and Surbiton…

2027 entry11+shortlist
Mum of two SW185 weeks ago0 replies
11+ Applications

Is tutoring from Year 3 actually necessary now, or are we losing the plot?

I keep hearing about families starting 11+ tutoring in Year 3. Genuinely — is that the new normal, or is it noise from a vocal minority?

11+tutoring
Year 3 mum5 weeks ago0 replies
Sixth Form (16+)

A-Level vs IB — practical reality after one year in

DD chose IB last September. Honest mid-year reflection from us: harder than expected, but she's a much better student than she was last June.

2026 entryiba-level
IB year 1 parent5 weeks ago0 replies
Bursaries & Fees

VAT on fees — has your school passed all 20% on, or absorbed any of it?

Curious what's happening at other schools. Ours has passed roughly 13% through and absorbed the rest, framed as a 'one-off transitional adjustment'.

feesvat
Parent of three5 weeks ago0 replies
International Families

Relocating from Singapore mid-Year 5 — realistic London options?

Job move forces us to land in London in March, mid-Year 5. DD is academically strong. What's the realistic shape of options at this point in the cycle?

2027 entryinternationalrelocation
Singapore mum5 weeks ago0 replies
SEN Support

Sharing dyslexia diagnosis with a registrar — when and how?

DS has a recent ed-psych report. Strong reader, slow processor. Schools say 'we welcome diverse learners' but I don't know what to actually share, when.

sendyslexia
First-time SEN parent5 weeks ago0 replies
11+ Applications

Latymer Upper 11+ — what does the interview actually look like in 2026?

Anyone whose child interviewed at Latymer Upper this year — was it group, 1:1, or both? Any sense of what they actually asked?

2026 entry11+interview
First-time 11+5 weeks ago0 replies
Bursaries & Fees

Means-tested bursary — how forensic does the assessor actually get?

We're considering applying for a bursary and the forms are intense. Bank statements, mortgage, three years of payslips, holidays. Do they really check all of it?

bursariesmeans-tested
Cautious mum SE225 weeks ago0 replies
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