'Rejections have made Josh lose his confidence'

For Barbara Hill, searching for a good school for her 10-year-old son Josh has been the most miserable and stressful of experiences. He has clearly suffered too.

"Josh has lost all of his confidence because of the entrance exams," Mrs Hill said. "When he got rejected from one school, he went completely white and said he couldn't go back to school the next day because he was so ashamed. It makes me so sad to see him going through all that."

The Hills named Fortismere School in Haringey as one of their preferred options for Josh. But as the best comprehensive in the borough, Fortismere is one of London's most popular state schools and typically receives 1,200 applications for 243 places.

Estate agents have estimated parents paid 20 per cent more for a house in the catchment area of Fortismere.

After a series of rejections from academically selective grammar schools for both Josh and his 12-year-old sister Tatiana, the family has decided to send them both private. Housewife Mrs Hill said: "We were incredibly fortunate to live near a wonderful state primary school, but it was so difficult to find a suitable secondary.

"All I wanted for my children was for them to go to the same state school and get a good, well-rounded education. Unfortunately, it was not to be."

Tatiana now attends the Royal School in Hampstead and if Josh does not get into Fortismere this week, he will go to Belmont in Mill Hill.

Mrs Hill said she and her husband Graham, who owns a pharmaceutical firm, struggled with the admissions system.

"The tension and heartache has been unbearable at times," she said. "The system for selection is awful.

"It doesn't make sense and makes your life completely miserable if you don't happen to live near a good enough school. It has been a terrible strain on the whole family. I am dreading going through this awful process again with my six-year-old, Oliver. I'm not sure we can handle it all again."