HH vs SJWP

[DadNW3]

Hello everyone:

We will be relocating to London in the summer and are I n the process of finalising a school for our DS. Our 2 options are Hampsted Hill or St John's Wood pre Prep. Our DS will be joining in Y1 and All other options are full at the moment and there is not much time anyway.
Ideally we would like for him to try the 7+ exams in the competitive academic schools ( WUS, CC in particular).
Would you please offer your advice as to which one of the 2 options is better suited for that?

Thank you so much for your input

[rosiepinkcheeks]

Apart from a visit to SJWP a few years ago when we were looking for schools for DD, I dont have any experience of sending my DC's to either school. Before making a decision I would find out from both schools what prep they do for 7+ and get confirmation of the schools where pupils got offers for at 7+. I really wasnt impressed by the facilities at SJWP when I visited but do remember that the school work that was on display was good and the children well behaved. I am sure there will be some parents on soon who will be able to advise further. Good luck. It is stressful.

[TennisMom]

I don't believe either schools are big feeders to WUS and CC at 7+. There are very few north London schools that prepare for 7+mentry.

You can prepare DS yourself or hire a specialist tutor who is familiar with the process. Let me know if you need more info.

[TennisMom]

"prepare for 7+ entry"

[DadNW3]

Thank you for your input -
rosiepinkcheeks: you are spot on: the quality of work on display was excellent, the school has a "cosier" feel but facilities are limited.
TennisMom: you are right, over the last 2 years: only two offers from WUS and CC for both HH and SJWP but we have to do with "what we have" as our move has been unexpected. We seem to think HH might be more academic if it wasn't for the work on display we saw in SJWP.
We are planning to prepare our DS well but we need to rely on a solid academic foundation and so far we don't know well the subtle differences between the 2 options.
Any help is grately appreciated -
Thank you

[rosiepinkcheeks]

Hi. There are quite a few threads about HH and a couple about SJWP here on Mumsnet so you may want to do a search and you can perhaps get a feel from what is being said. Having been through the 7+ (twice) I wholeheartedly agree that getting a good solid academic foundation is so important as well as a school that will nurture, develop inquisitive minds and build confidence. You also want your DC to be happy. You can then also support at home as necessary for the 7+.

[slithytoves]

I only have experience of HH, but they do prepare thoroughly for the 7+ (as do several N London pre-preps). While they mainly feed into the N London schools, I know they had 4 WUS and 2 CC offers in 2014.

[sanam2010]

both prepare very well and rigorously for the 7+. It may be more down to their locations that especially HH feeds mainly Highgate / UCS, which are excellent schools in North London. SJWPP is more central so you'll have children applying to a wider range of schools (including CC / WU).

[DadNW3]

Thank you rosiepinkcheeks, slithytoves and sanam2010.
We are likely going to choose HH and start the long journey towards the 7/8+, let's see how it goes!