Private school north London for year 10 September this year.

[Jojobee18]

Hi there

Wanting some advice . we would like to move to North London from south east London ... my daughter is currently in year 9 at a girls comprehensive school in Greenwich .
Would like to switch to private if possible we are not interested in the most sought after academic criteria , just a nice school she will fit into with good teaching and pastoral care.
Obviously we would need to get her in at this late stage too and realise this might be tricky. Can anyone recommend to me such a school in which there is a realistic chance of entry at such a late stage. There are literally hundreds of schools in London and I could apply to all to no avail so thought I would ask here first!!!
Jo

[SuperPug]

Mill Hill?
St. Martha's if you are Catholic?

[CruCru]

Hi OP

It may be worth asking if this could be moved to Secondary Education. Also, where in north London?

Separately, I've heard nice things about St Mary's Hampstead.

[Jojobee18]

Yes we are catholic . Where is st marthas?
And are st Mary's and st marthas mixed or girls onl y ?

I know Mill hill is an excellent school but is it likely to be accepting new children in year 10?

[SuperPug]

St. Martha's is girls I believe, based near High Barnet/ Hadley Wood.
It may be worth getting in touch with Mill Hill, just in case?
Another girls school, Channing, have chance vacancies as well. This is more academic but not to the same extent as North London Collegiate or City Girls perhaps.

[CruCru]

Ah, sorry, I meant St Margarets rather than St Mary's. It is all girls and goes up to 16.

[Mary21]

St Margaret's Bushy
Queens wood
Aldenham
Mill Hill
St Martha's
St Eds ware has a coach to parts north London I believe
North bridge house
Depends where in North London

[CruCru]

Yes, where in north London are you thinking of? It's a massive area.

[Jojobee18]

We are thinking of moving to Barnet or Finchley.

[SuperPug]

Depends on northern line branch as well.
For High Barnet branch and if dd is going to use the tube, the schools I suggested would work. Finchley is also on that line.

[Jojobee18]

Thanks for all your help everyone I've got a bit of homework to do this week :)

[YouMakeABetterDoorThanAWindow]

King Alfred's in Golders Green?

[wickerlampshade]

I'd second St. Margaret's in Kidderpore Avenue. The head is a very nice man and as a small school they have some flexibility as to how many they have in each year as long as their numbers add up overall. They get girls into all the sought after state and grammars at 16.

King Alfred's is very alternative - do your research before considering it.

Northbridge house has a poor reputation since being taken over by a private equity group.

[Jojobee18]

Well interesting how you say king Alfred's is alternative , I will look into it. I see that they require the children to spend two days with them before they can offer a place. !

[Jojobee18]

Does anyone know where St Eds is ?

[Mary21]

Ware!
St Edmunds College Ware

[YouMakeABetterDoorThanAWindow]

I know King Alfred's is seen as very alternative but I'm not really sure what that means. I have no indeptjknowledge, just going on friends and aquaintences children who go there. Some of them are the same school year as my DC and KA and my DC school seem to have pretty much the same basic curriculum. None of the parents or children seem way-out! Maybe alternative to super-selectives rather than good state?

[bojorojo]

Queenswood is easy from Barnet. I would not look at a school without a 6th form, personally. Extra angst on top of GCSEs.

[tovelitime]

Aldenham will almost certainly take a girl in year 10 as their girl numbers are always smaller than they'd like. St Margaret's Bushey, is a nice school. There are some good state schools, I would be very tempted to see if you can get her a place at the Archer Academy in East Finchley, it's looking like being a very good school. Northwood College has a coach from Mill Hill, if you're Jewish Immanuel College in Bushey may have places. Also try places like Queens College in Harley Street, easy to get into town from Barnet & Finchley. The more academic schools are unlikely to have places but I would second Mill Hill, again, keen to keep up girl numbers.

[plutow]

I would recommend Heathside School in Hampstead, NW3 - they have been around for 25 years but this summer they went from being a prep school to a secondary school, now taking in girls and boys all the way up to GCSE.

The oldest year is currently Year 8 so if you like Heathside your daughter would need to miss out a school year... so that would be a choice for you. I have heard they are actively recruiting girls at the moment for Year 8 and Year 9 (Sept 2017).

It is a non-selective, non-denominational independent school (£15k fees) and the Head Teacher is the owner of the school so very involved with all the kids. My DD is there and very happy - she moved there midway through the year when she wasn't happy at her previous school.

[FanDabbyFloozy]

St Michael's grammar if you're Catholic? I am told it's as academic as Henrietta Barnett so it might be too academic. I know some girls there who are really lovely.

St Martha's is worth a look, also Mill Hill. Neither as intense academically.

I would avoid heading into Hampstead or Highgate as traffic/tubes are all packed. Much nicer to stay local to Finchley/Barnet if you can.

[GladysLondon]

Sorry for late response. We moved our ds from a private school in herts to the Wren Academy state school in Barnet last september, Year 10. We were certainly very lucky to get him in, but I cannot recommend it too highly. Brilliantly organised, really motivational teachers. Terribly worried moving from small school/small classes to large state school/jarge classes would be very difficult, but they are a very ambitious school. Excellent academic results.

[TheSoundofMusic]

I am in two minds saying negative things about a school but since I Have first hand experience (my children have now been removed from the school) and many of my friends are in the process of pulling their kids out or have already pulled them out of Heathside, I would heavily urge you to not go there. It used to be as the PP described but has undergone a dreadful transformation. I don't even know where to begin with what is lacking or what is wrong and how they failed us but suffice to say that there is no formal or due process when issues arise, no governors, escalating fees, limited facilities and I'd go as far as saying health and safety concerns. Please do your research. Don't buy the act.

[DesperatelySeekingSecondary]

reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/100078