11+ options - SHHS, CLSG, NLCS

It's a difficult one! we are still trying to decide between Highgate and SHHS. Have DD2 at SHJS and very happy but have reservations about SH senior school being too pressured for DD1.

Can anyone reassure me about the senior school? Is it a hot house or are these urban myths? Are the girls happy there? How does the school support more reserved girls?

Highgate is daughters No 1 choice but the commute is tricky...

Any feedback on both schools would be great.

I have just found this thread and accused either dh or dd of assuming a mn identity as the op is our exact situation in every way.

Glad to see you have made a decision Majestic, we as yet still haven't. We went to visit CLSG and NLCS again yesterday and we're going back to SHHS on Tuesday morning, so we're taking it right up to the wire. We have ruled out Channing and we got the news that dd didn't make HBS school yesterday. At the moment I think we are at the point where dh likes NLCS, dd likes CLSG and I probably prefer CLSG, but we all see the advantages of SHHS being our local school and about to have an amazing new building, but all the uncertainty about a changing headmistress is a worry.

We just don't know what to do, so anything new to input probably won't help, but would be appreciated. Everyone else at dd's school knows where they're going, I think we have real decision making issues.

Im envious that your minds are made up. Why did you not consider Highgate?

was wondering what you decided MajesticWhine? we're still deciding betw SH, NLCS, City and Highgate. SH is also nearest, but my daughter favours both HIghgate and NLCS. I worry about the "academic hothouse" stories and competitiveness that always seem to surround NLCS. (mostly from parents whose kids are NOT there, it must be said!)

For an academic girl with a broad range of extra interests I would have to vote for SH. The standard of teaching is excellent and the girls are all encouraged to play to their strengths as they progress through the school. My daughter and three nieces are all there - they are all different and are all developing into independent, confident girls. My daughter will sit her A levels at the end of the year and during her years at the school her academic results have remained excellent yet she has developed strong independent views and has become socially confident and delightful. We have been able to compare her development and progress with her friends who went to different schools and have never regretted our decision to send her there. Living close to the school is a bonus especially as they get older and in a years time the new school will be near completion.

Got to vote for NLCS (love your user name). They have a coach network that will stop very close to you. My DD loves the journey as she gets a good gossip with her mates before and after school. The facilities are amazing and the teaching is inspirational. More than anything else, they treat the girls like gold. Communication is fantastic. My DD has loved every minute of the last 11 years there. Just spoke to a friend whose DD had to have extra help in-school for her maths before the transfer to senior school. She has just decided to do maths at A Level! The teachers gave her support and confidence and she found a passion for the subject. And she's in set 5 out of 6. This is not some high pressure hothouse where girls are left by the wayside if they struggle.
My DD is excited by so much of what she does at school that she even forgets to be a grumpy, grunting teenager at the dinner table.
BTW- DD2 just got a place yesterday. Putting our money where our mouth is!
PM me if you want more info as have experience of the others on your list.

CLSG has got good facilities for a school in the middle of the City but you can't get away from the fact that it is a squash (because number of girls has gone up since designed and built) and outdoor space is v. limited indeed. If your daughter is at all sporty then (other than swimming, fencing) it's just not a good choice.