Nottingham High School vs local "Outstanding" state secondary

Hi tigertoes, i have pm you. Hope you will get it x

Hi Mums, I am looking to apply for my DS's admission into Nottingham High school for September 2019 intake. Has anyone recently (past 3 years) put their child through assessment tests for Reception for Notts High school? I will appreciate a discussion on how to prepare for the assessment. Thanks!

I should make it clear I am talking about the girls school (NGHS) in the post above !

I wouldn't completely rule out NGHS due to having boys as they are on the same road so it shouldn't be a problem.
I can't comment on the senior school much but have been extremely impressed by the junior school, the ethos and the leadership team. Hearing about the academic pressure at NHS would put me off. I think girls put enough pressure on themselves. The attitude at the girls school is that happy girls thrive, and every effort is made to make school fun and to try and tackle the anxiety and perfectionism that can hold girls back. The girls and groups I have seen so far have been extremely enthusiastic and well behaved- The staff say this makes teaching a delight and opens up opportunities for the girls. The facilities are amazing and there is a lovely friendly atmosphere. They really "get" what makes girls tick and innovative teaching methods are tailored to the way the girls learn. ( disclaimer- My daughter is only at the junior school ..... but can you tell we love it?! )

Sorry I got my year groups mixed up! DS2 is in Year 6 currently so the same as your DD. He tells me there are actually 5 girls in his whole year, not 4, and they have all been put together. The year 6 group last year had just one girl in the whole year (child of a teacher).

DN who is doing 3-4 hours of homework every night is in year 9, not year 8.

The girl numbers are increasing. You had to be pretty brave to send your girls last year when it was the first year of girl entry. A high percentage of the early girls were siblings of boys already at the school and moved over from the girl's school (so they knew people already).

There isn't a lot of inter year movement at all. There isn't a specific year 9 intake. It's very competitive and unless someone leaves then there won't be a free place. As such, you are not getting significant additional numbers of girls into each year group each year. You're just as likely to get another boy if someone leaves and a place becomes free. DS1's year group had three new children in September due to people leaving.

As a parent group I think we're very nice but you're unlikely to see the parents very much at all and the opportunity to get to know them is extremely limited. The catchment area is very large and a large number of children take school buses (or the tram if they live in the city). I certainly don't know many non junior school parents unless there's an outside of school link. That perhaps makes us seem a bit cliquey?? There will definitely be other Fernwood parents though.

The school has excellent academic results but you would expect that given that they are academically selective from the outset. A very high proportion of children play an instrument to a high standard and it's not seen as geeky to be spending your lunch breaks or early mornings at swing band or swimming or at classics club etc. That in itself is a nice thing. There is very little down time for them though, particularly if they are good at sport and are also at school on Saturdays (or in the case of girls if they can breathe and are therefore part of every sports team because numbers are low ). External parents often complain that their children have had to give up long standing out of school activities (particularly Saturday activities like football teams or music school) because the expectation is that school always comes first and the school does enforce that rule. You will not have many opportunities to go away for the weekend during term time due to the number of fixtures. At the same time, don't assume that you won't have to pay for external music/sports training. The children who are excelling in those areas have out of school lessons/coaching on top of what is done at school.

I wouldn't send my child at year 7 entry unless they are academically extremely capable. It must be miserable to actually be bright but at the bottom of the class and it's the sort of school where your placement in the class is very visible. If you've been near the top of the pile and then suddenly you're not, I think that would be hard.

I PMed you OP. No idea if it worked though

Good post. My main concern would be the fees.

I have had nieces go to Nghs And nephews at NHS. Both did ok but neither exactly shone in their exams and neither have done as well as mg niece who went to a local comp.

But they do have an inner confidence (I wouldn’t call them arrogant) that comes from going there and a belief that they do well in life.

Fees are currently £4800 per term btw. Payable termly in advance unless you sign up to an school fees insurance product thing. They go up every year without fail by a good few hundred quid. Then you need to put a few hundred quid on their dining account and then bus travel unless you can be there to collect them (parking is hell so its worth the bus fee).

I'd seriously question whether £45k out of taxed income is doable on a joint income of £100k. Practically everyone we know who has left has left for financial reasons (or because they are told the school is "not the right environment for them" i.e they can't keep up). Lots of people have grandparent assistance. Most pupils seems to have two working parents in professional jobs and if my immediate friendship group is anything to go by, joint income is closer to £200k than £100k.

I have two DC at the school. One in the senior school and one in year 6. They have both been there since reception.

Unless you have very low living costs I think you would really struggle sending 3 there on a £100k income, particularly now that we have to pay a term in advance. We certainly couldn't do it on an income like that and we only have two. There is no sibling discount and bursaries are primarily for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. There are lots of very expensive trips but the curriculum trips are generally free or reasonably priced. Uniform is now from John Lewis but the sports kit is school shop only and is fairly expensive. School meals are about £4-5 per day.

That aside (I know that isn't what you asked) it is a good school as long as your child can keep up. Lots of children are really hothoused for the entrance exam (in January) and then find the pace difficult. If your child is academically focussed and top of their group they will be fine. If your child is middle of the group it isn't so great. I have one of each and have had two different experiences.

You mentioned not being happy about Fernwood not streaming for maths. NHS doesn't stream for maths in year 7 either, in fact they don't stream for anything in year 7. They stream for maths (but nothing else) in Year 8.

In terms of girls the numbers are increasing but not dramatically. In DS1's year there are about 3-4 in each class. In DS2's year (year 2) there are 4 in the whole year (up from 2 last year). Typically people try to get their children in in year 6 to assist with the chances of passing the entrance assessment. You don't have a guaranteed place unless you've been with the school from reception but it certainly helps to have transferred into the junior school, mainly because they know how to prepare for the assessment.

High school regime is tough. DS1 has at least 2 hours of homework every single night (and generally much more) plus every saturday is taken up with school sport. Summer half term is a write off because of the GSCE style exam week immediately following the break. DS1 had 13 exams in year 7. Much more intensive than GCSEs in terms of the timing. DN is in Year 8 and is doing 3-4 hours of homework every single night.

In my personal opinion there is a bit of an issue with low level discipline/disruption issues in class and this doesn't seem confined to particular year groups.

Girls are not gifted places to even out the numbers. Its all done purely on merit and performance in the exam.

Ask away if you have any specific questions. I have name changed since I'm completely identifiable by this post!

Oh and I am totally biased as I worked there’s for a few months but if you are considering private school do look at Trent College as well.

It has a very different vibe to the High School which some will prefer and some won’t but I believe it offers a great all round education and great pastoral care. Days are longer but they tend to do a lot more extra curricular.

I don’t suppose you have any chance of getting into George Spencer?

I had similar choice with mine, not Nottingham but very similar dilemma. We choose the local school and are pleased with the outcome but we would probably have been pleased if we had gone the other way. If they are bright and have a supportive home the slightly tatty school and big classes won't hold them back.

Bigger classes might help prepare them for uni where they might be in lectures with 200 others and sitting on the stairs.

It is horrible having to made the choice so good luck.

Three kids will mean at some point spending 48k a year on fees. Which on a 100k salary unless you dont have a mortgage or you have savings to spend seems very tight. Kids ime get more expensive as they get older, clothes, allowance, etc. i spent on average 1.5k a year on school trips at the local comp. This year will be 2k for one child. Obviously theyre optional but pressure to go is there.

And don't forget they go up every year! When DS started there in year 7 we were paying around £8000 a year if I remember correctly, by y13 it was nearer £12-13000. Plus price in extras for music, school trips abroad (of which there are some fabulous ones on offer!) so you really need to be able to manage it comfortably. Sorry to be all doom & gloom but that's the reality.

If you decide not to go private, beware of other parents sending their kids to private school who make you feel like you are not doing the best for your child. If you do go private beware of the local children who won't play with your child anymore! You can't win btw. You seem to be weighing up all the pros and cons like we did. One thing my Dd is possibly not as good at as if she had been in private school is to have that 'air' about her - either described as competitive or arrogant. I am constantly telling her she is as good/ better than her friends that went to private school - backed up by her grades. My schooling was private then a well known public school. My husband went comp. I taught in comps and the teaching was far better overall in state than private but you can't kick out 'rogue' kids in state schools as easy as private.
We've had this dilemma with two bright children and in the end, what it boils down to, is overall happiness. We haven't got the worry about fees, the kids haven't got the pressure of doing well to justify the money, we can make memories of going on holidays and they'll have the stability of their own house (if that's what they want).
My friend has forgone the holidays and works hard to send her child to private school where they are flourishing. She has a career where she has to work long hours so her child is at school/travelling from 7.15-5.30 at private rather than 8.40-3.30 like mine. I know the fact her child was not on its own for hours a day was a reason for her to send her private.
You can see from the long posts, we deliberated long and hard but for us, as a family, state was best.

We had this dilemma. Dd just got 998 and straight As from the local comp. Plus she has a sizeable nest egg as a house deposit and we've got enough savings that she'll come out of uni with no debt hopefully. She has friends locally and at least an hour to spend on study/looking at her phone (!) more than travelling each day. Also if she forgets something she can just pop home. If it all had gone wrong we could have sent her private but it is more difficult the other way round. Her friends are from all abilities and incomes and 'classes' which is important too.

DH went to NHS as did his bro and all DH's friends. Most amazing bunch of friends I have ever met- all successful, kind and caring people. His year churned out a lot of medics which I'm told isn't unusual. DH highly rates his school and raves about it now.

Had family who sent children to high school and both had a great education.

My only concern is it does seem tight to send 3 on a £100k income to be honest. Not that this is a low income but what are the termly fees? Also take into account how they will usually rise 2% and the trips they offer for kids tend to be more expensive.

Fernwood is a good school and that and George Spencer are certainly the best in the area but it is a bit tatty and I think probably has big Year groups now as I have friends who are moving to get their kids in there!

PS West Bridgford comp do a lot of prep work for Oxbridge.