St Albans High School for girls

That’s exactly it @My0My...it is very much a way of life, as opposed to simply being just another 9-4 school. I find it sad when children are written off from sport at such a young age..because they supposedly hate it. Or music or art etc. If it was not for our daughter‘s school pushing boundaries and enabling all children to enjoy sport, and not just those who were already good at it when they arrived, she would never have discovered the joy she has for it now. We didn’t want a school that mainly catered for individual interests and talents they all have when they arrive...which seemed to be the case with the grammar places we were considering, and the selective likes of HABS & SAHS etc. we wanted a school that broadens their horizons in a way we felt that those schools never could. Incidentally, the one girl we know who left SAHS a few years ago now; was very proficient at sport...but she joined from a school quite similar to Queenswood after GCSE...having played competitively throughout. She found the focus very much on academics, much to her reflective disappointment, but perhaps that’s because it was 6th form and quite a pressured time in general. Yes she did well..and went to a good uni; but no better really than if she had stayed where she was.

I think it’s good to have a broader mix of girls. The bright ones can flourish in a slightly smaller pond and it’s no detriment for them to be with girls who are not quite so bright as them. They do, in fact, learn from each other and celebrate differences.

Queenswood is looking a bit less academic than it was 10 years ago judging by league tables but, with more competition for places I would expect an upward curve on results. However just academic results isn’t what you pay for. There should be a lot more to any independent school than that and in many ways it’s almost a way of life you are buying.

I realise everyone’s experience of a school is different but I can’t tell you how different our experience has been compared to the perception of an academic hot house with limited pastoral care etc. Don’t get me wrong, the girls work hard and they know the teachers expect them to try their best but there is an understanding (that surprised me given all the rumours I’d heard before we had first hand experience) that not every girl’s best is the same and not everyone is going to be good at everything. There is lots of sport (pool on site, big variety of sports options) and, in our experience, everyone is encouraged to have a go and have fun in lessons even if sport isn’t their thing. Competitive teams are for the sportier girls but there is always an opportunity to get involved if you want to. Our problem is that DD hates sport and would rather not be given the opportunity to have a go but that’s another story...! Art facilities are fantastic and the teachers are really encouraging. DD is really arty and is loving what they do. There are loads of opportunities for extra-curricular activities but our experience of those is limited to the clubs DD has chosen To join which are mostly on the music/dram/art side of things. I couldn’t tell you about sports clubs, D of E etc.
I can’t stress enough though that this is only my opinion and I know others have really different feelings about schools. It’s so personal and dependent on the child. We looked at St Albans boys for DS and ran a mile because, whilst it’s an amazing school that is brilliant for the right boy, it just wasn’t right for DS.
Good luck whatever you decide to do. If you want any other info feel free to PM me.

My daughter went there. It’s a great school. Though not for the faint of heart.

Agree with the above. We immediately discounted places like SAHS and HABS for our daughter...they seem more like an overcrowded ‘bright girl’s club‘, for people purely focused on academics, and a mutual desire to keep their school high up on the league tables...as after all, that’s what attracted them in the first place. Kendrick with fees. Places like Queenswood offer a much more rounded, holistic way of school life. If we were going to spend money on our bright child’s education, we were approaching it with the premise of, ‘what can you offer her’, rather than what our child could offer them.

I don’t know why you don’t look at Queenswood op. It does have everything you want. There are plenty of academic girls there but sport is taken seriously so girls really enjoy it. They also have amazing drama and music. It’s a well rounded education and has around 450 pupils so time and space for everyone.

Sport and art are not great here. Standards are low compared to other schools. If youR child is sporty, she will be frustrated with the standard of what is on offer. Cross country running seems to be one of the main sports. Netball - you need to be in the club for some sort of tuition . Swimming, cricket, hockey, tennis - token gesture. You need to be a member of clubs outside of the school, but the school will take all the glory for their achievements . All kids are encouraged to participate in sport if this is what you are asking, but this doesn’t mean they will be taught/ trained up to a decent standard. Often they put the non- sporty kids to the B team just to give them the ‘experience’ ... Art is very poor in my opinion, period. Academic subjects are taught to a very high standard, though. It’s not a well rounder school. It’s a highly selective academic school, so you need to decide what is important to your child and you.

My daughter is currently at St Albans High School for Girl and we're really pleased with it. DD is bright but has a real perfectionist streak that makes her doubt herself a lot. School have been absolutely brilliant in understanding the situation and encouraging DD all the time. The girls work hard but it really isn't the academic hot house it is sometimes portrayed as. The new head joined last September and, in my opinion, is fabulous. Of course, this is only my own experience - it's a school that really works for DD.

You need to understand that St Albans gets better results as they are only taking the very brightest girls. Clement Danes is an all ability school - arguably their results are actually much better as a result as they are starting from a lower base.

Small class sizes are a plus. But you just can’t compare the results of a highly selective school versus a regular comprehensive.

Some of us didn’t look at other schools. Queenswood was the best. It suited DDs. That’s what mattered.

We really rated Clement Danes when we visited a couple of years ago. We would have put in our preferred list, if we'd have thought we had any chance of getting in.

As it was, DD was in s bulge year, so places even more competitive than normal. So we put down others we thought would be more realistically achievable either through distance or consortium test results,
DD got 212 on her consortium test, so wouldn't have got in to CD through that route.

Everyone I know who goes to CD is very happy there. Great variety of subjects, good facilities and dynamic Head.
When is your DD moving into Y7? Are you currently living in Hertfordshire?

The entrance exam to St Albans is tough. Many sit it and don’t pass.

@difficultchoice123 your information about Queenswood is a little out of date. It always used to be a backup school I will admit, but in the last few years it has become oversubscribed and this year had a large waiting list. People look for different things in schools, particularly when the alternatives are the highly competitive north London schools. Not everyone wants that for their daughter even if they are academically gifted.

'anybody with money' will not be accepted. It's not Queenswood school. The entrance exams are quite tough so prep will be required outside of school even if your dd is a bright one. The min CAT score they would consider is 120 from what i have heard

I'm afraid I don't have any knowledge of St Albans School

She'll need to do the SW Herts consortium exam to be eligible to apply for Clement Danes (unless you live within catchment, sibling etc). The exam takes place Sept/Oct in normal times and you have to register in June if you want her to to do the exam. Have a look at their website.