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Original poster

Henrietta Barnett, Dame Alice Owens, Latymer or good local option...

36 replies

lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 28/10/2020 16:18

Have to make a decision re DD for CAF deadline on Saturday and, without having had the benefit of attending open days this year, I'd really like to hear from people with children at / personal experience of the schools above.

DD has a sibling place at a good local school near us i.e. walkable, but has had a go at the grammar options and is through to the second round of all the ones that we know about (Latymer 1st round results still to be announced but it seems sensible to ask about them all at the same time).

Each school would be a considerable journey (i.e. up to an hour) and, without knowing them that well, it's hard to know whether what they offer beyond her closer option will make the travel time worth it. She's a very able child who I think will be fine academically in most places so it's really down to where she will be happiest. Slightly erring towards HBS of the three above because she's quite geeky and liked what she read re robotics clubs etc I'd heard some historic reports of bullying but that goes back a long way, hence wanting to hear from current or recent parents.

Any knowledge about any of the above much appreciated. I've done a search for old threads but wondered if there was any more up-to-date information.

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Camdenish · 07/11/2020 10:18

Thanks @lastminuteschoolsdotcom

Original poster
lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 06/11/2020 19:44

@camdenish that's totally fine. Happy to answer any questions i can

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Camdenish · 06/11/2020 18:04

Sorry to hijack the thread but I wonder if any of you with daughters at CSG would mind if if messages you privately?

Original poster
lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 06/11/2020 16:43

@wouldlikeapuppy totally agree that it shouldn't be all about what work was provided regardless of who could access it and, in our case, if it had been apparent that the school was prioritising emotional welfare then we wouldn't have been as bothered about the limited work available. But the pastoral side was the worst aspect to be honest. Saying that, we've moved on and I'm sure they've learned a lot and would be better prepared if schools closed again.

And thank you, you make a v good point re travel. I guess without experience of it, all I can imagine is a little year 7 travelling for hours each week but they soon get bigger and maybe, as you say, some distance and a feeling of independence could be a good thing. We'll have to wait and see :)

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wouldlikeapuppy · 06/11/2020 14:52

@lastminuteschoolsdotcom (I don't think the attitude alone will make a difference. A school who offered a lot online, not considering if some students couldn't access it, wouldn't necessarily be a great school. Some schools would have been affected directly (with covid sick teachers etc) more than others etc. Some schools might have been focusing more about the students emotional welfare than sending out work etc. I think sometimes there is too much focus on being given work rather than seeing what the benefit is for...).

Anyway whilst I can see the benefit of a local school, I also know many children (including DC) with longer commutes that don't mind - they see the travel as a social thing and if they enjoy the school, they don't mind the travel (think about working at a job nearby but that you dislike, or a job further away that you love). I assume it also depends on the child - DC was definitely tired of out London suburb and needed to meet new people and she really enjoys the independence being able to travel further distances on her own.

Saying that, your options are great and you can't really go wrong either way. Good luck!

flourandeggs · 06/11/2020 10:59

I have my two girls at the same local school and I love the conversations they have at supper about their day. They are in different houses which makes for competitive moments during house sports! We wondered about the nearest selective school which is an hour away but SO glad we didn’t, my eldest’s best friend has recently left there with an eating disorder. Local schools make children feel part of a community, mine love the short journey, later sleeps in the morning which in mental health terms is so important for teens, snd I love the fact that they decide if they want to work hard it isn’t pressure out on them - I think for girls this feels really important to me.I think there is a snobbery about local schools sometimes - I think of these people as ‘comp snobs’ and I sometimes feel that some people feel a need to be able to say that their child goes to xxx school even if they aren’t that happy there.

Original poster
lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 06/11/2020 10:27

@PatienceVirtue sorry just seen this. Also, don't know if this is totally 'outing' Blush but we put HBS first and CSG second (largely because HBS is the closest of the grammars for us and journey time is such a consideration). Slightly regretting not putting CSG first now. Doing the second round at HBS (which was after the deadline) gave us another (albeit cursory) look at the school, which was helpful but I'm not sure it is for us. The travel time and fact that students will come from so far afield and from different directions, combined with what I've seen of some of the parent intensity (a culture which I understand often extends into secondary school life) makes me wonder if she would have much of a social life there, though I don't doubt that it is an excellent school. I think the odds are against her getting a place anyway - she found the second round exam really hard - so she'll probably default to CSG. But if by any chance she does get offered one, the LEA have said they'll be flexible where parents are waiting for results of selective school entry so we might end up asking if they'll consider letting us change our preference because they whole process has been so much more confused this year. If they won't, I guess we'll have to stand by our original decision. For me, not being able to visit the schools and get a feel for them has made this such a hard decision.

@wouldlikeapuppy I see what you mean in that is it harsh to judge a school based on how it reacts to a pandemic but then again, it really did seem (even leaving aside considerations about budgets etc) that some schools had a much more flexible, 'can do' attitude than others and that is hard to ignore.

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wouldlikeapuppy · 03/11/2020 16:51

Sightly puzzled as to why people look at what happened in the first lockdown in terms of remote learning etc rather than seeing what's in place now when there has been adequate time to prepare.

PatienceVirtue · 03/11/2020 13:58

So @lastminuteschoolsdotcom what did you put down on the application form? I always think it's ironic that they choose Halloween as the date to have to do it.

(I have a hunch as to which one you put top but I'm not going to put it down because it's likely wrong).

NOTANUM · 31/10/2020 21:31

Henrietta had the best online provision during lockdown by far - lots of live lessons. QE Boys was also excellent.

The others listed were as good as most secondaries - work set but not much in the way of live lessons or feedback at least in non-exam years.

Stokey · 31/10/2020 09:01

I heard Latymer provision wasn't great during lockdown either OP so may not be a great option from that perspective.

Sophoa · 30/10/2020 19:14

@alexgr8 are you joking? HGS is 2 seconds from a busy shopping street of temple fortune and right near the A1. It’s not Camden but I’m struggling to see how anywhere in zone 3 is remote????

ExiledinIslington · 30/10/2020 17:42

I wouldn't describe Hampstead Garden Suburb as remote either! I guess it's less "urban" than the Camden Road area.

LarkDescending · 30/10/2020 17:16

@alexdgr8

i think she will get better all round education at CSG; you;re v lucky to have that option. and any advantages going to a local school, for her social life and after school activities, also more likely to develop a sense of community and civic responsibility. good luck. HBS is in a very remote, rather creepy area, no shops at all.
Hampstead Garden Suburb may be short on shopping opportunities, but I wouldn’t call it remote and creepy!
alexdgr8 · 30/10/2020 16:56

i think she will get better all round education at CSG; you;re v lucky to have that option.
and any advantages going to a local school, for her social life and after school activities, also more likely to develop a sense of community and civic responsibility.
good luck.
HBS is in a very remote, rather creepy area, no shops at all.

maltravers · 30/10/2020 16:35

Thank you, that is very helpful, I’m sorry to hear the remote provision was so poor, as there may of course be further lockdowns of this sort. Thank you for being so candid, if I do have other questions I will PM you.

Original poster
lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 30/10/2020 16:26

@maltravers if you have any other queries re CSG please feel free to PM me

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Original poster
lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 30/10/2020 16:25

Thanks so much for responding, all. Lots of positive feedback on DAO which is nice to hear but that is significantly further as the crow flies (though in commuting terms similar...)

@Moominmammacat glad yours were so happy at DAO

@maltravers I don't know if my expectations were too high but the kids really just seemed to be left on their own, lots of reasons why xyz wasn't possible, concerns re safeguarding and equal access for all ruling out anything live (whereas other schools with, for example, higher percentage of FSM seemed to offer more), not so much as a phone call until very late on in the summer term. I know a parent with a Y13 who felt they were badly let down. But then I spoke to another who said that provision was much better during lockdown further up the school so I guess it all comes down to experience and expectations. I think the school is very poor at comms - we get very little feedback academically speaking but again that may get better as you go further up the school. On the plus side, I've heard anecdotally that when there is a problem they are quick to react, which I suppose matters more than them spending all their time reassuring all parents that everything is ok all the time. I'm not sure if I'm being clear but essentially there are very good things about the school (arts, humanities) but some things feel a bit slapdash

@PatienceVirtue
That's a very sensible idea but sadly I think we've left it too late! And thank you, she has done really well and doesn't seem to have found the process at all stressful, which does make me think she might enjoy a relatively fast-paced environment. But in the end so much comes down to cohort and finding kindred spirits and there's no guarantee of that at any school.

Thanks again to everyone for taking the time to respond

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PatienceVirtue · 30/10/2020 12:41

Could you actually do the journey/s at rush hour? I know it's not very accurate at the moment as there are less people on public transport but it might give you both a realistic sense of the commute. I remember reading a psychologist saying that we're fundamentally unable to comprehend the realities of a commute in comparison to other attractions e.g. a bigger house, but we tend to get it wrong by underestimating the toll of it.

I know various parents at DAO and they all say their kids like the journey. I only have my experience from decades ago and I absolutely hated my hour bus ride. I now feel kind of guilty that my kids have a half an hour journey to school.

DAO is a much nicer physical space than CSG, Latymer not so much I don't think. HBS I never visited.

BTW your dd must be whip smart to have done so well up against kids who've been prepared to the hilt. Which makes me think she'll probably excel anywhere...

maltravers · 30/10/2020 10:15

What were the issues with provision during closure if you don’t mind me asking? CSG may be an option for us for sixth form.

LarkDescending · 30/10/2020 10:00

DAO is the only one of those I’d consider travelling for if CSG was on the doorstep.

Moominmammacat · 30/10/2020 09:52

Mine were at Owen's, absolutely fantastic and the journey did seem to be part of the fun for the Islingtons. I always kept my three in the same school for an easy life.

Original poster
lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 29/10/2020 16:05

Yes, we're in an extremely lucky position - and I really do appreciate that and grateful for having options. But I'm still not sure where she'll thrive the most. I think you're right re the tests, if we put one first and she doesn't pass we'll just get the next choice but we need to be sure we do want whatever she puts first in case she does get it IYSWIM. She's not massively enthusiastic about the journey but does know of kids who quite enjoy the longer journeys and she's quite a sociable type so I think she'd probably be fine with it. But erring towards Moominmammacat's view that a good local is better and that travel time could be more sensibly used doing other stuff

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ExiledinIslington · 29/10/2020 12:59

Blimey you are in a lucky position! CSG is on our list but place unlikely as DD got Band B which doesn't seem to move much.
I know if kids don't pass the selective tests the CAF can be amended after the 31st October but doubt you can if you just change your mind about them. How does your DD feel about a longer school journey?
I know a boy who is at Dame Alice and loves it and quite enjoys his journey with the other Islington kids.

Original poster
lastminuteschoolsdotcom · 29/10/2020 11:51

Thanks for your thoughtful response @PatienceVirtue

DD1 wasn't in a position to look at other schools when she was in year 6 (we were just moving to the area so had to look at non-catchment options because we didn't yet have an address, hadn't done any grammar prep and also DD1, though probably similar in ability to DD2, hates tests and pressure so we thought best to just skip all that). When she got a CSG offer we were delighted and took it. Also it was our only option. Mostly we've been happy (and, more importantly, she has) but communication with parents is a weak point so I feel we don't know much about what's going on, also wasn't v impressed with provision during schools closure.

DD2 is a v different character, quite likes a bit of competition, is v relaxed about tests, and some of her friends were doing the grammars so we thought we'd start as if with a clean sheet and have a look at all the options. She's had some tutoring just in year 5 (most but not every week) but hasn't prepped heavily i.e. little or no homework from tutor, the idea being if she got in fairly comfortably to one of the grammars without loads of support she might really enjoy that environment. But now that they are looking more like an actual possibility, the reality of the journey is kicking in! Hope that makes sense.

I like what you say about having 2 at the same school. My two can be a bit competitive with each other so was wondering if it might also be healthy to have them at different schools - it's helpful to hear a different perspective on that. No other siblings.

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