Guildford High School 11+ Results

@Sobana, a few years ago my friend's DD was on the waiting list for GHS that never came through but I suppose every year is different. Have you asked the school where on the waiting list you are and how large is the waiting list this year?

Hi Everyone
Anyone got GHS waiting list? Any chance to get in ?

@SparklySnake, no worries, and my rant wasn't directed at you, at all, personally. So don't take offence. I think it was more of a general 'vent'!

Sadly it just grinds my gears when people notice, for all the wrong reasons when someone else is perceived to be doing well. Why do we always have to consider success as 'negative', 'suspicious', 'gushy', oh they must be 'cheating'..... why not embrace it? The planet is f**ked up enough these days and i'd prefer my son to grow up in a world where we celebrate success. It doesn't help if all us old moany gits don't set the right tone!

AND I TOTALY agree..... great schools = great house prices! Long may it continue. Have a good week all and enjoy the snow.

Actually, looking back at historical threads, there are quite a large number of posters with DC's at Gford schools. I have seen many over the years, who come back and give their opinions. Surely that is what MN is all about?

Lots of us (and I am one of those regular posters) have had children at both GHS and Tormead and often at RGS and Lanesborough too. We will also have been through the prep system locally. It's the nature of the game. If you live in and around Gford and are in independent schools, then you are likely to have very good knowledge of those three schools, and note the changes that occur over time.

Just trying to be helpful . I have had a lot of direct messages as well, and always try to be balanced and truthful, to the extent that my experience has been, and am always very upfront about horses for courses.

@Kangaroo921, I've read those threads and i think it's literally one person that repeatedly claims to know some info (and they probably dont!), as they're a parent at the Junior School....another who is an ex-parent? The rest are actually asking legitimate questions. HARDLY MI5 stuff! jeeeeeeeze. (insert pace-palm emoji)

I come here often, and this TM chat has also been going on for months, if you can be arsed to go back that far, I can't, I don't care. But, why don't you go check through it....

...ok.....So suspicious? hmmm, I think your bar for crime novels might be pretty low!

I've seen plenty of blatant over-posting on here from the direction of the other two schools in my time... a lot in fact.

So, like I said if some parents at Tormead are "over-posting" then who cares. Maybe its a sign they are actually happy chappies? I used to post all the time on my son's school threads, because i wanted his small school to do well, so he would do well.

Maybe your comment is a sign of jealousy? Are you a worried St Cats admissions clerk? Who knows! Your post seems suspicious to me!

See where i'm going... move on.

@sparklysnake I agree! This post (and there is another one too) has a lot of super gushy hype about Tormead....on the other thread there is even someone claiming to be a Deputy Head of a junior school stating that Tormead is the school that she is most excited to get girls into and slagging of St Cats....all very suspicious as offers went out this weekend...

Apologies, I absolutely did not mean it in a harsh way. As has been said, all are great schools including Tormead and I am proud of the town for being so well known for its super schools.

Just noticed that there are so many posts of similar tone with 'inside knowledge' suddenly. It is funny how a new head can stir up so much speculation. But lovely that there is an excited buzz.

@SparklySnake your post made me chuckle...... you do know this is Guildford right? ...and these are girls' schools? I actually think the chat has been quite subdued given those key, gossip inducing factors. Tormead has certainly had its fair share of bashings on here over the years, like all the schools have had, fundamentally mumsnet is full of ups/downs, bollocks/truths... its what keeps us all coming back for more! :-)

We should let them have their moment if they are indeed doing well - nothing i've heard amongst parents, to be honest, suggests otherwise. Good for them. Great little school, im sure it will continue to do well under good leadership...

...As will St Cats.
....As will GHS.
...and the world will keep turning. Happy Sunday all!

Oh all well done on the GHS offers girls, top marks!!!!

@SparklySnake I agree with you entirely on your assessment of the three Guildford Schools, Tormead is definitely the cosier of the three, I guess it's their USP - fundamentally it's why I chose it for my daughters. They did themselves proud there and were comfortable.

I do, however, fail to understand your comment about 'desperate posts', why would all these posters who are applying to the school be 'desperate'? Why would anyone be desperate? Seems a strange comment to make.

I think the changing of a Headteacher at any school is a big deal, especially so in the educational melting pot that is Guildford! I imagine the chat would be just as loud if it StCats or GHS were changing leadership and put a "LOT" of posts right now down to that....

I don't have kids at the school any more, but stay in touch and generally people seem very happy with progress since September, especially in the JS and Sixth Form, where a lot of time and effort is being put in, also the remote learning, I've been told, is a million times better than last summer. But again, just a side of a story.

Co-ed would be an interesting concept - but I don't see why they would to or need to though? They seem to hold their enrolment and results every year..... why bring in boys, don't they bring results down? haha! (my son will hate me for that one!)

Congrats on the offers and good luck with choices! I remember the nerves!

The Guildford area 'trio' are all great schools, all suiting different girls IMO.

My DD was at GHS back in the day and loved it. She is still very close with her 'GHS friends' and they are far from the soulless academic focused souls people can make out GHS to be. It is a wonderfully academic yet fun and relaxed place producing girls with real personality.

I have noticed there have been A LOT of desperate posts on here about how Tormead is changing with the new head. Talking to parents with DC there, the change on the ground is not much beyond excitement of a new head - who some love and others are indifferent about. The hype all seems to be on here weirdly. At the end of the day, it is still what it was in many ways and it is a wonderful school for girls who want something a bit cosier than GHS and more town-based than St Cats.

I have always wondered if Tormead will go Co-Ed with the shortage of an RGS alternative locally and plenty of choice for girls? Especially with a new ex co-ed head...

@waitinganxiously984 PS. I think this thread may have been hijacked by StCats and Tormead chat, we best return to the right thread!

PS BIG well done on the academic scholarships! Further reassurance that there ain't much between the two! GOod luck with the interview too.
Rob.

@waitinganxiously984 This is true for GCSE, however in 2019, for example, Tormead's A-level results were better than StCats, especially at the high end. A32% compared to StCats 29%. A-A Tormead 67% to StCats 64%, A*-B pretty much level on 87/88%. Each year different cohorts do better than others, the tables always show these undulations. If you average them out, you are however right that StCats edges slightly ahead on GCSE results.

Uni destination wise, the 'volume' of leavers going to top universities is higher at StCats, however Tormead's sixth form is 1/2 the size, so proportionally, they can be comparable. It's also about choice, in 2019 the Tormead exam results were better at A-Level, but no one went to Oxford (one assumes they could've, as most years multiple students do), however a lot of the cohort seemed to choose medicine and sciences elsewhere. St Cats, with lesser A-levels sent a few to Oxford that same year. Finally cohort size has a massive impact, Tormead has smaller year groups, especially at A-Level, therefore it only takes one girl to drop the ball and have a unfortunate exam day to completely lower all the results... when you have a bigger group, 'unfortunate days' can be averaged out/absorbed.

...As you can see 'the tables' are all good fun, aren't they?!

With these two schools, academic wise, we're comparing apples and pears really. What I always thought it was about was simply where you want to go for every other reason, because whichever school you choose, as long as you work hard, they'll get you to where you want to go.

PS. apologies in advance, im a forensic statistician by trade and went through all this when picking for my daughter..... it didn't really help, but made me feel good! haha

That’s reassuring to hear for us and also pleased you had a positive experience @corriebob. It’s just a shame that’s not the perception that’s ‘out-there’, or the experience of everyone I know at the senior school. (I know most schools found it hard to deliver junior school age online learning!) So I guess we can deduce it must therefore have been at least hit and miss. However, like I said, as a local, I know StCats of old and it’s a good school, just a shame that either through bad PR or just pants decisions the general consensus seems to be that the last 12 months haven’t been their best!

But with lockdown hopefully ending and corona hopefully going away, we can, and should, all look past the last 12 months when forming a well rounded decision.... indeed we applied to (and got) St.Cats for our DD this year, despite.

when I visited last year the sports facilities looked like they really needed to be upgraded

Don't be put off by this perception. The reality is that they have bused the girls to Surrey Sports Park and Spectrum for various sports, both of which have excellent facilities. They also use places like Craggy Island for climbing. As a pp said, they are also investing in major re-developements of a dedicated sports field nearby. Again, not on-site, but it is only a 5 min bus ride away.

I (and DD2) have been very happy at Tormead. DD1 was happy at GHS, but when she looks back at her experience with older eyes, is quite disappointed with her school years compared to DD2's. Interesting isn't it?

For those slating St Cats online learning provision, whilst I have heard negative comments about the provision in their Prep school during the last lockdown, the online learning provision in the Senior school has been excellent throughout.

@waitinganxiously984 totally get you! Boys schools have always pushed the boat out on sports, time for girls to catch up I say! If you haven't seen it this is the new, cricket (with pavilion), hockey, football and rugby and athletics facilities TM are getting, its off site, so a 5-10 minute walk, or 1 minute by their shuttle busses.... But like most inner city schools, pros and cons come with space, and most have their larger sporting facilities off-site. The site is owned by Guildford County School, so they will get shared use, with a very long lease, with Tormead getting the prime slots, Saturday Mornings and early evenings etc.... as the'yre paying for it (about £3million is the rumour)! The rest of the time, late evenings and Sundays, Tormead are giving it away for community club use. So a step in the right direction and certainly better than when my DDs went many moons ago!

www2.guildford.gov.uk/publicaccess/files/4331C41167610C029A824D7263387DFF/pdf/20_P_00825-PROPOSED_SITE_LAYOUT-1440448.pdf

@Italianna good to hear they sorted themselves out! @waitinganxiously984 there’s always a mixed set of opinions on everything, guess it’s all about what you have to compare it to. Like Italianna said, If it’s been good this year, that is great news - after all if the general consensus that last lockdown it was crap, is true - then they really had to pull it out the bag this time round!

That’s a good mix of sports she likes, so she’ll find something anywhere with such a broad, healthy interest. I agree that Tormead, like StCats, have always been perceived as the backup to a GHS application, however I’ve always felt they were standalone decent schools too and if they weren’t in local competition with each other they’d be seen as the ‘best in the area’ type schools. Tormead wise, always thought it was a good school with shed loads of potential, perhaps we should watch that space!

@waitinganxiously984 the lockdown online learning provision at St Cats this academic year has been excellent.

My best mates daughter didn’t get GHS either, just been checking in with her. She also didn’t get Tormead either, but did get StCats. She’s a bit disappointed that she won’t have a choice now, but like @PollyTastic said, St Cats is a good school.

@Waitinganxiously984 agree totally that Tormead hasn’t focused much on sport in the past. They’re obviously great at gymnastics! Although a friend of mine works at the Junior School was giving me some inside gossip over a zoom-wine a few weeks back... Theres definitely a shift towards sport investment at TM, plus I think they’ll be some other ‘exciting’ things coming too. I think one of the first things the new head actually did was sort the girls out with an entirely new fitness suite, which I think is being built this summer. So it’s hard to gauge isn’t it!
I guess you’ve got to go with your gut (Oh and what DD wants!)! On and well done on at least one guaranteed scholarship, maybe two’, So good luck with the StCats interview!

@Waitinganxiously984 congrats!
We haven't had a GHS offer either, but did get a St Cats and Tormead like you. StCats Lockdown provision wise, my Neigbour's DD goes there and my daughter was getting a 100% better, online education from her primary than StCats we’re offering. In fact they joked about sending her round to actually learn something with my DD! Lockdown provision isn’t everything though. What sport is your DD into, as long as she doesn’t want to be an Olympic performer, all three schools have a solid sporting provision.

Latymer is not known for its sporting prowess generally.... but it’s very well known for investing heavily in girls sport. They have excellent (girls) rowing, rugby, swimming and netball teams. Plus the new Urnfield sporting facility... seems like sport is definitely one of the focuses. St cats on the other hand does have the outdoor space being a non-city based school, which always gives it a sporty ‘feel‘.