Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

London girls independent school suggestions

58 replies

Zodlebud · 03/11/2021 14:32

Please can you give me your suggestions for girls London independent schools that might fit the bill for my DD2?

Bit of background. We currently live in the Home Counties and have DD1 weekly boarding within 40 mins drive of north London. We are beyond happy with this school and always envisaged DD2 would go there, but as she gets older I am not sure boarding is right for her and there is no way she will be doing it unless we are all 100% on board. She could be a day girl but she would be spending two hours every day commuting which feels too much.

DD2 is also a lot brighter than DD1 and her current school said we can realistically aim for top academic schools. I have discounted St Albans High, NLCS and Habs girls as I just didn’t like the vibe. We did, however, like the feeling we got from Wycombe Abbey so I don’t think it’s an academic school thing. More of an environment of naturally bright girls who are confident in their abilities without the constant pressure of parents cracking the whip in the background.

I should add that we are VERY anti tutoring. Her current school preps for entrance exams and uses Atom for VR and NVR but outside that I don’t believe a child should have to be tutored endlessly at home on top of this just to get into a school. It’s either the right school for them or it isn’t.

We are in the very lucky position that we could pick and choose between London day schools and move back into London (north) if she got into the right school so we can just apply to one or two and use my eldest daughters school as a backup.

DD2 is very artistic and art, music and dance will be very important to her. A good all rounder but very strong in maths. Likes sport but she is rather take it or leave it to be honest. Definitely not A team material. She is extremely quick witted and sharp - would be good at stand up comedy 😂😂😂. Genuinely interested in what’s going on in the world and has quite an entrepreneurial side. A free thinker who likes to dig down further into things that interest her - shells and rocks are the current favourites.

Current school has suggested St Paul’s Girls. I like the look of it online and had a really positive chat with admissions. Will be going to see it next year. I am slightly put off by it being the “holy grail” of schools though and the obvious amount of tutoring some girls will be put through to get in. Is it impossible to get a place without endless hours of preparation?

Also suggested were City and SHHS but I am a little put off by schools with a prep attached as the dynamic for new Y7 joiners can be a little off. Interested in people’s thoughts on that.

Can’t do the schools too far south as logistically it doesn’t work for DD1 coming home at weekends. We would look to live St John’s Wood / Marylebone areas.

Any other suggestions? We deliberately moved out of London to avoid the 11+ madness so I feel really clueless. Current school has one teacher with experience of London admissions as they just moved to our school from a top London prep but it’s all very new. It’s not territory her current school has much experience with.

Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
GoodWillRising · 22/03/2022 19:05

So glad to hear you managed to escape the London 11+! We’re currently going through the process for a third time! Wishing you the best of luck!

GoodWillRising · 22/03/2022 19:03

I agree, it would be much better if no-one prepares their child for the 11+ and you have a good point, they’d nd up in the same kind of schools!

And when I say ‘tutoring’, for me that includes ‘home prep’ done by parents. Who ends up doing the teaching is irrelevant, it’s still tutoring.

Yes, it is assumed that some form of prep by parent or professional tutor is being done for the 11+, even though the prep heads say this isn’t necessary…

Original poster
Zodlebud · 22/03/2022 16:52

@GoodWillRising Her current prep does a good amount of exam preparation so she wouldn’t be unprepared by any stretch of the imagination. On the back of this her sister got a grammar place and an academic scholarship to another school so it feels “enough”. To add that she was the only child in her year that sat the grammar 11+ without additional tutoring on top - it was quite a scary stance to take but I’m glad we didn’t. It felt like the schools were naturally a good fit and we hadn’t trained our daughter to fit into a mould. It was also very low stress. It worked.

I know London schools are slightly crazy when it comes to admissions though but Queenswood is a very safe bet with a sibling already there and it’s not particularly selective. I can afford to take some risks on the tutoring (or not!!) front as a result.

I do wonder what would happen though if somehow all children were not able to be tutored (an impossible scenario). I’m sure they would all pretty much end up at similar schools. Surely, the only reason parents tutor is because everyone else is and they don’t want to put their child at a disadvantage?

OP posts:
bookgirl1982 · 22/03/2022 16:03

Have you looked at Francis Holland Regent's Park? Fits the single-sex, academic picture and is medium sized.

HighRopes · 22/03/2022 15:51

When I talk to SPGS I think it’s a really good fit but I really think we would struggle with the crazy parents (a generalisation but I have come across more than a handful and it’s very off putting!!!). Her current school also think she’d do well there and her assessments back this up, but they advised we would need to tutor as everyone else does. Tutoring for the sole purpose of getting into a school is not something I am prepared to do though, particularly for an already very clever, articulate girl. I have a visit lined up though so I can get a better real life feel. My gut is telling me it’s probably not right though.

Honestly, while I hear about a few intense parents, I’ve never met any. Possibly because I just turn up for concerts and parents evenings and apart from that I’m not at the school, but I think that’s how it goes at secondary school.

On the tutoring - I think you’re right. From a good prep, if she’s the right fit I can’t see why she’d need it. I could be wrong, my dd was at a state primary so we did home preparation to cover Y6 and Y7 maths, NVR and exam technique, as otherwise she wouldn’t have seen those things. But I would assume a prep covers all that off?

But if your gut thinks it’s not right, then go with that. I suspect you’ll know once you visit.

GoodWillRising · 22/03/2022 15:47

And I see your DD loved Queenswood, sounds like an amazing place!

GoodWillRising · 22/03/2022 15:46

That sounds great! So glad you have firmed up your plans!

And yes, the school search is absolutely trickier if you’re not bound by location…

IMO the 3 London schools you mention would require some form of tutoring or exam prep, even for kids with a CAT of 135+, there’s no way you could rock up and get a place, but then we‘ve come from a ‚nurturing‘ prep school (not from a hot-house)

Original poster
Zodlebud · 22/03/2022 15:06

@GoodWillRising I think we now have a slightly more focussed approach!!!

Schools in the mix (and they are a mixed bag) are:

  • Queenswood
  • SHHS
  • City
  • SPGS
  • Wycombe Abbey

St Albans High has been removed from the list as it just feels really boring (sorry STAHS). It’s the second time I have visited, the first was with the old head, this time with the new. It just doesn’t have any buzz to it.

When I talk to SPGS I think it’s a really good fit but I really think we would struggle with the crazy parents (a generalisation but I have come across more than a handful and it’s very off putting!!!). Her current school also think she’d do well there and her assessments back this up, but they advised we would need to tutor as everyone else does. Tutoring for the sole purpose of getting into a school is not something I am prepared to do though, particularly for an already very clever, articulate girl. I have a visit lined up though so I can get a better real life feel. My gut is telling me it’s probably not right though.

WA is close enough to our current house that it makes sense to have a look. Saturday morning school is a big turn off though and it’s in totally the opposite direction to her sisters school so we will probably discount.

So realistically it looks like City, SHHS and Queenswood. We do really love Q. She went to an open day recently and a sports morning this weekend. She just seemed totally at home there. We spoke with an academic scholar and are very happy with the greater depth offered to the brightest girls. I think it ticks pretty much all boxes apart from the distance / boarding thing.

City and SHHS would require us to move into London so will need to be streets ahead of what she could get at Q for us to seriously consider them. Open events aren’t available to book yet so literally all I know about these schools are from their website and forums like this. DD goes into Y5 in September so we have time but it would be handy to be able to see them in the summer term this year before taking her to see them in Y5 if we like them.

I do feel a little more “focussed” now though. Having a huge amount of schools to consider if geography can be ignored actually makes it much harder! I was definitely floundering but the help on here was great - thank you!!!

OP posts:
GoodWillRising · 22/03/2022 14:18

Have you decided on anything yet, OP?

GoodWillRising · 22/03/2022 14:01

Plenty of girls join City in YR7, please don’t worry about dynamics with the already enrolled prep girls, it’s a non-issue!

animalprintfree · 21/03/2022 16:23

@Zodlebud I think she sounds like a City girl. I don't think it matters about the Prep school, as most enter at 11+ and they mix up the classes. City is excellent across the board and has a really dynamic, progressive head teacher at the moment.

Or, Queens College is lovely, and could easily cater for a very academic child. Its a small school, which I would see as a plus. The head makes an effort to get to know the new intake by teaching them in the first year. Dance features heavily on the curriculum.

Oblonsky · 09/11/2021 22:15

Fair enough, I am just saying it is very competitive and the exam itself is a material step up from the rest.

Original poster
Zodlebud · 09/11/2021 20:45

@Oblonsky I point blank refuse to do extra work just to get into a school. DD will be well prepared by her current school (who send girls to the top North London schools regularly). If she can’t get in without extra work then it’s not the school for her.

OP posts:
Oblonsky · 09/11/2021 16:08

SPGS if you can clear the entrance exam, which would require some prep, or SHHS/CLSG/G&L which would be a bit less work but still very desirable and not to be taken for granted. Among the latter the parent chill factor is SHHS/CLSG/G&L in the descending order and the geographical spread is SHHS/G&L/CLSG in ascending order in my opinion .

footballfan1963 · 06/11/2021 11:35

This Queenswood talk takes me back! I went to the comprehensive in Brookmans Park and for a while went out with a boy whose dad taught music at Queenswood!

footballfan1963 · 06/11/2021 11:33

@Zodlebud 20 per class at St Helen’s when my dd was there. And her Maths class was even smaller

XelaM · 06/11/2021 11:10

@Zodlebud yes, completely understand, as my friend's daughter doesn't get home until 7pm even though she lives fairly close to the school. We live much further away and my daughter would get home really late. But we see the Queenswood girls in TP when they ride Grin (we have a pony there do my daughter is there a lot - could not afford it if I had to pay Queenswood fees)

Original poster
Zodlebud · 06/11/2021 09:38

@XelaM You have to remember that the fees are higher because you are getting more of a boarding school experience, even as a day girl. The school day doesn’t finish until 6pm. Yes it’s expensive but you get a lot for your money. You’ll see similar fee levels at places like Haileybury - they are just a different product to a regular day school.

OP posts:
XelaM · 06/11/2021 09:05

@Zodlebud Hah, small world about Queenswood! We actually declined an offer there only based on distance and the much higher fees (ai also preferred co-ed). Otherwise it looked great!

Original poster
Zodlebud · 06/11/2021 08:58

@Netaporter Are there really 26 in a class???? My expectations for private school class sizes would be around 20. DD2 has a minor hearing issue which makes busy, loud, classrooms a bit of a nightmare for her. The smaller class sizes at independent schools have helped her no end. I don’t think we could consider it for that reason alone.

I am actually really genuinely surprised that class sizes are that big. Is this a similar situation at the other schools mentioned here?

OP posts:
Netaporter · 06/11/2021 05:10

@Zodlebud definitely look at City. Excellent Art, music, drama etc. No pressure for sport-dodgers 😂 roughly 104 places per annum, 25 max of these are taken by the prep girls. Remainder come from many schools (40+different schools in my DD’s year) y7 is organised by postcodes so girls are places with others who live nearest to help with travelling/friendship groups etc.prep girls we’re fairly mixed in my DD’s year but the ratio is about 6 out of a class of 26. Academics are excellent, opportunities for girls to explore their interests are excellent. A significant amount of pupils receive financial assistance so a very healthy mix of backgrounds. Very diverse also. I’ve not witnessed any princessy vibes and definitely everyone doesn’t own a pony. 99% arrive by public transport so a distinct lack of a line of 4x4’s dropping off 😉 open days are a bit mad because the school is physically small but don’t let that put you off. Have a look definitely! I also think they’ve got rid of the exploding offers for 11+?

Original poster
Zodlebud · 05/11/2021 00:10

@XelaM That’s where DD1 is. We love it. Location is just a little tricky if DD2 doesn’t want to board. That’s the only bad thing I can say about it.

OP posts:
XelaM · 04/11/2021 23:26

Queenswood - it sounds like a perfect fit. My daughter's best friend is there and loves it. The artistic and sports opportunities those girls get are out if this world

afewtoomanychoices · 04/11/2021 15:28

Channing? St. Helens def good as well. SHHS and city fab options

Glaciferous · 04/11/2021 14:02

Best of luck with it all! I am sure you will find somewhere which will be just right for your daughter.

DD2 comments on a daily basis about classroom disruption (mostly from the boys), even though they are set. She actually asked why they can’t just take the children who want to learn and not mess around and teach them separately.

Apart from the bit about being set, this is exactly what DD used to say at primary school. She really does love being somewhere where the vast majority of people are taking things seriously.