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

Greycoat Hospital - what is it really like??

56 replies

tigerbear · 02/03/2022 00:02

Hi all,
Much to our complete shock, our DD has been offered a place at GCH.
Never in a million years thought she’d get it, and like everyone else who applied, we didn’t get the opportunity to do a tour of the school or meet any of the teachers, so we have no real idea what to expect.

DD is very upset at the thought of going because of fear of the unknown, because her close friends aren’t going, because it’s quite a distance from where we live and so on.
(She’s aware that she’s incredibly lucky to have been offered a place, and feeling guilty that she’s not happy about it)

Any advice and info on what the school is REALLY like from those whose DD’s are there (or attended recently) would be massively appreciated.
Ie, where do most of the students live (I know it’s very diverse and scattered, but just wondering if a lot live very near, or the majority live on the outskirts? We’re SE London, so worried about the commuting time. Not sure if we should consider a move closer into town (but our budget wouldn’t go far)

  • what are the start and finish times of the school day, length of lunchtime/breaks?
  • is it very strict?
  • what are the facilities like?

It all seems like such an unknown entity/mystery - any proper insight would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
Stuffragette · 03/03/2022 17:52

My dd is in year 10. She's loved it since day 1. We are west London and she gets the tube.

She had a brilliant tutor in lower school. I liked the way they were in form groups to start with and that they did lots of stuff together to begin with, so they didn't feel like they were in a massive school.

Feel free to ask me anything you like. I know lots of girls who go there and are happy.

Original poster
tigerbear · 03/03/2022 13:36

@MrPanks thanks so much for the info, this is exactly the kind of insight I was looking for.
Great to know that clubs are free!

Is there any sort of ‘buddy’ system of the older girls showing the Y7 girls around/induction etc?
Aside from the afternoon tea (which sounds lovely!) is there an induction week or day during the school holidays?
I’m hoping we can at least go for a tour and meet the teachers between now and when she actually starts.

OP posts:
MrPanks · 03/03/2022 12:30

My DD is in year 8. We dont live very far from school, so she walks or buses it - weather depending. A lot of girls come from quite a long way, many have formed friendships with girls that do the same journey. I think its pretty standard to travel for around an hour to secondary school.

The school will organise a get together either in July or September for parents and children of year 7 - BBQ usually, but ours was an afternoon tea.

My DD says the girls are really friendly, and whilst they moan about the teachers, the head of the lower school Ms Young, is liked and respected by the girls and parents LOVE her. She's proper no-nonsense - firm, but fair, and a good sense of humour in assemblies.

As a parent, I have found communication from school a bit lacking if Im honest, but then my DD started during a pandemic with lockdowns and home learning for some of it, and we only have virtual parents evenings now, nothing in person. There doesnt appear to be much in the way of catch up help for example. The kids are just given extra work to do by themselves.

There are lots of after school and lunch time clubs, all of which are free.

Original poster
tigerbear · 02/03/2022 16:25

@Alwaystheplusone as mentioned in the OP, the reason we feel like it’s so mysterious is because we never got a chance to go inside, to see the facilities, classrooms, or teachers, as it wasn’t allowed. We do know info about it of course, from our current Head recommending it for DD (as a few girls go from DD’s primary in previous years), from generally reading about it as a great option online, from their website etc, but just looking for insight and first hand info from those who have been there.

It was never my first choice, my exH was the one who wanted to put it first. And like I say, we didn’t honestly expect a place, so it’s just been a bit of a shock.

OP posts:
Essexmummy88 · 02/03/2022 14:59

I went there but left in 2005 so a long time ago!

Alwaystheplusone · 02/03/2022 14:32

You applied for a school and put it as your first choice without knowing a single thing about it?