Is anyone else waiting for 11+ results from Guildford High School (GHS)?

@MariaMangali

Hi My daughter do the test for GHS this November
Can you please advise me. We don't know about the test and Interviews. Some people said, CEM test it's very hard and comprehension is very difficult. Last year in the exam something about Spanish? It's true

Thanks in advance

I feel it’s slightly misogynistic to describe young women/teenagers as overconfident. Isn’t that what we want - to raise strong, confident, young women who believe they can achieve anything they want and who stand up for themselves?
I only know a small number of girls from GHS (but hoping mine can join next year), and they are all lovely: polite, confident, intelligent, can make conversations with adults.

Completely agree with this. I think any high achieving girls’ school invites aspersions from people who don’t have children there. Once in you realise all schools have a spectrum of personalities. My daughter went from being a shy child to finding her voice in such a school. Some may have perceive this as being over confident but i’m proud she has learnt to speak up for herself at last!

There is no ‘mould’ - people’s opinions in this respect tend to be influenced by their experiences of one child or a few (out of more than 100 per year group) who attend where, as in any school, outside influences far outweigh any school influence. I have yet to meet anyone critical of the school or the girls where their daughters are pupils or past pupils. My daughter’s year group is diverse, with girls with a huge range of interests, skills and personalities. GHS aims to ensure that all girls have opportunity to be themselves through their learning and through the very wide range of extracurricular opportunities. To say there is a mould sits in judgement of the range lovely girls I have encountered across the school. That said, as with any school, some children and parents love the energy and buzz of the school, others prefer something different, which is down to choice. I don’t feel the need to pigeonhole children at any other schools based on their choices, and we have friends across lots of local schools whose kids seem just like mine, so find it bizarre that people do so with GHS.

What is the mould?

I know three girls at GHS and one teacher. Nobody has ever reported about anything like that. The oldest girl is doing A Levels next year and is super grounded and confident. No pressure from anyone to even apply tto Oxbridge and for her subject Oxbridge is not even the best option.

Could you possibly DM me to elaborate further on this side of things?

I've got a niece there a family friend there at present - so two in total. I've known a number who have gone through and left too.

The 2 current ones are getting on well and seem to like it - my niece has definitely changed since being there though - she's definitely more up-herself.... for want of a better phrase! :-P I have to reassure her from time to time that the world doesn't centre itself around GHS. But good for her for the confidence! 😅

That said, apparently she is getting decent grades and seems to enjoy sport too. She's a bright girl, so I'm sure will do well.

We have a DD too, she's not at GHS, we've been in the area for nearly 30 years and I can say for certain that GHS wasn't for my daughter - she just wouldn't fit the mould. Despite certainly being bright enough to get in, should we have pushed her. And that's not to say the GHS mould is a bad one, not at all, it just doesn't fit every child and there are excellent schools for everyone - in fact in the area, we are certainly very blessed.

Good luck and well done to those getting in - its a hard and competitive process!

@AndreaKnowsBest Do you have any direct experience with the school? Did you or a DD apply? It’s more difficult to give weight to opinions that come third-hand. And with a school like GHS it’s not likely to influence others to adopt the same view, unless there is cause. And that cause tends to follow a rejection of admission.

Guildford doesn’t seem to send many girls to Oxbridge; it doesn’t seem to be a priority for them.

That's great and I'm pleased you've had a good experience. But I'm sure we all know people with differing views on GHS, and one can't ignore that, especially given that everyone knows everyone within the surrey bubble.

Far from supportive happiness, I personally know multiple families and girls with first hand or friend experience of hot house environmentals.

Tests, where if one does badly, they go under rhe radar and pretend that it never happened. Peer pressure to success and a general feeling, especially as girls get older that weakness and bad marks makes one weak.

There's plenty more examples too, and these are not fabricated examples either, but very real and very representative. I feel it important every year to remind prospective parents that they are signing up to a 'brand name', where the brand alone simply fuels obsessional parents who want their girls to achieve, highly, at whatever cost.

The pressure to aspire to Oxbridge comes from a culture and self fullfilling peer pressure to get there or simply fail.

@geoma sorry, not sure actually - it’s usually last weekend of Jan so was thinking that but Interview day was only 2 weeks ago so perhaps another week? Don’t panic if you don’t hear this Fri!

Do you think the results will be this weekend?

My DD is at GHS and our experience has been overwhelmingly positive - it’s a lovely, supportive and fun school, with excellent teachers, and I’ve only ever heard the ‘hot house’ label from assumptions of those observing from the outside. The girls I know throughout the year groups all seem relaxed and happy and ex pupils that I know also talk very fondly of the school.

Good luck to those awaiting results this weekend!

@AndreaKnowsBest yes I agree. Your view is valid, as is mine. I just think that it is very easy to label academically successful schools as hot houses. Our experience has been very far from that, no homework at all in holidays, iPads handed in. No homework in first three weeks of this term in year 7,8,9 - instead a research project which teaches pupils valuable study skills. Summer exams before May half term not after, a very well planned wellbeing programme etc. I know and have worked in hot house schools and I suppose I just feel it is important to share this perspective.
No school is right for every child and no school is perfect. For us, our experience of GHS has been very positive.

From my own experience and of those I know, there is a different perspective out there too. Every coin has two sides, your view is valid, and is your own - but for other kids and families, what I posted is valid to them.

I know a lot of people who have applied there before, and groups of parents (who know each other) that have all been invited, multiple times, for a singular in year place that pops up from time to time.

Each time parents are paying the £ fees for the assessment. It always has struck me, and others, as a mini cash cow on the side, with one in year vacancy suddenly generating a good chunk of income in the process of being filled - and if one was cynical, with the candidate they always knew they would take out of that group getting the place anyway.

Maybe I’m being slow but this doesn’t make a great deal of sense. All schools charge for admissions. It makes no difference to GHS’s coffers whether anyone continues to participate in the process thereafter. Have I missed something?

As a teacher (in another school) and a parent I don't recognise the description in the last post. They absolutely do know how to add value and the teaching is excellent. It is so far from a hot house and pastoral care is excellent.

Most schools do, but in this area they've always enjoyed being able to pick the high performers, given their reputation for good results. It's self fulfilling.

I've lived in the area for 20+ years and I can assure that they are not adding 'top 10 uk school' value add to their kids. If they'd cracked that formular, they'd make more money selling the technique than ever being a school. I'd be more concerned that they don't actually know how to 'add value', as you'll see from many MN threads, posts and local chat. Girls being 'persuaded' it's not the school for them was common just a few years back, but, I guess with tightening numbers that luxury is fading for them.

They're certainly doing a good job of attracting the brightest pool to begin with, the risk is, if they broaden their net, that USP won't last forever.

GHS isn't really a massive deal for londoners, most come from the area, surrey and some from London.

@suedenimwow any chance you can DM me as have a question for you.. (sorry to hijack thread)

@AndreaKnowsBest isn't that what any school does?

I did always wonder how GHS has consistently shown good results for many years. They do cream off the top but there are many more schools in London that has a larger pool of kids applying and maybe even more competitive to get a place. Many families I know would prefer schools closer to London that is in a more commutable location. Or is that really London-centric thinking..
Has GHS actually had enough applicant pool to cream off the truly top academic girls? Or do they really add value in that way, getting somewhat less academic pool of girls to a top standard? Either way they've been doing a good job.

The pool of girls available for GHS is definately decreasing, and I would suspect that the benchmark to get in to maintain numbers will slide as the amount of girls in the catchment reduces, due to either affordability or birth rate numbers.

GHS have always invited way more than they need to when it comes to 'we have space now would you like to apply' - given they charge for registration etc. These fees will be keeping their admissions departments running and by inviting and rejecting a good number of people they never had the intention of accepting in the first place, the smokescreen of selectiveness and academia is maintained. Sorry, my take - plus that of friends who are there, or who have applied, some multiple times.

Don't get me wrong, they get amazing results. But with the pool shrinking and there being other schools out there doing 'well enough' academically, whilst not having the 'hot house' rep - that still lingers - they will need to broaden their net, instead of creaming off the top.

This will undoubtedly filter through to results in good time. Given I'm a cynical cow, lol, I image that's why the last head left, she saw the future was coming and bailed at the peak - albeit into another UL role!

Last year we got an offer from ghs on the last Friday in Jan (26th) just before 5pm via email. As I thought it was funny admissions working at that time I thought they would have clocked off for the w/e. Suppose it gives time to process the info with the girls over the weekend.

Good luck I hope your girls get where they want to go

Any definite date that the results will be out? Thought of ringing the school did cross my mind. Noticed two suggestions in this thread, wondering which is more likely.