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

@SchoolDilemma17 Thank you for your good wishes ! My DD has practiced bond books ( assessment papers ) . GHS follows CEM style but we did not prepare specifically for CEM . She practiced English Maths VR and NVR as she was appearing for other schools also . GHS has sent a practice/familiarisation test to understand the CEM exam pattern. We went through it before the exam day . Hope this helps ! And everyone will be invited for both stages , it’s mandatory for the child to appear the exam on both days . Not sure what’s their criteria to give an offer !!

Could you share a bit more about your preparation for the exam please?
good luck for the interview!

My dd is in year 8. The interview she had was very informal. She just chatted about the sports that she did outside of school. Nothing difficult or that you needed to prepare for.

@Userno1 Hi , my DD has written stage 1 of GHS and she is invited for stage 2. My DD will start sept 2025, hoping it goes well. This is our first time with independent schools. Do you have any advice on the informal interview based on your experience. We visited the school last week. My DD liked the school . Any information will be really helpful ! Thanks

Thank you! Did you have a tutor too?

DD is now in year 7 at GHS and did both GHS and Tormead exams. The only additional prep she did was Atom practice and mocks for about 4 months before, which were really helpful to know the types of things to expect, and lots of reading and vocab as this links to the VR and English components. We really liked both schools but DD wanted to go to GHS (and is loving it so far).

For those who did 11+ at GsH and Tormead, could you kindly share your experience in the preparation work you did and any recommendations? Thanks

@EducationComesFirst EducationComesFirst we have just decided on Tormead for a Y7 entry in Sept. If you go for it let me know if you’d like to connect before they start. We were impressed by the ‘all rounder opportunities’ and the buzz / energy of the girls.

EducationComesFirst I am happy I can give some encouraging feedback! Sports wise at Tormead my girls played hockey, there are lots of teams and if you are good there are great opportunities. Netball is the same, lots of teams and opportunities. Gymnastics is extremely strong and one of my daughters friends was in team GB. Hockey is at the Surrey Sports Park , a fantastic facility on the doorstep.

I think right now it feels like you’ve missed out on something you wanted so it’s only natural to feel disappointed. We came off the waiting list at GHS despite being told DD had a great score and a score many girls already at the school had had but there were a lot applying that year. Now my thoughts back then were, imagine being at the bottom of a cohort when averaging 95% because alot are getting 98….not great for self esteem despite you clearly being very bright.

My DD1 came out of Tormead with 9A 1A at GCSE and 2 A and an A at Alevel. My other daughter 8 A* and 2As at GCSE.
If you have a bright child they will flourish at Tormead.
Given the terrible disorders that so many young people are currently experiencing I think if I was looking for secondary schools now I would not be focusing so much on academic results.
I reflect on the last 7 years and think I’ve been lucky that my girls are happy,kind, organised,confident self motivated bright individuals with no issues and I really know it isn’t luck, they have had a fantastic school life that has heavily contributed to the women they have become.

GHS isn’t for everyone. I have friends who’s children have loved it there and others who wish they’d not sent their daughters there.
Your daughter will be fine! See it as fate!

EducationComesFirst If you believe she is capable of getting but didn’t , then you also know she will do well wherever she goes. Ask yourself why you are so bothered about her not getting in. If she is good enough but hasn’t been accepted, then it’s not the right school for her. Maybe that’s the best way to look at it. Was she born in the first 4 - 5 months of the school year? September to January kids are the first ones chosen. Kids born later in the school year have a very hard chance of getting in and if you go in and look through the birthdays of the girls there you will see that as evidence. I had a friend who used to teach there and she confirmed that they feel that girls young for the year will struggle. Now what does that say to you? Only the brightest girls (allegedly) get in so it stands to reason that only the brightest girls come out. It is not sometimes best for a child to be in an environment where everyone is super bright because the world isn’t like that. In a school like this, what happens when your child is the one in junior school who is suddenly starting to hear that she won’t be a good fit for the senior school( and this happens a lot). The girls that don’t look like they will be getting the top top marks are weeded out. So you end up with a child who may get say 7 A’s and 3 AB’s thinking that they are a failure because they’re not getting 10 A**’s. It happens in all the “private selective” schools around here tbh. Just very aggressive at GHS because they have league tables to keep up with.
Trust me when I tell you that this is what happens. I live in the area so I am surrounded by all the mums who have their girls in all the girl schools around here. GH, Tormead, St Catherine’s, St Teresa’s, Prior’s Field, Notre Dame and others slightly further out.
In the end it is very much down to the parents most of the time and bragging rights. Oh my daughter went to GHS etc. But I will tell you that those words are very often followed up with sad stories. Sad stories of major depression, anxiety, anorexia, bulimia, drugs etc. That’s for all highly selective schools. (I’m not saying that none of these problems exist in non selective schools) The schools are under a lot of pressure to perform and so obviously so are the students.
So think about your child The care they get is vital for what goes on at school. For girls it’s very very vital because friendship issues are tough to navigate and they ALL have them. If she didn’t get in then it really may not be the right school for her.

Definitely don’t feel too disappointed about not getting GHS. I remember well the hype about getting certain schools. My eldest daughter was on the wait list at GHS, she came off it as we were very happy for her to go to Tormead as was she.

Having left a few years ago she recently got a first class degree and has secured a job with one of the big 4, she really couldn’t have done better, not just academically but from a whole person perspective. In fact we were so happy with Tormead our second daughter didn’t even apply to GHS despite her being more than capable. Again she achieved an incredible set of GCSE grades at Tormead.

I remember the chat about the fantastic grades at GHS, I think someone else pointed out, if they didn’t get those results with their very selective cohorts something would be very wrong! Both schools are fabulous. I guess it’s about a school being best fit for your DD. Mr Boyd is doing great things at Tormead. He listens to the parents and is open to making changes and is very approachable to both students and parents.

The pastoral care is amazing at Tormead and a real priority.
The school continues to go from strength to strength.I can honestly say that from our perspective there is nothing we would change about both our daughters education at Tormead.
Good luck to all your daughters, we are very fortunate to have so many fantastic schools to choose from!

@EducationComesFirst sorry to hear you didn't get your first choice, as I'm sure you daughter worked really hard for it, but never fear... GHS is a great school, but as per the above, they do cream off the top.
On the plus side the other offer you mentioned is a great one too and I know a number of families from two local preps not getting into Tormead this year, they are smart girls, so it seems either the standard, number of applicants, or both, have risen this year. It's a great school on an good trajectory and the girls, on the whole, are nice. It seems to be becoming more popular, for the right reasons, so don't be too sad you didn't get your first choice.
Good luck with your choices and I wish your daughter every success wherever she ends up. :-)

There are girls who travel to GHS from Blackwater now, so they won't be on their own. You can also request a train buddy.

The school is great, but the trains have been rather unreliable between last minute disruptions/cancellations and of course strikes. Ash station picks up both the line from Blackwater and also from Farnham so whilst further away that sometimes can be a back-up. Due to strikes today there was no morning Blackwater train, but the Farnham trains ran (as that is South Western Railway rather than Great Western Railway) and you can get on at Aldershot or Ash.

The girls are put into forms based on where they live/train line which has been a massive help in being able to back each other up when there are train issues or late finishes.

Good luck!

That’s great news! Would be good to connect if you decide on GHS .
I am a bit worried on the train journey, would be great to know someone else doing the same .

Hi sbss,
We received an offer too on Saturday. We are in Camberley and looking at train options too. Probably Blackwater for us if we choose GHS.

Hi,
We got our GHS offer via post on Saturday and would be accepting the offer. I was wondering if anyone was looking to take the trains from Camberley/ Blackwater area?

Thanks x

Good morning everyone and congratulations to all those that have had a positive response. For those that have not had good news, remember there is always a right school for every child and that we are all on this thread suggest to me that DC are in environment that would allow them to thrive regardless of the school the end up in.

As for us, still no post. Not sure what it means about chances for DD.

Sorry to hear that @EducationComesFirst. That must be really hard as it was your first choice. Try to remember that it is just one exam, on one day. Not a reflection of your DD and her capabilities.

For what it is worth I really rate Tormead. I think it is a lovely school, great new head, inspiring teachers and friendly girls. I know lots of kids who have been very happy there. They have great value added too. New 6th form and planning to improve their sports facilities.

I hope you get some more offers and will be able choose a school where your dd will be really happy.

My DD is now about to do GSCE's at Tormead. She's been there since she was 7. It's a great school. She chose it over GHS as her friends were all going there. GHS takes in the top 1% and puts out the top 1%. Anyone can teach children who are that bright. Pressure is not a great thing for girls but not all girls will find it to be pressured. My daughter is predicted all A's

@deesun
GDST is a private group that owns girls schools across England and wales.

GHS is a girls school in Guildford owned by a group called United Learning who own mixed and single sex schools across England.

A lot of the London girls schools are owned by GDST or United learning or run on their own by a trust. Blackheath High is a good school, there are lots of threads about it on MN.