What would you pick if you could - London CoE or Catholic schools?

FWIW, most CofE schools (including GCH) have an allocation of "open places" which do not consider religious criteria, whereas most RC schools (including SHHS) apply religious criteria to all their places. Between the language places and the open places, 21% of the places at GCH are available without religious criteria. So GCH will likely have some non-CofE and non-Christian students even though they're oversubscribed whereas SHHS will have non-Catholics only if not enough Catholic girls want places, which has not been the case in recent years.

Ah I mean that the RC schools I know are more diverse than most CoE schools but GC could well buck that trend if it draws on a broader range of Anglican/Episcopalian churches across London.

Out my way the RC primaries and secondaries are notably more diverse than the CoEs, not just across the range of European Catholic congregations but also South Asian (sizeable RC population in India and amongst Anglo Indians), black of Caribbean and African heritage, some South Koreans and Coptic Church Arabs. They are also more socially diverse, have higher FSM percentages. They also still get better results, especially value add results than the local CoE primary.
The CofE by contrast is overwhelmingly MC white with a sizeable minority of parents who discover church in time to apply to the school.
This difference persists to the CoE and RC secondaries although the CoE secondary is a lot more diverse than the primary as it draws on a wider area.

Go look at both schools and talk to the girls and parents inasmuch as you can. Your primary must have parents with older girls going through SH - ask them for more recent feedback on the school.
Listen to both heads carefully. IME a head can make or break a school and a change in head can dramatically change it in either direction. I know GC had a very bad patch a decade or so back, ascribed by a relative working there as a problem headship but I believe it regained former standards after the head left.

I know quite a few girls who went to SH (a few years back). They generally did well and a disproportionate number ended up in STEM careers and seemed happy. The big minus used to be lack of a sixth form and a misguided suggestion to send them to one of the boys’ schools for sixth form. Those I knew mostly resisted this route and found other sixth forms. I believe the school has its own sixth form now which would be better.

Hammersmith has the Piccadilly line running through it which was the route used by most of the girls I knew.

If your GC option is by triggering the EHCP criteria be sure to check out their provision for your specific needs very carefully. Both schools are notionally comprehensive but that is skewed heavily by their ability to select parents willing to demonstrate a series of hoops.

IME RC schools tend to be a lot more diverse than CoE, especially where schools are oversubscribed favouring parents who can demonstrate hoop jumping. I would look closely at the make up of the school attendees rather than pictures of hand picked pupils.

No personal experience either school. Catholic schools tend to be very Catholic. C o E often more gently Christian.
Often see Sacred Heart girls hanging around Hammersmith area / travelling after school. Might give you a feel for the girls

Sacred Heart is a fabulous school. I’m surprised you’re not taking the opportunity with both hands, especially if you are a practising Catholic. It’s extremely well regarded, for good reason.

Well yes 😂
But the OP was talking about an 11 year old child riding on the back of a vespa in central London during rush hour.
I was just shocked it's legal.

I really don't think that poster was talking about skiing and horse riding in central London.

If you can’t pick then maybe let your daughter choose which one she likes best? If it were me, I would choose the Catholic school. When she is older and doing her GCSEs a long commute can take time away from revision.

Most people don't ride horses around central London at rush hour.
(police and military do - but they are specially trained).
I've never seen someone skiing around central London at rush hour 😂

@Needmorelego In central London 😱
Are you mad?
(Seriously....that does not sound safe. Is that even legal for an 11 year old??)
Edit: - I Googled. It's legal....but I really wouldn't want to do it.

Still probably safer than horse riding or skying (the number of people who die or get injured skying only a few days a year is astonishing)

@mathanxiety I'd like to state for the record thst the RC church is a million light years away from the Bible thumping fundamentalists who think science is satan worship.
The suggestion that there might be a problem wrt science in an RC school comes from a place of ignorance.

It is useful to remember that, about 10 years ago, the religious fruitcake lobby did try to teach creationism in free schools and academies, under the pretence of academic freedom for free schools and academies. Luckily, they lost, as explained by Humanists UK.

Strictly speaking, evolution is a constantly developing theory. An evolving theory, if you will.
Its a much more nuanced thing than fact v theory

No, it's not. You sound like one of those American religious wackadoodles
Evolution is a universally accepted theory. How many scientists disagree with it? How many publications on peer-reviewed scientific journals cast doubt on it?

That certain details of the theory may need refining is a level of detail way beyond what is needed at secondary schools and does not undermine the theory in any way.

Creationism still found its way in a supposedly non-faith Welsh school
So it's important to remain alert

Got it. So CoE has a more relaxed admission and is broader than onky CoE believers in that school- ok

Strictly speaking, evolution is a constantly developing theory. An evolving theory, if you will.

Its a much more nuanced thing than fact v theory. Certain facts about the evolution of various species are well established or at least penciled in, while mechanisms of evolution continue to be explored, discussed, debated, and elucidated.

it actually comes from teaching in a Catholic school in the UK. We weren't allowed to refer tho evolution as Fact, only theory. Most of the children just rolled their eyes at it.

I have heard of this happening very recently in Ireland as well in a Catholic school. Its baffling.

I would go with the shortest way.

We chose a Roman Catholic over CofE to our daughter. Both great but RC closest to home.

That's not what she was saying

What does it mean? If you are a Catholic you have only Catholic and non religious option of schools. You cannot be a bit of jewish and buddhist at the same time. It does not work like that..,.

I met a London parent who told me that everyone was put off by what they saw coming out of the nearest school (regardless of which one it was) and sent their kids to the next school along - while the parents near that school were making the same decision.

I taught at SH a few years ago. Lovely school, I loved it. PM me for more information.