Anyone with experience of Henrietta Barnett after an underwhelming open day?

To echo @Dido2010 - I know from personal experience that students have previously been made to feel extremely uncomfortable by parents asking intrusive questions so a total ban on questions had to be introduced. It is a shame that a small number of parents have made it this way.

We use Year 7 s as guides for families precisely so they can ask them questions and they can get a sense of the school from the horse’s mouth.

Tech start up success is a very narrow measure of creativity. For a start, the UK sample size is very small being only about 60 such companies currently.

And if you look at the most valuable unicorns, only a couple have Asian founders.

On this, I don't think you are necessarily taught to think critically and use their own initiative in school, regardless of which school you go to, it's actually the opposite, you're taught to follow the rules and be compliant, which is good for society, not necessarily liberating for the individual. I usually laugh at the suggestion of teaching initiative and critical thinking within formal education, the individual learns critical thinking by asking questions, making mistakes, living life and having experiences. I think that the rigor that Asians generally have towards their studies in school and university ultimately might be translating into a strong determination and work-ethic in later life that suits the cut-throat world of business which doesn't suffer those who aren't willing to fight and consistently go above and beyond normal effort levels. There are risks to this approach, you can have kids suffering from mental health and burnout; however (again big generalisation) this is generally considered a secondary priority in a lot of Asian households, it is considered first priority or a family duty to strive for academic excellence.

On the whole creativity thing I'm not very convinced it pans out quite how people think. The commonly held general view I've seen is "people who are pushed and are very highly educated, can tend to be unable to think outside of the box and be creative or use their initiative". Here's the facts: Over one-third of UK tech unicorns (startups valued over $1 billion) feature ethnic minority founders, with the majority being of Asian heritage. Make of this what you will, but the facts tend to suggest that the opposite might be true at least when it comes to entrepreneurial pursuits. Considering that Asian-heritage individuals are roughly 9 percent of the UK population, this suggests that they actually think outside the box and are far more creative than their non Asian heritage counterparts! I think as it stands an Asian heritage person in the UK roughly 1.5 to 2 times more likely to be actively involved in starting or running a new company compared to a white person.

Less passion and 'follow your own path' and more 'cookie cutter just success matters' approach. I have worked in China and with Chinese businesses in the past and then (about 10-15 years ago) they were looking to western European countries to coach them in more creative and individual approaches to work and learning.

Spot on.

DH has worked extensively in China, South Korea and India. He says that the people were very well educated, but were totally unable to think outside of the box and use their initiative. The way they learn is to amass a huge number of facts but find applying the facts or using what they know in a different way very difficult because they haven't been taught how to.

Creative thinking and problem solving was not their forte, and that is why DH used to get so much work there.

The Asian community have resulted in the bar being significantly raised academically (at the upper end of the curve) and frankly put non-Asians are generally not considered competition.

That's quite irritating. Not because they end up better but because the approach is different. Less passion and 'follow your own path' and more 'cookie cutter just success matters' approach. I have worked in China and with Chinese businesses in the past and then (about 10-15 years ago) they were looking to western European countries to coach them in more creative and individual approaches to work and learning.

edited, TYPOS, so many

Hi @Eesha!

Everything you experience at Open Day is a response to previous events and incidents. Parents have often asked intrusive and inappropriate questions, including about questions in the entrance exams. The biggest challenge is that, sadly, the open day is irrelevant to most visiting families because their girls will not do well enough in the exams - really, the Open Day should be scheduled after those exams. The Open Day is hugely disruptive to the work of the school, however it's organised.

Apart from being tutored to pass exams are they also being taught to think critically and use their own initiative?

Pretty much most of the students are tutored yes (Including my own), honestly speaking, even in the elite highly academic private schools where there are much smaller class sizes) most children still receive private tuition. If your child isn't receiving regular additional tuition they will be at a disadvantage, even if they are academically talented... The Asian community have resulted in the bar being significantly raised academically (at the upper end of the curve) and frankly put non-Asians are generally not considered competition. There are some exceptions, a few Europeans prize academics and you can find kids from for Ghanaian or Nigerian backgrounds who take academic success as a priority, but for the most part most people other than within the Asian community are unwilling to do what it takes (rightly or wrongly) to compete at the highest levels. This is not a judgement, more just a commentary on the state of play.

I bet that most of the students are privately tutored throughout their time at this school.

I'm a current parent and about to be former parent of a daughter at the school. I'm in the fortunate position of being able to afford (just about) sending my daughter to a private school and my daughter has left the school early at the end of year 9 to go to a private school. Unfortunately I've seen a slow decline in the quality of the school over the last few years. Sure, your child might get the best grades out there, but I think there's more to education than getting great grades; which frankly these girls will get just about wherever they go. I might sound snobbish, but I want my daughter to have that bit of polish and charm when leaving school, I just don't think that HBS offers that.

we found HBS's open day pretty low-key too, and I think that's almost intentional - with thousands of applicants for so few places they don't feel the need to sell themselves the way a fee-paying school would. doesn't necessarily reflect how they treat the girls once they're actually there though - sounds like from the other replies upthread (leeloo1 especially) it's a genuinely warm, well-supported school day to day. I wouldn't read too much into the open day tone itself, it's more a symptom of how oversubscribed these super-selectives are. good luck finding the right fit for her

Honestly wouldn't read too much into the open day - some of these super-selective schools don't feel the need to sell themselves because demand is so enormous, it's not really a reflection of what it's like once your dc is actually there. Sounds like from the other replies that once you're in, the experience is a lot warmer and more responsive. I'd weigh up what current parents/pupils say more than the open day vibe itself - those days can be pretty stage-managed and stressful for staff given how many attendees realistically won't get a place. Good luck with the decision either way!

Of the 100 schools in England with the highest average A level points score in 2025, HBS had the worst 'value add' or Progress score from the end of key stage 4 and the end of A levels.

It might be super selective but there are plenty of schools that outperform it that have much better value add scores.

Read into that what you will...

DD's old (state comprehensive) school set for maths and English from year 7. They used the SATS scores as a guide. There was always movement between the sets so that the pupils were always in the right set for them.

DD did have a tutor in year 11 for a few weeks, only because her maths teacher wasn't very good and she needed a little more time to understand each new concept. She was never going to fail maths though. It just meant that her grades improved from Bs to A. She eventually achieved a high A in maths.

Forgot to mention that he is also in top set at English. But I don't pay for tutoring. He is not into humanities and will not take it at the A levels. It is the specialists that are winning

The same teachers who teach in grammar move to state and vice versa.

Sorrry, but...once more for the hard of hearing at the back - Grammar schools are state schools...

@Breeze67

My son doesn't need tutoring because he's struggling. From day one before any tutoring, he has been managing perfectly fine in the top set out of six. You are making the mistake of assuming tutoring is only for kids who can't keep up, but for us and many many parents, it's about pushing him further and beyond.

He is a 13-year-old who doesn't spend his free time shooting zombies in video games; instead, he builds and launches highly detailed rockets and nuclear plants in virtual reality. To get into top-tier universities, you have to be miles ahead of the competition. That is why he has a tutor—to go above and beyond. He is not impressive when it comes to art and music. I will not pay for tutoring in those subjects- I do not care. This is not his future

Furthermore, it is exactly in the 'top-top' sets at state and grammar schools where many, if not most, students have additional tutoring. It isn't down to the ingenuity of the teachers; it is the result of relentless hard work at home- kids, parents and tutors. The same teachers who teach in grammar move to state and vice versa. They are not like some preselected golden eggs. Grammar schools receive less money per pupil than comprehensive schools so it is not like the facilities or teaching wage is higher.

Btw, every teacher deserves a credit. Those teaching in grammar schools have easiest life. Those teaching lower sets in deprived schools below expectations deserve the most of credit

The kids apply to grammar school not because of teachers reputation but GCSE results or A levels - University acceptance. And yes, in the previous years there were superselectuve London grammars that were only Good when it comes to teaching. In other aspects graded. outstanding or ...not. There was even one grammar closed and then after change if management reopened sue to sexist and racial slurs. ...

Thank you for sharing your personal experience. It seems top-tier state sets can match grammar schools, but that raises a question: if they are so comparable, why does your son still need private tutoring? I understand that tutoring happens everywhere, but I suspect that grammar school students require less of it than those in state school top sets, simply because grammar schools build that high-intensity environment into the school day for the entire cohort. I take your point that teaching struggling students is indeed more challenging, but the teachers who successfully sustain such a high academic culture at grammar schools deserve some credit for that, too. Honestly, I don't believe just any random teacher could sustain HBS's track record of academic success, even with a selective intake. A reputation is not bulletproof, and it would undoubtedly deteriorate if the quality of teaching weren't up to the mark.

It's very full on, lots of parents tutor throughout. 4 A levels is the norm and quite a few do 5. Amazingly academic and free school if you are tough but not a place for the faint hearted.

When we were going through looking at schools for DD, the open day at the highest achieving grammar was quite off-putting. The message was basically that only a small proportion will get a place and do not force your child to commute ridiculous distances.
Once the 11+ results were out, they held another event for those who were potential applicants. It was warm, informative and very welcoming.
I think the school had literally thousands of people going to the open days, they sucked up an enormous amount of time and effort and most of those attending were never going to be serious candidates.

@Breeze67

You are painting a very oversimplified picture, which suggests you might not have direct experience with how grammar or comprehensive state schools actually operate.

Both state schools and grammar schools use ability setting (streaming). While not universal, many children are intensively "hothoused" from a very young age just to pass the grammar school entrance exams. I know many families and children who went through this. Often, once these kids get into a super-selective school, they ease up. It then becomes apparent that a child might not be as naturally brilliant at mathematics as their peers, struggling to grasp concepts as easily. This is precisely why grammar schools have sets—to cater to differing capability levels.

The same logic applies to comprehensive state schools; they also stream students into sets based on their level of immersion and ability. In a good state school, the top-tier set does Maths and Further Maths—exactly the same as a grammar school—and these students regularly win gold medals in the UKMT maths competitions. In these high-achieving state school sets, the pace of education is absolutely no slower than in a grammar school's top set.

Furthermore, student behavior in the top sets of state schools mirrors that of grammar schools. Some kids are slightly naughty, while others are not, depending entirely on their age. The older they get, the more focused they become because they realise what is at stake.

When it comes to teaching, trust me: managing top sets and grammar school classes is much easier. My own son has been in the highest set for Maths and Science from the very beginning. On top of that, he has two hours of tutoring per week to push him even further. His tutor’s own son achieved st GCSE nine Grade 9s at a grammar school. Interestingly, this same tutor spends two days a week working with students who failed their GCSEs and are retaking them, while also successfully teaching the other extreme-kids from top sets and grammar schools like my son.
He maintains that the curriculum is exactly the same, as Further Maths is included in both, and the top sets in state schools take Triple Science for their GCSEs. He says that at our school ( Catholic state) my son's set is doing quadratic functions and parabolas at the end of Year 8, even though other schools don't cover them until Year 9.

In his opinion, teaching smart, motivated kids is nothing compared to the immense challenge of teaching children who struggle to focus or have limited academic abilities. He says that in our school at the end of year 8 my son set is doing quadratic functions, parabolas that are not until y9 in other schools