Surrey mums' opinions gratefully received - WHSG or Tiffin Girls?

[GORGEOUSX]

Do you think there's a big difference, academically between WHSG and Tiffin Girls?

Any mums with DD at the schools - do you think the pastoral care is good?

I have heard lots of horror stories about Tiffin Girls being very pressured. What are your experiences please?

All opinions gratefully received. Thanks in advance.

HI GORGEOUSX

I dont know much about the Tiffin Girls apart from it is EXTREMELY hard to get into however it has an outstanding reputation and has excellent results (though I'm guessing it must be quite pressurised to reach and maintain those results).

Never heard of WHSG-sorry.

NET

My DD has just left Tiffin and enjoyed it there, but it is rather biased towards science rather than the arts, but with a new head this may change.

She is currently now a gap year employee at the school and has been impressed by the staff attitude to the girls , its behind the scenes pastoral care and their awareness of the pressures the girls themselves put themselves under to over achieve.

IME the girls are all very bright, self starters and would do well at any school.

Don't know anything about Wimbledon High, sorry

My friend's DD went to Tiffin and initially lost a lot of confidence and self esteem as she became one of many exceptionally bright girls, it sounds silly maybe it did affect her. She badly wanted to leave in the first two terms, but then found her niche. She loved it in the end!

Rather
you are absolutely right this can happen as they become one of many, cut from a similar cloth. It requires a lot of resilience to accept that their normal would be exceptional anywhere else

Sorry don't know about WHSG but I have a daughter at Tiffin Girls in year 10. In her opinion the school is not particularly pressurized - her sister in year 7 at a comp gets far more homework. Sometimes I think my DD could do with a kick up the backside as she does the minimum possible and still gets good results.

My DD has always been very happy at Tiffin and had a different take on being with lots of able girls - when she started she said how much she liked the fact that all the girls are clever and that the class could have proper debates and discussions. The only real criticisms my daughter has about the school is the obsession with skirt length and lateness!

In my experience the pastoral care is very good; the staff have also been exceptionally patient, polite and helpful.

Thank you so much for your posts - very interesting and helpful. My daughter comes from a class of very bright children already, so she certainly won't get a shock about her abilities - she doesn't really believe in herself.

She ought to - she has scored higher than 235, which is the cut-off. But she is not confident, and I worry that she will get less confident rather than more confident.

WHSG is Wallington High School for Girls, and it seemed less pressured there, but it's very difficult to tell just by one quick looksy round the school.

Hi,

Look at the website below (sorry, don't know how to create a link; you'll have to cut and paste). It's FULL of people who are going through/ have been through the same process and the same schools that you are talking about and they will be able to guide you.

www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/forum/11plus/viewforum.php?f=30