CLSG or SHHS?

[WineOhWhy]

Any thoughts on the pros and cons of these 2 schools for an academic and sociable child with a bit of an aritistic leaning? Convenience wise, CLSG is slightly easier but not enough to be the deciding factor.

Interested in that stage at the prep school (7+) but also senior school.

sorry, i should add that i appreciate there may be no choice, but the CLSG process is earlier and requires acceptances before SHHS even makes offers. Hence, want to go into the process having a bit of a feel in advance about whether she should still sit for SHHS even if she gets an offer from CLSG (CLSG make offers before SHHS test).

Hi! We actually had that choice at 7+. I think you'll find that you can hold the CLSG offer until after SHHS results come out.
We chose CLSG because it has better facilities and we found them much friendlier during the admission process. I didn't appreciate feeling like I was being turfed out with no one to answer questions or even be hospitable at the interview. DD has dyslexia and CLSG have been brilliant whereas SHHS didn't even phone me back about making simple accomodations (doing the test on white paper, bringing a ruler, enlarging graphs) for the test. She got in anyway and I took perverse pleasure in turning them down.
That having been said, I do know girls who enjoy it at SHHS. They will be doing major construction so be prepared.

We are almost in the same position. Dd will be sitting for these schools, as well as, NLCS. However, we are using the CLSG as a practice for the other two we sit in January.

Anyway, from what we've learnt, both CLSG and SHHS are very academic but the latter appears to provide more for those interested in music and art. Additionally, the fee for SHHS is just over £2K less than the others we are considering!

The downside for both, I think, relates to size (territorial), particularly if compared to NLCS. In any event, both SHHS and CLSG are very good schools and it should be a good problem to have when your dd get offers from both.

thanks HMM. I had understood that last year (which is i think the 1st year they moved to Nov testing), the acceptance date was not until after the other schools had made offers. This year, though, they have changed the time table (apparently because last year the wait was too long for the girls on the waiting list). Not actually sure it will make much difference re the waiting list - I imagine someone who is holding out for (say) NLCS or SHHS but wants City as a fall back will accept the City offer and just risk having to withdraw and lose their money if the other place comes through later.

Does your DD find the school friendly and is pastoral care ok? I really liked the feel of it when we did the tour (as did DD) and the girls all looked happy and chatty, but it has the reputation of not being particualrly cuddly. it also seems to have more of a reputation for asking girls to leave than many of the other preps attached to a senior school. Not sure how true it all is though, or how much they try to help them before it gets to that stage.

I liked that at CLSG I felt we got a feel for the senior school too because it is all one site, whereas we did not see the senior school at all at SHHS, and I imagine most girls who go through the prep will want to stay with their friends at senior school so I would have liked to see what we were potentially buying into over the longer term (i guess i could arrange it separately). I did though really like the SHHS prep headmistress.

sorry, thaks RSK too! I can udnerstand why you like NLCS, but too far for us. Why do you prefer SHHS over City? is it mainly logisitics? What will you do re the City timing dilemma? Will you accept anyway in case neither of the other 2 come through?

if we conclude City is our 1st choice (or we are 50/50) and we get an offer from City, we wont sit for SHHS (nice to have the christmas hols off). if we decide SHHS is our first choice, we will sit it too and take a call on what to do if we are in the position of having to accept a City offer before SHHS have notified results.

I think the challenge with CLSG, as you seem to have noted, is not whether they will wait for the results of other schools but if they are willing to keep their offers open until the second week of February 2012 (when others make offers) and without requesting for a deposit.

We really don't have a first choice but DD likes NLCS primarily because of her cousins who are currently there.

As a bird in hand is worth two in the bush, if we get an offer from CLSG we are more likely to keep it until we get another. Good Luck!

I've got DDs at CLSG and NLCS and am really happy with both. Aas to Wine's comment, they don't want to loose girls from the prep and really support them if they hit a rough patch but, if they will be miserable in the senior school..
The year above DD(city) has lost girls but it really is an anomolous year.
Both schools are really lovely and have different atmospheres that suit different girls. I'm afraid that you'll have to see which your DD prefers and what you are offered.