st helens/notting hill & ealing school - advice

[nickyok]

We are considering these schools and can relocate nearer to the school. Please advice which is better?

Really depends on what you want, both are great schools, league tables wise NHEHS is better, but for me, all round wise St Helens seems to be better....their campus surely is multiple times better... Our DD just got into St Helens for 3+, so we're probably not even applying to NHEHS or any other school!

What age is your DD. My DD just nearly finished at NHEHS Junior school and can't recommend it enough. Fabulous education, fabulous head. No pressure and all and little homework compared to other highly academic schools. The Junior school regularly comes in the top 5 of the sunday times league tables (i.e. it's pretty successful) but for a school doing so well there is very little pressure from the teachers or the parents. Vern normal group of parents. No clique's etc.

Thanks for your input. Indeed both schools are good in academics.

We decided on St Helens as we found its facilities, particularly Sports and Open Areas, better. Frankly we are not keen on putting too much stress on academics. We really do not know what DD's interest are as yet. We feel academic records of primary education hardly matters.

On the other hand, I guess NHEHS Junior School performance maybe misleading as well, because KS3 is not something Private Schools participate actively in. (I presume, KS3 is what you are referring to?)

Yes you are right that it is KS3 that the tables are based on and that ALL private schools do not contribute to these tables at this stage (but some do).

It's very hard when you are at the beginning of education to see to the next stage but as someone who is at the end of primary education and therefore very concerned to make sure the secondary stage is correct you should bear in mind that both St Helens and NHEHS are schools which will take your DD to 18. Therefore unlike other private schools which take girls to 11, there is the assumption that the girls will stay on at the school and they are not prepared for the 11 + like children at other private schools. What you are buying into now is the secondary education as well which believe me WILL be of concern to you in a few year time. A few girls do change school from here at 11 but the vast majority stay on.
If your DD is bright (which you will say you don't know right now) then you would want her in the best place academically and in this respect NHEHS is much better than St Helens. The other alternative of course is to place her in a school which at 11 feeds in to both St Helens and NHEHS - i.e. an all round prep school. Have you considered this option. For the area you are looking at Orley Farm School in Harrow is a good idea. Better all round facilities than both St Helens and NHEHS and caters for the bright and less academically able and feeds into great schools later on.

glenmore, completely agree on your point about going upto 18. The fact is at 18, academically, there is hardly much to chose between these 2 schools. I analysed it on very many different factors including subjects the leavers pursue after 18.

Whereas at KS3 the difference might appear larger; the point was it did not seem relevant.

In reality, we are done with entrance tests until her 18 now. We maybe bit old fashioned in believing academics is dependent on the child, much more than on the school; provided the school is decent enough. Actually we could have even settled for Northwood college, to be honest. The only thing we are looking for is a decent environment, no bullying and such other soft factors. A little aura / polish, maybe (we noticed, plenty of that in St Helens). Plus there is always a chance that too much forced academics will make the child dull; which would only show up in later part of life.

She did indeed qualify for Orley Farm School in Harrow at 4+, but the location of the school is not very convenient. We cant keep on relocating as well :) so...

Overall I think both schools are quite good and in our analysis, academically equivalent. Our choice therefore was based on something else, which is individual choice and in our case which meant St. Helens.

Thanks nickyok, so your daughter has gotten into St. Helens? Is that for 3+ or 4+ - presumably 4+ since you mention the other schools? were you at the parents' evening last night?
Agree with all the points you make.. NHEHS is slightly better in the league tables, but honestly to me, any school outside the top 10, but in the top 100 / 150 is the same. And indeed, in terms of all round facilities, St helens just seemed better. I also really loved that fact that even the senior girls get involved with the junior school regularly (unlike NHEHS).
We wil also need to relocate to the Northwood area, will start looking May / June timeframe....

rsub,

My DD would start in year 3 (or 7+) in 2012

We missed St Helen's deadline of application at 4+ in 2009, so we could have only tried this time.

Be very careful....there is a lot of bullying at st Helens from my experience

PMPot, the new head and team assured us on their bullying policies... What sort of bullying do you see? What sort of years? Does your DD face it? Is it driven due to any particular reason i.e. larger mix of Asians etc.?

Why would a larger mix of Asians bring more bullying?

I don't know St Helen's, but like wha I see of all the NHEHS girls I meet.

Have also heard bullying rife at st helens and some girls can get excluded in the teen years if they are not from the same cultural background of the majority. This is the senior school though, think the junior different. NHES has more down to earth parents. NHES junior school is outstanding Mrs Sholti amazing and loved and respected by all. She knows all the girls. We chose Orley in the end to give choice at 11 and because we have boys and girls and we wanted them to be at the same school. If we were sure we wanted all the way through would have gone for NHΕS

Bullying policies not worth the paper they are written on to be honest.

Nhehs is a securely good school for girls . Racial diversity is helpful . Especially if you remember that studious girls who don't spend all their teenage years in party mode are a god send in any girls school.