Habs school for Girls

[youlookalotlikeme]

Hi,

Does anyone have a view on this school - positive or negative?

Considering for my DD (yes, yes, PFB before anyone asks). Have tried asking in Education, but not getting any replies.

TIA

Clayta, is right about all that.
My daughter went to Habs and had a wonderful time there. They were not interested in what the parents did as far as I could see. They looked at the child. They wisely kept the parents away.

She was one of only 2 girls in her class with 4 English born grandparents which I thikn shows they look at the pure intelligence of the girl not who you are or where you are from. It is a school of very bright girls. We never felt pressure. Some girls in all schools pressure themselves and some parents in some families put pressure on their children but the school was always going on about sport and music which is what my child liked. It is a lovely school.

People's whose daughters are not bright enough to get in often criticise these kinds of schools wrongly. Our other one went to North London Collegiate which is also very good too. They both are.

Habs girls was 30th this year for A levels of all schools in the country state and private boarding and day, and the boys 20th - obviousyl it just depends on the year group but they are often in the top 20.

rankings.ft.com/secondary-schools/secondary-schools-2012

What a lot of these schools are very good at is sorting the wheat from the chaff. They used to select at 7 but found they were as good at it at 5. You can often tell - you're on a train an listening to some bright little thing chatting away - some children are simply brighter than others.

My daughter is a finished product in a sense now and she and her friends in their mid 20s are doing pretty well , still have a lot of the hobbies they had a school, happy, good lives. I think the school did very well for them in all kinds of ways and they were very lucky to go there.

These schools are not looking for coaching at 3 or 4 at all. They look at things you cannot teach. Obviously they don't want a child who goes round thumping all the others and if a child is too shy to speak it is going to be hard to work out what they are like and there is clearly some luck in it too but so so so very few of those who started with my daughter were not still there in A level year. They get the assessment right. Some children leave because they move away but I was pleased with their ability to select the right child.

lol..

Reception is the most important year. Its why its called the foundation stage. The foundations for later learning are laid in that year. Ie. knowledge of phonics, making friends, learning the rules of the classroom.

The OP is lucky in having lots of good private (and state!) schools to choose from. I think its important that she thinks what her daughter and her family need out of a school. (Ie. wrap around care, extra curricular activites and general happiness)

The fact that a three year old canters shows no fear. Whether this is a good or a bad thing I don't know. My three year old would be far too much of a scardy cat.

"The fact that a three year old canters shows no fear."

It might or might not show this. What it does show is that the child is being taught by an irresponsible, dangerous incompetent, and that the child's mother is too pig headed to take advice from people who know what they are talking about.

Well the issue of what characteristics are needed was one Ian Hislop explored in his 3 part series recently on the Stiff upper Lip. For some jobs we still need girls who have grit and staying power and strength and bravery and fitness and health. In other jobs we don't. I often thought my Habs one does as well at work because of those qualities as her school and university exam grades. You need both for many jobs and indeed to cope with life itself which is why feeling secure and loved is so important to children and why so many have been hurt in care as we see in the current scandals.

I think the girls that thrive at Habs, and by which I mean enjoy it and take their opportunities, as opposed to getting 11A*S and a dose of self loathing, are the resilient types.

The types who have an inner confidence and good amount of grit. They're often not the top students actually.

Oh and I'm not remotely suprised that a DD of xenia thrived there

I wouldn't know, Xenia. I am, as you know, the mother of one of the world's natural hairdressers.

But I do know about horses.

Well seeker I've seen a pic of your DD and her hair is rather stunning .

I actually think this is one area where DD's school ought to do better.

It is incredibly creative and supportive etc but sometimes I htink the girls are a little over-nurtured. Not given enough opportunity to build up grit.

Fortunately, I took the precaution of giving birth to Lady Macbeth.

It's in the genes, word factory. When she gets her high paid job, which is of course her only goal in life, she can employ ds as her personal hair consultant. If he manages to get the BTec, of course.........

Could be worse seeker check out the prices of this place hair

Most of the highly paid city women I know (including myself) have appalling hair.

The ones with the great hair are the dilettantes who don't spend enough time working.

Of course my showbizzy arty friends all have fabulous hair. To go with the fabulous everything else!

They looked at the child. They wisely kept the parents away.

Very wise! I certainly wouldn't look at what the parent did and I would want to see the child without the parent.

Reception is the most important year. Its why its called the foundation stage. The foundations for later learning are laid in that year. Ie. knowledge of phonics, making friends, learning the rules of the classroom

You can however do that at home and you have not lost anything by starting formal education later, as shown on the continent. It is most useful for sharing, making friends, waiting your turn etc. -which band of reading book you are on really isn't important.

I remember asking Habs before she started - 2 years before if her Montessori nursery was okay and the teacher I spoke to said that was fine; they didn't expect them to be learning anything formal. In fact that daughter was the latest to read - 6+ when her younger sibling could read loads of books at 3+.

Yes, not overly fussing about your hair is an indicator of excellence in the UK.

Wordfactory - Fortunately, I took the precaution of giving birth to Lady Macbeth.

Funny!

They looked at the child. They wisely kept the parents away.

In some cases it's more:
"They had a look at the parents and wisely kept the child away"

Lady Macbeth? hmm

I appear to have given birth to Lady Bracknell and Teasy Weasy Raymond!

I know two girls who were made to leave Habs, one at 11 and the other at 16 they both ended up at Oxbridge.......

youlooklikeme Interesting that you have a place at St Albas High school already and the assessments for Sept 2013 don't take place until Jan 2013 , one of the reasons reception class ever go back until around 14th Jan is their classrooms are being used for the assessments.

Likewise for Habs, I have girls doing the assessments in January for both schools, he come you have a place already?

I also have a chid in reception at Habs, her birthday is 31st August, she doesn't ride, speak Spanish or play the piano, infact she hasn't even learned to read in her first term as it is all about play, I fear your daughter may well be understimulated and get bored!

That was not our experience. They all seemed to go right through in my daughter's year. One or two left because they moved. They tend to pick them so well at 5 they manage fine. A lovely school.

I didn?t get that feeling when I visited the school Xenia. The pastoral care seemed nonexistent, the children looked shell shocked and I got the feeling that the only thing the school cares about is exam results. (I visited the boys school so maybe the girls school is different)

It is nothing like that and my daughter was there from age 4 - 18 and had a really lovely time. We obviously know the boys' school too as it is on the site next door and they share coaches. The school stops anyone working too hard, goes on and on about taking breaks and keeping up your sports during GCSE years and there are few schools in the country with such a range of children who do so very many hobbies to such a high standard. It is really lovely with loads of pastoral care. My oldest had a bit of trouble spelling in the juniors (she is slightly dyslexic but quite clever) and in the juniors the then head gave her individual help - it was really nice the way they pulled every stop for her to do well and all her friends have done well, two are doing the same job as she is in the City earning qutie a bit in their mid 20s and really nice too 3 of them are now engaged including mine. I couldn't have wished for a better school. Go Habs.

Of course most children are not bright enough to get in so you get a lot who can't slagging it off but that's just people for you,.

Also if you don't like it go elsewhere. There is probably nowhere int he country with such a choice of good schools with obviously a pecking order down to those schools which take just about anyone regardless of IQ.

In my experience if a child is exceptionally bright they will do well wherever they go. My eldest went to a non selective school sat her GCSEs at 14, A levels at 16 she is now at Oxford. There does seem to be a high level of arrogant parents around at these schools which is more off putting than anything else.

"I know two girls who were made to leave Habs, one at 11 and the other at 16 they both ended up at Oxbridge....... "

There may well have been other reasons other than academic that a school might want a child to leave. I doult the parents would tell you that they were asked to take their child away because of poor behaviour.

Life is what you make of it. It is possible to get to Oxbridge from a really rough school. Being a sucess in life is down to grit and determination rather than what school you go to.

Not at Habs. No arrogance. It is a meritocracy with girls of all kinds of religions, backgrounds, interests and family circumstances.

This thread has really cheered me up! I thought some of the parents at my daughters all girls prep are bonkers, they are clearly nothing on the op!