Which secondary school? State / Private

[summerstar2007]

Hello,

My duaghter is currently in year 6 so we started to look secondary school for her. She would like to go to single sex school - as we live in Lewisham (new to this area) we have 2 local options..

1. Ofsted rate (good) in 2020 state school Eltham Hill - 1 direct bus from home journey takes about around 25 mins.

Eltham Hill schools recent GCSE results: “69% of all our students achieved 5+ in English and Maths, 49% of our students achieved at least three 7-9 grades and 39% of our students achieved five or more 7-9 grades”

2.Excellent rated in ISI 2022 report private school Blackheath High - few bus 10-15 minutes by bus and direct 1 train only 1stop takes only 4 mins
Blackheath High School GCSE results:
“Year 11 students achieved 99% 9-4 (A-C), with 67% 9-7(A-A) and 41% 9-8 (A). This represents a 14% increase in the number of 8/9 (A) grades over the past 5 years”

MY daughter is bright and academic - she also loves sport and dance and drama. But she needs attention/push to study - for complete her homeworks etc.

We visited Blackheath High (private) school on Saturday - its lovely school and loved the facilities and speech of the current students - they were all confident, friendly and kind.

We definetely can afford private school but what I would like to know : is it worth to send her to private? Or good state secondary is good option. I search so many threads and read so many feedbacks about the private and state secondaries in UK. Some says if you have decent state near you - “do not waste your money” but how we will find out if its a decent secondary school? - from ofsted results? Or GSCE results?
In the same time some private school parents says “every penny worth for private school”.

I am so confused and I do not want my daughter to sit on private school assesment, get offer then tell her that she is going to state. She will feel disappointed.

Please let me know wwud?

Many thanks🌸

You need to apply for more than 1 state school and it's best to apply to more than 1 private school so your dd has a range of options and get use to taking entrance exams so the best advice would be to keep visiting possible schools and apply to a few and see where the offers come from. Let your dd know you will decide once you have all the offers in March 2023.

Agree with PP that you can’t just apply to one state and/or one private. You need some different options. You’d also need to check if you’re likely to get a place at Eltham Hill. If you select it as the school on this interactive offer area map on the Greenwich council page you can see whether you would have been in the offer area last year. That doesn’t promise you’ll get a place next year as it changes year on year depending on number of applications, but it gives you some indication. www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/info/200286/apply_for_a_school_place/1400/secondary_school_offers_interactive_map

You should look at other options as well. St Ursula’s in Greenwich is also single sex but is a Catholic school with faith requirements so may not be an option. Depending on where you are there are girls state schools in Bromley and Chiselhurst, but those might be too far away for you.

Lewisham to Blackheath may be one train stop but the school is a long way from the station?

Personally I'd look at more schools. You need at least 3 or 4 you'd be happy with and just tell her you're trying all of them and will decide when all the info is in. If you're in lewisham will you even be in catchment for Eltham Hill - it's pretty popular?

Your daughter would have to get the bus from Blackheath Station to Shooters Hill Roads, it's about 7-8 minutes.
You do need a choice of both state and private schools though The London private schools are very competitive and most children are tutored for them. Another state school in Lewisham is Leigh Academy. It hasn't been open for very long so I don't know what their results are like. Many children make significant journeys to London schools - you might want to think about Eltham, Colfe's or Dulwich.

I was in a similar predicament last year.
Eltham Hill was absolutely my first choice and also DD’s, with Blackheath High second for independent (but as a back up if she didn’t get into a good state school).
She was actually offered a place at Blackheath High from the waiting list, but by that point we’d accepted a place at Greycoat Hospital (which we ended up putting first on our list, with Eltham Hill second, not thinking in a million years that she’d actually get a place at Greycoats).

Places are very hard to get at GCH, but it’s worth a go (easier to get a Faith place, but they also offer a very small number of places to girls who pass their language test).
Many girls travel from Blackheath, Eltham and Lewisham - it’s approx 20 min into Victoria, then 10 min walk from there.

despite being very happy she got into GCH, I still preferred the range of subjects and facilities at Eltham Hill (and felt they were on a par with that of an independent school). DD knows girls who got into Eltham, and both they and their parents are incredibly happy with it)

Aside from all of the above, you’d need to work quickly though, as am sure that many of the assessments and tests have already happened for the above schools (might be wrong though, am trying to remember when DD did all the tests last year…)

To add, I didn’t even tell DD that she’d been offered a place at Blackheath High, as we’d already made the decision to accept GCH, and would have been no point telling her.

I’m assuming you’re not close enough to Prendergast Girls to have a chance of getting in there? They do offer a few musical scholarship places if that might be an option, but I don’t know if the test dates for that might have passed.

@ChnandlerBong we actually live in Lewisham Borough - so that means we can not choose any school form other borough? School is not too far from our place actually. Its really hard :///

@tigerbear GCH school is in SW isnt it? How did you get in there? Thats so good. Actually I visited Eltham Hill last year and visited Blackheath High last weekend - I loved Blackheath High atmosphere- girls answered our questions so well they were like an adult, they gave really sensible answers - impressed! Almost all girls plays instruments plays netball, hockey etc..

Last year when I visited Eltham Hill current students looked a bit unmotivated to me. I asked some question to the girls about what they dont like about Eltham Hill as well… they said they do not have enough lockers, they have 7 group of year 7 so they said its a lot of students in break time at canteen etc..

I will also visit Pendergast School for girls. But to be honest not sure about the other option - I will search

@summerstar2007 you can apply to schools in other boroughs but if they're assessing on distance you need to be close enough. Plenty of girls from Lewisham go to Eltham Hill but you need to check their stats on distance offered to get a feel for whether your bit of Lewisham is close enough.

@summerstar2007 Hi, Blackheath High parent here. My older daughter studied in Blackheath High from year 3 to year 13. She is now studying Exeter University. My 14 years old is still studying in Blackheath High. I do remember when she joined to year 3 (joined from other coed independent school) I asked her what difference did she notice she told me teachers always use “please” word and no noise in the classroom she said. School suited us really well. My older daughter had an offer from Colfes and Eltham College (also other schools in city centre) for 16th Form but she didn’t want to move so she did her A levels and AS levels in there as well. There are only 4 group of year 7s and and 19-20 students in each class. In juniors they used to have less students in each class approximately 15-17 students. But once girls choose their subjects, clubs class sizes becomes around 17. We are also happy with the facilities and clubs my girls did coding, street dance, drama and netball. School bus is also so flexible and cheap. You can book a journey anytime for your daughter its just cost £2 per journey, £3.20 (return). Most of other independent schools pays it termly and its fees are higher. School is for welcoming and friendly, 0 bullying! They organise events (morning or evening) which allow all parents to meet and communicate. We are really happy to be a part of the school and GDST. Wish you all the best and if you have any question you may PM me.

@Mygirlsmypower I agree.

I don’t know about the senior side but my DD is in Blackheath Juniors. So far we are sooo happy with the school! My DD enjoys every single lesson and most importantly she can not wait to go to school even when she is on holiday:) She attends 3 different after school clubs in a week and 2 clubs after lunch and she wants more and more:) Teachers are amazing, all girls are so friendly and kind. If you live local please come to the gate in the pick up/drop off times and ask parents how they feel about the school. %100 sure they will say its fabulous. To be honest I was planning to move my daughter to JAGS in year 3… We sat on assesment she had an offer but because she cried a lot and didnt wanted to move we didn’t accept the offer as well. I am sure JAGS is also fabulous but we didn’t want to take a risk as she is totally happy and doing great where she is already.
Good luck and happy to answer your questions if you have any x

@summerstar2007 GCH is in Westminster. DD got in on a Faith place. Their entrance criteria for faith places is really strict (ie proof of going to church every week for years, signed declaration from your vicar etc). If you aren’t of faith, your DD can apply for a languages place, and sit that test, but places are very limited.

Feel free to PM if you have any questions.

Have you considered Prendergast Hilly Fields?

@summerstar2007 you can chose a school in any borough you like. If you meet the admissions criteria you're in. Eltham Hill is quite oversubscribed and only has 210 places. You had to be within 4k of the school to get a place by 1 September in the most recent round.

Out of topic maybe but…. İs anyone know if a independent school has 80 place for year 7 entry … apporixametly how many offer and/or waiting list letter they sent out?

Each school has data to create their offer rate but as a rule of thumb it's around 1:3 so 240 offers to fill 80 places. Each school is different though and use waiting lists in different ways.

@hockeygrass thanks for the feedback. And ofcourse some students comes directly from juniors school with out taking the the 11+ - thats makes it so competitive for the schools that has only 4 group of year 7