Oxford High vs Headington

[Flumptastic]

Does anyone have a daughter in either school who could share their experience/ give me a view of pros and cons? Our plan is for my daughter to join one of the schools midway through prep in the hopes of then progressing to the linked Senior School. We have offers from both but don’t know anyone who attends either school and my daughter doesn’t seem to have a strong leaning either way.

OHS has a reputation of being an academic hothouse. I'd ask what happens if girls aren't looking to make their gcse grades. Headington has a rep for good pastoral care and taking a much broader set of girls. Personally I'd choose Headington.

OHS has a reputation for being a hothouse, but I really don't think that is true. From personal experience, the pressure to get into OHS and St Helen and St Kathrine's, the other supposedly hothouse alternative, is mainly financial. We knew we could only afford the fees of these 2 schools, which were at the time about 7k less than Headington, and 15k less than St Eds or Down House or other more 'relaxed' schools. For many, OHS and St Kats are the only financial options, so the focus on getting into these schools, as there is no financial plan B, is so strong, so people are preparing and prepping and the competition becomes as fierce as it is for state grammars, e.g. Reading School or Kendrick. Bursaries are not available to those families who earn more than 80k, but after taxes, that is way to little to pay 2 or 3sets of fees at the more expensive schools, so OHS or St Kats it has to be. The schools are all pretty much the same in my experience once you got there. The stress of getting a place is the bummer, but as you have an offer, just go with which schools your dc lijes best if you can afford both. The decision should come from the child if affordable.

Headington and STSK are now both 6500 a term I believe.

They increased the fees recently a lot. Even OHS is now 5800 per term. So OHS is still the cheapest school, almost 3k cheaper than Headington/year, so for 2 or 3 dd that's still a lot, but not that long ago it was 4000/term.

For OHS, you still have to take the entrance exam even if you are already in their prep

Thanks all, for your answers - much food for thought ! Crisplist, my understanding is that girls at OHS prep don’t have to do the exams to get to the Senior School but that they don’t guarantee progression either, it’s contingent on how girls are performing at school with a view given at the end of year 5 whether they will make the cut. I think that Headington is similar …