Which school we should go for - please share uour ideas!

[Clairyann]

Hello,

My niece had an 2 offers from 2 independent schools. She is in year 4 currently. We really don’t know which one we should choose. We visited both but still couldn’t decide:

School 1:
Its a girl only school (single sex) there is directly train also a bus to school. By train it takes 5 mins, by bus 20 mins. 16 students in each classroom and there are 2 forms in each years. Facilities ok (much better than local state schools) but resources are grade. School building is more modern, airy and new. Fees are cheaper than school 2 and there is no need to travel by school bus or pay school bus fee.

School 2:
Its coed school. My niece needs to travel to school by school bus as there are no transport links. She needs to get school bus around 7:45 and it costs about £2500 per year. It is christian school (and we are not christian). Facilities and clubs are better than School 1 and it is larger school. 21-22 students in each classrooms and 3 or 4 forms in each years. GCSE and A level grades are better about (%5) than School 1. School fees are a bit more expensive than SChool 1 (around 3500 per year)

My niece going to travel to the school by car till secondary but we wanted to give options for transport as she is not planing move other school in secondary - schools are both till 18 years old.

Which school sounds better choice?

What you think about school bus? Is it easy for primary children? - I think its so stressful that you need to manage to be in bus stop in the time. :/

@redskylight in school there are 10 girls and 12 boys in classroom and we were thinking it might be harder for her to find friend in that kind of environment

Part of the privilege of private school is you get to pick the school that fits the individual child the best. On the info you've given, posters can only say which they think might be the best school for a generic child. But your niece is not a generic child.

Some girls socialise almost exclusively with girls, others more across both sexes. If your niece falls into that first category then I would tend to agree with you that a smaller school of girls might actually give her more options.

Generally do you think it would help her to thrive to be in a girls only environment? Does she thrive on competition or being a big fish in a small pond? I wouldn't put too much weight on the exam averages if one is selective and the other isn't, but I would look at what their top achievers have got. This gives an indication of what might be possible. If your niece is keen on science then that might be easier at a girls' school, though facilities might be less. Are there any particular subject strengths at either school, and how do they match up with your niece's interests? Are both schools thriving or is one struggling for numbers? Did the leadership at either school impress you, what feeling did your sister get looking round? Generally I think the data you've given us are not what I would use to choose a school. Your sister knows her child best, she should have the confidence to go with her heart.