Which school would you pick for year 7 girl?

[Jss1985]

Hi there,

We moved new area recently. Our daughter is in year 5 and we would like her to go independent school in year 7. We live between 2 very different schools. But unfortunately we dont know anyone who goes to these school so I wanted to ask here to get an idea which one we need to focus on (we practice these schools previous exam papers)

School 1- Girls only school, 15 mins walk away, transport links are great, she can go to school by public bus(5stops) or train (1stop).
Recent GCSE results: 37% of students receive the top grade A* (9/8) across all subjects.

School 2: Coed independent school, no alternative route to travel school by bus or train- because she needs to take 2 public bus than 15 mins walk which will take more than a hour each way. School is 3 miles away from our place I can drop her by car but to be honest I dont want to do that for 7 years so she can use school bus (I dont know how much it will cost per annum). But this schools is larger and facilities are better than School 1.

Recent GCSE Results: 41% of students receive the top grade A* (9/8) across all subjects.

Which school would you pick for 11 years old girl?

How is it taking two buses and an hour to travel 3 miles?
And why would she catch a train for a school a 15 minute walk away which is about 0.9 miles.

Asking in case something got confused, so for clarity, not to be a dick

What facilities are better at the coed? You really need to visit both and get a feel.

How does she feel about single sex?

Transport is not a way to choose a school (and like pp says, why take a train/bus when it's a 15 min walk?).
Mixed vs girls, facilities (is she sporty and is one better for that for example), vibe, etc. plus how competitive are they - are you sure she'll be offered a place at both schools?
And what are her preferences?

@SleepingStandingUp because there is a shorter way which we can use by car (its motorway) but public busses use different road. İf she need to use public bus unfortunately she needs to go to centre than get second bus + 15 min walk 🤷🏻‍♀️

For girls school - I just wanted to write all options - in rainy days she can use train its only 1 stop and takes about 3 mins.

@mondaytosunday she loves sport and art but she is so academic, bright girl - she would like to study medicine (dont know if she change her mind but her fav subjects are science and maths) Our teachers believe she will do great in these schools exams. She had an offers from more academic schools when she was 7 years old.

“Transport is not a way to choose a school “

It is really important for us. We prefer short and safe journey - her safety and mental health is important than anything.

Has your DD visited the schools ? I know my DD had some very firm views about the schools we visited which fortunately aligned with both myself and her dad.

We visited several schools and in each case, spent time looking at things we weren't being shown - hope that makes sense ? So for example at my pre-visit fav option the VIth form students were very off with the younger ones, whereas in other schools they were more up beat & positive with their juniors. In all cases the VIth formers were fine with the visitors, but their behaviour stood out.

Regarding the headteachers - how long have they been in post / are they likely to retire soon / do they know all the students names. the head at the school our DD did go to remembered my DD's, mine and my DP's names and he has a different surname

Don't forget whichever school you choose with whatever transport arrangements - there are lots of opportunities for after school activities and you'll need to figure those eventualities out too.

lastly - check if the school have their own bus service

just a thought, and I know transport links are important for you, but visit other school as well, just to compare and contrast the main 2 in the frame.

Our DD went to the school that wasn't on our list at all. We just went to compare with the other 2 we were initially favouring and were very pleasantly surprised.

You need to apply for at least 3 schools so put them both on the list for now.

Go and visit and see how you all feel?

The idea of "more academic school" is an interesting one.
In my experience, schools that get better results do so by selecting children who are attaining more at the point of entry. If your school only chooses 11 year olds who could already pass a GCSE, it's not much of a trick when they get an A a few years later. So I wouldn't place much weight on that but instead would bear in mind that a bright, motivated child will do well pretty much anywhere as long as she is happy and the teaching is adequate.

Which of these schools do you think has an ethos that will suit your DD? Is she quirky or conformist? Is she shy so that she'll get lost in a noisier school? Does either of them give time in their day for art or music or things that make your child happy? Will they put her under pressure to drop her instruments (assuming she plays any) because music lessons take place during academic lessons (a school did this to one of my children and it was awful- took away the one thing that she enjoyed). Do they encourage all children to participate in plays or performances, or just a select few? Do all children have to participate in team sport? What sports do they offer to girls? Girls disproportionately give up sport at secondary school but it is great for stress management and for teamwork skills that apply later in life.

That should say *many selective schools get better results by...

At the moment, neither - your OP is about travel times and a marginal difference in GCSE scores.

Visit both, and see which one feels right. You'll know instinctively.

The one your dd prefers and will make her happiest.

Not much between the academic results.

I think journey time is important, providing the school suits. It's a 7 year commitment. However, if the drive is only 15 minutes what parent wouldn't commit to that if it was operationally feasible given their own job?

If safety and MH are important then surely you need to focus on quality of pastoral care not on %8/9s?

A school can get great results by a hothouse high pressure environment which would not be good for MH. Or it can get great results by supporting and nurturing and encouraging the best from everyone.

I'd drill down a bit. I don't know what they would answer but I'd ask how many pupils have had to do GCSEs in small rooms due to anxiety or other MH reasons.

I'd ask about bullying policies.

I'd ask about level of homework.

I'd ask about access to pastoral care, and what is covered in PSHE.

In the co-ed I'd ask about teaching around consent and harassment.

I'd choose school 1, but that's because I really favour single sex schools especially for girls. The transport would sway me too..I wouldn't want my dd too far away especially on dark winter afternoons. In terms of academics, the difference seems marginal. How much better are the facilities at number 2?

Just on the travel I would go for the closer school. An hour isn't a lot for an adult going to work but when you are a child and have to add homework and carrying equipment, maybe a musical instrument, or in my day a cookery basket, and art portfolio and a PE kit.

BUT which school will suit your DD best? Does she have a preference for single or coed?

If it is only a choice between those, I would go w school 1. A 15 minute walk to school is so much better then travel an hour. I would only choose school B if school A was a crappy school. But if they are similar academically then go for A. My dd is keen for single sex and decided on that over coed. It depends on your dc.

I'd also go for school 1. Travel time is definitely an important factor to consider. It's not just the travel time but also having to get up at the crack of dawn which takes it's toll on teenagers.

I also favour single sex schools for girls so that would be a plus. Yes, single sex has issues but adding boys into the mix makes mean girls meaner. Academic difference is marginal.

Totally agree.

It’s hard to imagine now but your DD may need to figure out how to get back from after school stuff at 7pm on a wet dark Tuesday in January. What are the transport links like then?

However, the journey to school that you describe does not seem bad enough to overshadow other considerations.

We had a choice of a well regarded school five miles away with a school bus, or the option of me to drive, or a school a 30 minute train journey away with a horrible 15 minute walk away.

We went for the one with the rubbish commute.
And it was 100 per cent the right call and was, in a way, the ‘braver’ decision.
The school is a great fit for our DS. The right activities, facilities, and support. But more importantly our DS feels ‘right’ there. We also love the head and the ethos of the school.

Our DS’s life would be easier if he had gone to the nearer school, but it would be a lot less happy. And our lives would certainly be easier, but we justify it by thinking that all the effort and worry we put into dealing with the distance is more than compensated for by the fact he is in the right place.

Visit both schools as PPs have suggested.

The results are not so very different so unless there is some unique facility at the distant school I'd focus on the performance of girls at the coed school and especially in science subjects. Girls historically do better academically in all girls classes in science subjects.

When you ask them their policy on bullying ask about how they handle low grade and casual sexual harassment (which will be happening - every school has this problem).

A 15 minute walk from school means making friends in the local area as well. A longer journey may mean less local friends (although three miles is surely quicker to walk than the transport journey you describe?)

I totally agree with this. Adding boys to the mix really does not add much benefit and only makes the girls meaner lol. I went to coed my entire life and the only times girls had issues were over boys! Esp in the later years!

I'd go for School 1 unless you really don't want single sex.

An hour's journey to school is too much (unless she can cycle?).

However, I agree with PPs both that you should go and visit and that the difference in results is likely to be due to intake and not the school

These are independent schools so she can apply for as many or as few as she wants.

However, OP should probably consider state schools as well, even if it is just a backup option.

Hi, we visited both schools this year - girls only school is so modern, nice building and all girls seemed happy and confident there. Facilities are nice but coed has bigger green space. Coed school is Christian school and we are not religious (I dont know if that foüng to be a prob for her but I was told that they will need to go Chapel to pray twice a week). My daughter and husband really liked girls only school but its looks like coed school is more pushy, they have Oxbridge course after GSCEs etc.. So I am in dilemma