Northwood college vs St Helens vs Habs

[WaryMember24]

To all the lovely people here..I have always used mums net and found all of your views and opinions invaluable of the years..I would to call upon the wisdom of mums net's finest if I may to help me in this latest predicament ..

My DD is 6 years old and I'm looking to enlist her into 7+ entry in Northwood College (NC), StH or Habs. I am located near Northwood so NC or StH would be better for me but im torn between the convenience aspect of the Northwood schools vs Habs. To make matters worse I have no clue how to pick between the Northwood schools. I know it's not right to make judgements or assumptions but a few mums have told me the girls at NC tend to be more down to earth as the school is very nurturing but same time I have been told academically it is the weakest of the three. I have no more hair to pull out over this issue, stressing me out big time . Please help

You are totally overthinking things. They are all schools that get exceptional exam results.

Habs only admits the very brightest girls in the first place so I question whether their results are as a result of the school itself or the intake. Having been through the 11+ process recently (and a place offered), we were all totally put off by it. So many girls sitting, you felt like a number and I’m not sure how well they really knew my DD by the end of the process. They have so many apply that they are more about getting the numbers down than any real meaningful getting to know you. You can’t deny their academic successes and I liked the girls - confident, articulate etc. I do think parents get blinkered by the name though.

Northwood College gets approx 75-80% grades 9-7 in GCSE results each year. If you think that’s weak academically then please give your head a wobble.

St Helens results are slightly better but you are talking minimally.

Honestly, go with your gut reaction. Where do you and your daughter feel most at home? Where did you have the best experience? Do you like the head? Look outside the academics - what does your daughter enjoy (performing, music, art, sport, STEM) and does the school offer lots in these areas? How’s the commute?

The biggest mistakes parents make when choosing a school is focussing purely on league tables, reputation and the opinion of others. Go where your DD is going to be happiest.

As PP said, the academic 'ranking' is down to how selective these schools are.

Habs is most selective (I have no personal experience though), then St Helens, and lastly Northwood college. Their results reflect this.

We visited and seriously considered both Northwood schools few years back when DD was doing 11plus and thought both were good. The girls we spoke to from both schools are impressive, they both had good facilities, but St Helens is definitely more shiny and had more resources.

We found Northwood College more down to earth and friendly and warm though.

Maybe just the admission process, but St Helens felt more chaotic (lost emails, lost applications etc), very prone to jargon, and a bit too 'large business' like for our taste.

One other thing to consider is that Northwood Girls offers a place in senior school to all junior girls, while St Helens manage some out (hence better result). If you do not want to go through the 11plus process, that maybe a reason to prefer Northwood College.

If we had to choose between these two, we probably would have chosen Northwood because DD felt more comfortable there; we found the school warm and down to earth. Plus we read (at the time) quite a negative review about pushy and competitive St Helen's parents in Good School Guide which spooked us a bit (they are usually not so directly negative about schools)

But ultimately, St Helens is a very good choice too and produce excellent outcome.

Thank you both for the insights and advice ..so helpful