Nurseries and North London Collegiate

[tlat]

HI, It's just been suggested to me that I need to start thinking about nurseries for DD! DH and I are quite keen for her to go on to NLC at 4+ as she has a cousin there who loves it and we have heard nice things from her parents about the school, plus it's soo close to us. I think I read somewhere on mumsnet about NLC having some feeder nurseries, not officially but just where a lot of the girls attended? Do any of you ladies know which these are? Thanks so much for all your help in advance!

You put it much better than I could @Traveilkapelka. Due to the age of my children, I don't know many current older girls at NLCS, just some in junior school but I clearly remember what it was like from my own school days and doubt it has changed significantly since. A great environment for the right child but does not suit all

Anyone fortunate to live in NW London area with the finance to afford private education has the choice of so many brilliant schools, all with a slightly different focus but equally all delivering an excellent well rounded education for the right child.

@nomoreusernamesplease

I was academic and left school with multiple A* GCSEs and all A at A-level but I know I would not have survived there

Why?

The girls need to be robust, super smart and resilient

I agree with robust and resilient but, in the Junior School at least, not with super smart.

How does one know if their child is right for the NLCS environment? We are talking about 3 year olds. In a state school, you would get all types of kids and maybe even a lack of academic focus. Lets say our daughter doesn't have a family history of the brightest minds, does that mean without her effort and that of a school like NLCS, she won't do well?

Back to the original point of my post and thread though:

@Travielkapelka Do you know what nurseries your son's friends went to?
@user149799568 any ideas where the junior girls you know went to nursery?
@nomoreusernamesplease the junior school girls you know, do you know what nurseries they went to?

@nwLondondad it was a long time ago, most of them are nearly on to university but trust me none of them went to nursery in West Hampstead. It was all local nurseries, some of the synagogue ones, Stanmore Montessori, there was somewhere call whizz kids which was along the lines of the West Hampstead nurseries. Personally I avoided those kinds of places like the plague but some people like them.

I’ll also reassure you that my son, entirely non selective education, good state school all the way through has exactly the same GCSE, A levels and university offers as his NLCS / Habs friends

www.whizzkidsnursery.com/schools-children-went-on-to

@Travielkapelka thank you. We have booked in to visit whizz.

As for your son, I am sure he was the exception in his school rather than the norm. My stepson is exceptionally bright, sporty and disciplined in his state school (supposedly one of the best in the borough). However the school is unable to make the most of his skills and must cater to the WIDE ranging levels of abilities and behaviour, which will only have a detrimental impact on him. I went to a good Uni, so know of lots of exceptions, but ask those exceptions about their peers and there isn't much to talk about.

Irrespective of parents efforts, 'generally' if your child hangs around 5 confident people, they probably will become one too, hang around 5 trouble makers......

As for your son, I am sure he was the exception in his school rather than the norm

And that’s where you are wrong. He’s completely the norm and no where near the smartest in this year. His peers and I include the children he’s not friendly with are smart hardworking and ambitious. The school offers 2 6th form tracks. The A level students are 95% going to RG unis including a significant number to oxbridge. Those who took the level 3 BTEC route are also all going to good universities with some of them to RG unis too.

At GCSE, in a mixed ability school over 50% of the year group got straight 9-7’s and almost every child exceeded their predictions.

Behaviour is excellent. They do fall down on some of the extra curricular such as music and sport granted but I think you’re very blinkered if you think it’s the exception to have high achieving children in state schools especially where you live. It’s totally the norm!

@Travielkapelka what school is it if you don't mind mentioning? Very refreshing to know there are great state alternatives other than grammar in North London that are equally academic

@nwLondonDad

Almost half of DD's reception class went to Broadhurst, Clowns or Mulberry House for nursery. Not much help for you, I'm afraid.

FYI, not a single girl in that year lived within a 20 minute walk of the school and only a handful lived within a 10 minute drive (in no traffic) before they got the places. And some of them did send their 2 year olds to West Hampstead nurseries.

@user149799568 many thanks, much appreciated.

[quote user149799568]@nomoreusernamesplease

I was academic and left school with multiple A* GCSEs and all A at A-level but I know I would not have survived there

Why?[/quote]
Whilst I was very bright, I did not have the confidence the girls there do. I did not always pick up concepts instantly in lessons - I needed time to understand and absorb it. The school I went to was also selective, but not super selective. I was consistently in the top third of the year group, but not the top 5 students - NLCS girls would have been the top 5.

There is nothing more demoralising than being at the bottom - the same results can be achieved in multiple places so if paying for a private education, value comes in finding the perfect school for your child

How does one know if their child is right for the NLCS environment? We are talking about 3 year olds. In a state school, you would get all types of kids and maybe even a lack of academic focus. Lets say our daughter doesn't have a family history of the brightest minds, does that mean without her effort and that of a school like NLCS, she won't do well?

You are still missing the point. It is not about comparing to a state school with a wide range of abilities, and it is not just about 'doing well'.

If you have a happy, engaged child in the right environment, they are going to do well. You want your child to enjoy their school years, they are only children once. If they are naturally bright, somewhere like NLCS will mean they are with like minded children who all challenge each other.
If not, they are better off somewhere that will cater for their specific needs - the end result will be a happy child achieving to the best of their ability, surely that is all any parent wants? State schools can't cater for individuals in the same way because they have no control over their intake - that is why people pay for private. Saying that, I know countless state school success stories so I would not write them off, just make an informed decision

Even if you send your child out to a nursery an hour away in the desperate hope they will go to NLCS, if they are not cut out for the school, the nursery will tell you that.

@nomoreeusernamesplease thank you. the junior school girls you know, do you know what nurseries they went to?

No I don't have a clue - it is not something you tend to discuss when your child is past the first few weeks of reception.
I usually see these girls when I take mine to after school classes such as gymnastics, swimming etc. When speaking to girls or parents, it is general chat

@nomoreeusernamesplease

Whilst I was very bright, I did not have the confidence the girls there do. I did not always pick up concepts instantly in lessons - I needed time to understand and absorb it.

Thank you for taking the time to explain. You know yourself, but I may know more about the school as it is today. The girls in the junior school, particularly the 4+ entrants, are not all that special academically. Some, of course, are whip quick at learning. But many need things explained several times and in different ways.

At 4+, my belief is that the school, first and foremost, tries to screen out girls who exhibit indications of developmental and/or behavioural issues. After that, it tries to screen for girls who are ready to learn: who pay attention, listen well, and try hard. As far these things go, I think they did very well in DD's year; IMO, she has a great environment for learning. But if they were trying to select only the "brightest", I don't think that they quite managed that.

This becomes more noticeable as the school adds girls at 7+ and 11+. The girls coming in at those stages all need to have achieved more academically than at least some of the 4+ entrants will have, and possibly are capable of.

There is nothing more demoralising than being at the bottom

That depends on the individual. Some people like to be front runners and will push themselves to stay ahead but might not give their best effort if they find themselves at the back. Some do better when they have a pacesetter to chase but may get complacent if they don't see anyone ahead of them. And others do their best if they're in the pack (and may be happiest if they're a little above the middle). So you may well be right that NLCS would have been the wrong school for you.

it was a long time ago, most of them are nearly on to university but trust me none of them went to nursery in West Hampstead. It was all local nurseries, some of the synagogue ones....

Things have changed. As I indicated above, almost half of DD's year came from just three nurseries in West Hampstead. Another indication of this is that the school operated four "early" bus routes exclusively for Junior School girls last year. Three full size coaches went to St John's Wood and Belsize Park. The fourth route was served by a minibus.

Also, your comment about synagogue nurseries reminds me that I've been told that, at one time, a large percentage of NLCS students, particularly in the Junior School, were Jewish. I believe that percentage is much lower now.

@user149799568 I have heard a couple of similar comments about external coming in at 7 and 11 achieving more than those who started at 4. I guess the competition must be that much more fierce later on. As far as I am aware, there was no 4+ entry for my age range at NLCS, it was 7 and 11. I applied at 11 and was turned down, rightly so with hindsight.

You are absolutely correct, we are all different and being at the bottom was demoralising for me, not necessarily for all. I fitted in perfectly at my secondary school and studied with 3 ex-NLCS girls at university, all of us achieved similar results and equally happy in our chosen careers.

My DD has all the traits you describe and I am sure would have fitted in there had we decided to send her but we ideally wanted both in one place so narrowed it down to a co-ed prep school or Habs. I have taken the gamble that DS will hopefully get into Habs (looks promising so far but they are only 3). Saying that, even if successful we will be doing 2 separate drop offs until he is 7 and moves to the main site.

@nomoreeusernamesplease Habs is introducing a 4+ entry cohort taking 36 boys. Applications are presently open for Sep-22 admission. 5+ admissions are planned to end after Sep-22. Registration closes November this year...

Habs4+

@ThroughTheEyesOfATigger thank you, we are planning to apply at 4+ now they have finally changed it. We were delighted when they announced the new entry - such a relief that we will not need to think about where to send him for just one year. As far as I am aware, it is still the St Albans site until 7 though, then both would be at Elstree (as long as he gets in of course)