St Albans HS for Girls at WH & St Hilda's Harpenden

[MrsJAlfredPrufrock]

If anyone has any information about these schools, I'd be very grateful.

I can help you with questions about SAHS. What do you want to know?

follygirl -Thank you. We went to look round and liked it v much. But it has a reputation as being a bit hot-housey which we didn't pick up, on but other friends who looked round on a different day, felt the girls were a bit dull and an acedemic product. And I'm just wondering if anyone can tell me first hand what it's like, anything about it at all. I have friends whose daughters went there a few years ago (and loved it) but schools can change a lot in a few years.

If you are comparing the two schools then my understanding is that St Hilda's is a gentler entry into school life.
Having said that I don't think that SAHS is a real hot house, not compared to HABS. The school is quite adept at selecting the girls who will do well academically, whether it's right for them mentally is more up to the parents to decide.
My dd is summer born and was 'behind' the other girls when she started in Reception. With lots of encouragement from the school her confidence has grown and she is sailing through the years.
It is difficult to recommend a school for a child as it so depends on what suits the child. My ds is at a non-selective indie which completely suits him.
Would your dd be starting in Reception? What sort of child is she?

It may not be relevant, as it was the senior school, but I went to SAHS, and loved it. It is a wonderful school. The teachers were very good, took a genuine interest in every girl. The pastoral care was very good. Yes, they expected the best from all of us, but it they gave us support and encouragement to enable us to do our best.

follygirl - thanks. She's Yr1. She's quite dreamy and creative. Reading hasn't really clicked properly for her yet so she's yet to unfurl so it's difficult to tell what sort of school will best suit her. I think she's very bright but perhaps mums always think that.

Principality -Thank you. That's lovely to hear.

I would say that they are very hot on reading at SAHS. It was pushed quite hard in Reception and the expectation was that they would be on Blue Bananas by the end of the year.

My dd did have to work hard as some of the girls started Reception being able to read whilst she didn't know her letters. In hindsight I can see the advantages of what they did and she is a really good reader for her age.

My son is more of a dreamy type and is currently in Year 1 at his school. He has taken a while to click with reading but it's all starting to come together. I do think that his school's laidback approach has been completely right for him as he hasn't been scared witless by having to do work which is too difficult for him.

Why don't you have a chat with SAHS about whether or not they think that it's the right school for your daughter and take it from there? You can also base your opinion on what they say. Have they offered her a place?

Thanks, follygirl. That's really interesting. I'm not familiar with blue bananas reading books. I daresay it's waaaay ahead of where DD is at the moment. I daren't look it up in case it's too dispiriting.

Sorry, didn't mean to confuse you. I think that Blue Bananas is ORT level 10 or so. That's not to say that they wouldn't accept your dd if she was a lot lower than that. They look at the child's potential and not necessarily where they are now. As i said, my dd didn't even know her letters before starting Reception whilst some girls were already on ORT 5.

You say that you visited the school, did you talk to the Head or the Head of Pre-Prep? If I were you I would have her assessed and then take it from there. if she does get a place then you can make an informed decision. The same with St Hilda's. You'll get more of a feel for the schools once you start talking to the teachers and also see what she thinks of the schools too.

It's not an easy decision as it's so difficult to predict which school would suit them. Good luck.

follygirl- ORT Level 10 for all girls at the end of reception sounds a little intense. Especially if some of them haven't started reading prior to arriving at school. And what with the terms being only very short. And having to settle in and everything.

I'm a mixture of wildly jealous and appalled.

We looked round the school, but on an 'Open Day' so there wasn't an opportunity to talk to the head or any of the staff. We were shown round by the most wonderfully eccentric girl, Emily, she was a fantastic advert for the school.

The reading was a bit intense but the girls all managed it. As the school is selective it only has girls who are very able. This makes it fairly easy for the school in that they seem to progress quickly. There were some girls who found it harder than others but I would say that they all had the ability to do it even in Reception.

My son on the other hand wouldn't have been able to move that quickly in Reception and would have absolutely hated it.

I would say that Y1 is a lot calmer and easier than YR for both girls and parents. The girls just get spellings once a week and are expected to do reading each night. I don't think that's excessive, in fact my son has the same although his spellings are a bit easier!

Funnily enough it was the girl who showed us round the school who really sold it to us. The school are well aware that their best 'marketing tool' are the girls themselves.

If you are interested in the school I would contact them. They will assess your dd and then you can see. They are really good at knowing which girls will be academically suited to the school. It will enable you to get a better 'feel' for the school particularly if you start talking to the relevant people.

follygirl - Thank you so much for your help. I'll keep you posted.