Guildford schools

[Jugglingmotherhood]

Hi
we are moving to the Guildford area next year and are considering schools for our 3 children - DD (going into year 7 in 2026), DS (into year 1) and DD (will be aged 2).

my eldest DD is very academic so her current headmistress had suggested we considered Guildford High Junior school for her. I’d been a bit reluctant as want her to be able to enjoy her childhood without too much pressure early on. If DD did GHS, I think we’d need to explore RGS for DS

My alternative option is Longacre which I like (and has the benefit of a nursery for the baby) - lots of lovely open space and chance to be children and the children could be together. But the recent merger makes me slightly nervous and I am struggling to get a feel for whether strong children are pushed academically.

someone has also just thrown Tormead into the mix which I hadn’t really considered as I had thought if I was going to split DD and DS up it should be for GHS and RGS.

Leaving aside whether they get in, has anyone got experiences of any of these schools? Are children at GHS and RGS given the chance to be children without lots of pressure? Are children from Longacre less prepared for 11+?

(I’m hoping to go to open days soon to get a feel for them in person but any extra info much appreciated)

Thank you!

Honestly it’s hard enough raised balanced kids in Guildford as it’s so affluent without the added distortion of private school! Our state schools are outstanding, I really wouldn’t risk private.

if you must, then RGS is best avoided as the boys tend to behave in a very entitled manner in public and I think the school babies them. The Guildford high girls seem fine.

Thanks. Do you have any first hand experience of RGS prep or GHS junior?

my post should have said my daughter will be going into year 3 not 7, whoops!

@Jugglingmotherhood , do you mean your dd will be sitting the 7plus exam
for GHS this autumn/winter for year 3 entry in 2026? If so she needs to sit for a range of schools as it's very competitive and Tormead will be on that list. At 7 plus GHS choose your dd not you choosing the school.

Thanks. Yes I’m aware it’s selective but I’m trying to get a feel for whether to consider GHS Junior at all. We’ve been told academically we should consider it by her current headmistress. I’m just trying to get more of a feel for the school.

You should sit her for the exam if you have been advised to because if she is right for the school she will selected, the decision is out of your hands. You can search LEH 7 plus and GHS 7 plus on MN to get an idea of the level of capability expected at the 7 plus assessment for competitive girls schools - because there are so few.

Tormead is a good option too.

If you currently live in London would you be considering Latymer and Bute 7 plus for your dd because that will help you answer your question.

Strong advocate for Tormead, which you mentioned above.

GHS is obviously a good choice, but don't discount the other Girls' school in Guildford, especially as academically it is excellent (obviously not GHS), but better than 'pretty much' everywhere else in the immediate vicinity, and it has a solid reputation for pastoral care with down to earth girls. That's not to say GHS doesn't have these attributes too, which I'm sure it does, but it still might not be the right fit.

Your best bet is to go see them both, as that will ultimately inform your decision - the worse mistake anyone could make is to pick a school just down to 'academics', so go see what they both offer on-top.

Worth noting on the Tormead front, RGS prep school is literally next door, making drop off a piece of p***, lol. Lots of DD/DS siblings are at Tormead and RGS Prep. Also on the Tormead front, with your little one, who will be too young for RGS prep, Tormead have just acquired Rydes Hill School, which has a co-ed nursery, Reception, Yr 1 & 2, and from 2026 will be growing again, adding Year 3 all the way through to Year 6, as the current Yr 2 progresses upwards.

So if you want Co-Ed for your DS, then that's a solid option.. There is also multiple child discount between Tormead and Rydes Hill, which applies across the two schools, plus a shuttle bus starting in September, so you can drop everyone off at Tormead and the bus will take the kids across to Rydes Hill and bring them back after school.

Anyway - GHS good, RGS good, Tormead good, Rydes Hill good (especially now it has Tormead backing behind it) - so you've got some great options. I'd call, have some tours or do all their open days.

PS. when planning your strategy, just remember that all of the above (apart from Rydes Hill - which is still growing), are very popular to get into, so start thinking about it early. I only know about Tormead, but it is full in a lot of Prep School years and in Yr 7 again this year (Sep 2025). I've also heard of friends' DS's touring from other local schools that are not doing so well, who have been told places in the Senior Section are in short supply too and some have been turned away sadly.

&

GHS and RGS are always oversubscribed at 11+!!

Good luck!

Honestly nothing could be further than the truth with regards to RGS!
I’ve lived and worked in Guildford for many years and had 2 sons go through state primary then RGS. I’ve also been a state secondary governor locally. I’d agree that both state and private schools are great here. But RGS boys are not at all entitled from my experience and the school absolutely does not ‘baby’ them. Quite the opposite in fact, with a big emphasis on self-motivation, self-respect and independence, as well as being well rounded and community minded.
I rarely comment on here but I couldn’t let that one go!

St Catherine’s in Bramley

Thank you. What’s your experience of St Catherine’s please?

@Jugglingmotherhood I went there and loved it. I did leave 17 years ago though… (unbelievably). My best friends today are still my school friends from St Cats. I would say you need to be academic to thrive but they also championed sports/music/art etc too. Great community feel. Challenging but never felt like a hot house. GHS when I was at school had more of a hot house rep but like I say this was a while ago now!

Go to see the schools at open days, and take your DC with you. The more you visit them as you progress through the application process, the clearer you will be about which is the best fit for your DC and for your family values/preferences.

DD has been through GHS junior school, and is now in seniors. We've been very happy with it. The girls do a lot of sports, music and productions and there are interesting events such as wellbeing week and drama workshops all the time. That does need to be what you're looking for - it's quite full on for the girls - but if that's what you're looking for, they do it absolutely brilliantly.

The hothouse reputation really isn't accurate. The school are very aware of how to work with bright girls: they keep the pressure down and minimise competition (pressure comes from parents and the girls themselves, not the school at all). They just provide loads of opportunities - and great teaching/coaching/support - and have high expectations that the girls will take the opportunities that chime with them and work hard. And that's exactly what the girls do: in so many varied ways.

You say your DD is academic, so she'll probably find the pace is just right for her. Bright kids do benefit from an academic environment that's designed to suit them. But what has really impressed me with the school is that whilst they do provide challenge and stretch opportunities at the top (always very low key - you generally don't even hear about the events your DD isn't participating in, which is another way they reduce pressure), the school have the confidence and experience to not make academics the be-all, even for the super-able kids. Instead they round them out by encouraging their non-academic interests too, which makes for happy, confident kids. There's a big focus on personal development and social skills (the GHS 8 values are apparently talked about a lot!) and it does seem to work: they're really lovely kids, and very supportive of each other. It's a really nice school.

Thank you very much. This is really helpful.

I think the hot house reputation may have changed - I remember GHS (admittedly not the junior school) 20+ years ago. Having spoken to my daughter’s current headmistress there seems to have been work done across the board to reduce the pressure / hot house environment. I’m due to go to the open day so hoping to get a good insight then.

ghsmumsoon - thank you for your detailed post before. DD has now been offered all of Tormead Prep, GHS and St Cats. I know academically GHS is the best option. But most important for me is that she’s happy, gets to enjoy her childhood etc. you mention the wellbeing week and wealth of opportunities which we’ve of course read about online.

How do you feel about it pastorally? And what are the facilities like - my open day tour did not show any of the facilities other than the junior school library and classrooms. We didn’t even get shown the playground!

This seems a pretty strong statement to me. Why on earth would you not take advantage of some of the top private schools in the country if you're able?

I went to St Catherine's and would warn against, unless your daughter is good at everything and incredibly resilient. GHS is a hot house too. I heard good things about Tormead but not quite so academic.

Thanks. I’m also ex St Cats but left a long time ago so very out of date. I was by no means good at everything or very resilient but had a good time. And of course there’s just been a change of head. Similarly, having visited GHS they do seem to be looking more at the wellbeing side of things but I’d like more info.

how recently did you leave?

Hi there, it might be helpful to read the in depth reviews of all the schools from here: https://www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk/best-schools/surrey/private-schools

That is the GHS way, they've always been like that, in all the decades I've been in the area!

They very much operate on the principal that if you're offered a place, you take it, and that they're so saught after, minimal effort needs to go into actually showing or promoting the school product.

Like you said - if you want academics and a decent school GHS is top tier.

But the other two you mention have big positives also, did StCats and Tormead show you round - how did you (and your DD!) feel about them?

I dont know about StCats this year, but Tormead is very popular and is usually full in the intake years....

....Now, that tells its own story, they're results are very good, but people obviously get a good feel for it too. And, that's kind of my main point, a school has to be a "fit", not a "Surrey dinner table talking point choice", so make sure you choose the school that gave you and your daughter the right vibes - after all, she'll be there for a few years, so I think that's the best approach!

Second Tormead - not as academic as GHS but has beaten StCats in various metrics over the past 2-3 years. Defo more academic than any other (but rgs) locally. Becoming more academic yet pastoraly focused, which is kinda their USP. We enjoy being there, dd has lots of nice friends. Parents 'normal'.

Umm no one has mentioned that RGS is going co-ed

In 2027 and 2028, not much use for September 2026. Also not much use if youre looking at girls schools. We chose tormead because it was girls only, most parents did the same. Over coffees, at the gate, birthday parties and amongst friends, the RGS co-ed thing does occasionally come up - but no-one is looking to jump ship - it isnt what they actively chose for their daughter.

Sixth form might be different - but I think those considering schools for DDs for prep and yr7, and are actively talking about st cats, ghs and tormead, are choosing the girls only route for a reason.

My opinion (and experience!) of course.

Well done to your DD for getting all those offers!

I've been very happy with GHS pastorally. They've been pro-active and very child-centered. I really like the world view they foster in the girls: to engage and get stuck into lots of things, but with a flexible approach, and don't sweat the small stuff. I think it's a good world view to take into adulthood. There's always lots going on - so it's busy and full-on - but fun.

Junior and senior schools are fairly separate, although there is some mixing (like the juniors watching senior plays) and the juniors use some of the senior facilities (like the larger hall, for some concerts and events) and some senior teachers.

The school playgrounds are quite small - but when I've asked DD about it, she's said it's fine - and she's a very active child. In the Junior playground, there are a couple of climbing frames which they take turns on, and play things they can use. The senior playground has plenty of different spaces for sitting and chatting.

They have all the usual indoor facilities like music rooms, art studios - and in the Senior school also labs, computers, cooking and DT equipment - that you'd expect. They use them for lots of extracurriculars, as well as lessons.

For sports, whilst they're not a countryside school with acres of fields, the facilities are excellent and they make very good use of them. The sports centre is just a few minutes walk from the school. It has a very well-used swimming pool,, an indoor multi-purpose sports hall, and outdoor courts and grass pitches, and a gym (used by seniors for strength training). It's on the edge of Stoke Park, and they fairly often hire space in Stoke Park for lacrosse tournaments (senior school) and running events. Sports days after pre-prep are at the Spectrum athletics track, and there are various sports clubs and events away from school as well. They do huge amounts of sports!

It really is an amazing school - not just academically. If there's anything specific you'd like to ask, feel free to message me. Good luck with your decision!

My older DD is at GHS and younger holding an offer. My daughter has found it to be fun, busy and supportive. She’s made lovely friends, has thrown herself into sport (and has been helped to develop) and is thriving academically. The only people I’ve heard refer to GHS as a hot house seem to be those without children there. It’s actually been far more relaxed than I anticipated.

Also really like Tormead as a school and have friends with very happy girls there too.

GHS admissions team out in force.

Oh, behave! I'm a parent sharing what I know in order to help other parents: it's not surprising that I know more about the school my DD is at than others, nor is it surprising that I'm happy with it.

The OP has asked me specific questions about GHS in order to help her nake a choice between her offers. I remember what it was like trying to make the right choice about schools.

You'd make a good appointment then if they ever had a vacancy! Keep an eye out. 😉