Guildford High

[SuttonMoM2015]

DD received offer from Guildford - we live in Ewell West , how many travel from Epsom/Ewell to Guildford Daily ...
Any advise...We also have offers from Surbiton...waiting for Tiffin and Wimbledon high..

I had a chat with a GHS mum a few months ago with a DD in year 9. She commuted from Ewell and said there were quite a few coming from that direction. We would be coming from Surbiton and GHS told me they give each new girl a train buddy so that's reassuring! We are also in the same position as you as we applied for those schools as well.

This is my opinion but others might think it’s all good -

The thing you have to watch if your daughter plays a match after school - London road station isn’t a very nice place to be when it’s dark and singular girls travelling by themselves (I try to make sure my daughter is with one more girl travelling on the trains which often there isn’t) and if not i pick her up by car which is a pain.

I don’t particularly like it when she does early sports and they have to be at the sports ground at 7:40 when it’s dark in winter.

Also I’d say once a term those trains don’t run which is an emergency call mum come and get me there are no trains running.

Also, our train buddy didn't last long. My daughter got one she did meet her on the first trip however the return journey she didn’t that was the end of the train buddy on the first day 🤣 However to be fair my daughter did know a lot of the other girls in her year so it was ok.

There are quite a lot of GHS girls on the trains so they tend to stick together. However do consider you might have be driving to collect her occasionally!

I’d be concerned on the social side of things. She could want to hang out with / parties etc with girls who live an equal distance south/west of Guildford. So Godalming, Farnham and beyond. Are you prepared to give lifts that far? Pick ups late at night? This could be your reality for several years.

Plus the matches on Saturday! If she is into sport

I just said something similar to someone coming from New Malden…
Id think very carefully about that distance. GHS is a brilliant school but is that journey going to be too much every day? It may be fine but I’d be tempted to try it in half term for a couple of days - remember there’s no working from home at school and if you get stuck with trains etc a bit of a mission!

I’d really appreciate some advice 😊
My daughter has been offered a place at Guildford High School for Year 7 starting this September, and we’re now considering relocating to Surrey.
We don’t want to rush into a move straight away, but I’m trying to get a realistic sense of where most GHS girls tend to live. I understand it’s not a catchment school and that some girls travel, but I’ve heard that friendships often form around local areas/commute routes.
I’d love to hear from parents with experience. Which areas have the highest concentration of girls? Is it mainly Guildford itself, or do many come from places like Woking, Godalming, Dorking, etc.?
Has anyone started further out (e.g. Esher/Surbiton side) and found it harder socially at the beginning? Has anyone started far away and then moved? What happens with friendships?
We’re ideally looking for somewhere friendly, not too remote, with a nice community feel, but also practical for school life. Journey max 20 min, hopefully shorter, also bus or train 20 min max, and easy to get to the city.
Any insights or personal experiences would be really helpful — thank you so much! 🙏F78

I’m not a parent but loads come from the Claygate area as it’s a direct train - plus Rowan Prep in Claygate is a good feeder.

Thank you for your reply here.