NLCS vs Highgate

[Buru]

Hi all. Would be interested in your views on NLCS vs Highgate given some of the following considerations:

• A sibling is already at NLCS.
• The second DD is not super academic (wouldn’t consider applying to SPGS, for example), but still a bright girl. I know that NLCS is a pressure cooker, even if it doesn’t appear to be one at the outset. For example, they don’t set a lot of homework, but expect girls to revise and study on their own. Therefore, I am a bit concerned if my DD would thrive at NLCS. I don’t have any experience with Highgate, but looks like it is a bit less academic.
• The second DD is very sociable, so would likely to prefer co-ed environment.
• Our first choice would probably be NLCS, while DD’s is clearly Highgate (although she would not want to disappoint her elder sister who is really keen for her to go to NLCS).
• Logistics: for once, our two daughters could be at the same school, which should make things easier. We have the third DD and could work on trying to get her into NLCS as well in a couple of years. Having 3 DD at 3 different schools has been a bit tiring. Having said that, we’d expect the eldest two to become more independent soon, so shouldn’t be that big of an issue.
• Finally, DD is doing a sport at a semi-professional level, and is expected to attend trainings most days. The commute to these trainings is much easier from Highgate, but as is not working to be an Olympic champion, I am not convinced this should be a decisive criteria (although she would love to do it for as long as she could, and the national level is serious enough not to discard it completely).

Any thoughts on the above are really welcome. I see in other threads that some parents have very interesting insights;).

I'd try to accommodate her views, unless she was making a terrible decision. Highgate obviously isn't a terrible decision.

From my experience, it's worth listening to her concerns here - NLCS is a great school but yes, very academic and a lot of pressure on students. This suits some girls, but not so much others. Since she is a bright girl, if she works better in a more diverse environment, then better for her to feel at ease and be able to give her best than to feel pressured and anxious instead. Also worth considering the age difference - how much older is her sister? How much time will they actually end up attending secondary school at the same time - will they end up comparing their experiences (perhaps negatively) or will it be helpful to have an older sibling's resources when she gets to GCSE onwards? Both are great schools.