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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

South Hampstead High or Channing?

15 replies

MagnoliaCupcake · 10/02/2013 08:24

My dd was accepted at both SHHS and Channing for 7+. We don't know which one to choose. I know they are very different schools. DD is v intelligent (if I may say so myself :) ) and is easily bored if she's not sufficiently challenged. But she doesn't respond well to pressure and competition.
I've listed the pros and cons of each school below. Any additional thoughts much appreciated.
SHHS pros: Academically more rigorous and with better rankings + Culturally more diverse. SHHS cons: Very competitive (often referred to as a hothouse) + Undergoing renovations + Recent change in head (no replacement announced). Channing pros: More nurturing environment + Better grounds. Channing cons: Not as robust academically + Thought of as snobby / classist

OP posts:

BagLady75 · 10/02/2013 09:13

Hi Magnolia,

SH has actually already appointed a new head for the junior school (but not yet for the senior school). Also your DD will not be affected by building works which are only at the senior school and are set to be finished by September 2014.

Good luck with your decision!

goinggetstough · 10/02/2013 11:40

What happened to the old head baglady at SH Junior school did she retire?

Original poster

MagnoliaCupcake · 10/02/2013 12:51

"South Hampstead High School headteacher resigns for ?professional reasons? - News - Hampstead and Highgate Express"
www.hamhigh.co.uk/news/south_hampstead_high_school_headteacher_resigns_for_professional_reasons_1_1792050

OP posts:

Original poster

MagnoliaCupcake · 10/02/2013 12:53

Baglady, thanks very much for your reply. My dh and I are in quandary.

OP posts:

goinggetstough · 10/02/2013 13:04

Magnolia thanks but it was the junior school head teacher I was wondering about.
Good luck with your decision.

BagLady75 · 10/02/2013 15:44

The (lovely) head of SH Junior is retiring at the end of the year. She is married to HM of The Hall who is also retiring - it is thought that he was ready to retire and she was more reluctant but who knows. She will truly be missed but we've heard great things about the incoming head.

Magnolia I don't know much about Channing so can't really help you compare. As for SH my DD joined at 7 and it has exceeded expectations. We feel she has truly been nurtured and encouraged in every way. I suppose it is considered very academic but it does not feel like a hothouse at all at least at the JS.

Original poster

MagnoliaCupcake · 11/02/2013 01:18

Hi BagLady, thanks again for the advice. Much appreciated. Anyone else who may want to share experiences of SHHS vs Channing?

OP posts:

redplasticspoon · 12/02/2013 01:11

I went to SHHS not so long ago, and I can say that it is great academically, though I do agree with the hothousing. It is great for a very academic girl, but the less so can struggle. This was the senior school though, I don't know what the junior school is like. I know of one girl who was taken out by her parents and sent to Channing because they thought she couldn't keep up academically in SHHS. (She ended up doing very well in the end, so it is all relative)

Original poster

MagnoliaCupcake · 12/02/2013 16:12

Thank you redplasticspoon!

OP posts:

JBX2013 · 22/02/2013 10:08

Hi MagnoliaCupcake! We had 11+ offers from Channing (and North London Collegiate) three years ago. Didn't apply for SHHS at all, didn't know much about it then! We nearly chose NLCS, eventually preferring Henrietta Barnett, very near our home, as both the warmest and the most challenging.

We didn't choose Channing beacuse it's nice but really not academic, certainly not from Year 7, and we worried about the lack of peer stimulation and the lack of stretch from staff. The girls who are academically very strong are the small minority at Channing. .... Your daughter may well grow substantially in the next four years, including her confidence and her ambition. I would consider SHHS at 7+. The staff there will be used to nurturing different personalities, developing each at a different pace and each in their own way. Ours seems to grow each time she is challenged - there are ups and downs, of course, but only as part of normal growing up. ... Your daughter is probably smarter, tougher and more resilient than you might imagine. Not all of this is obvious in a 7 year old, but it will be there, waiting to be developed.

Good luck with your choice!

Original poster

MagnoliaCupcake · 23/02/2013 09:48

Hi JBX2013. We went with SHHS in the end. Really appreciate your reply. Confirms our thinking too. Good to see other mums thinking this way too. Thanks so much.

OP posts:

goldbutterfly · 25/02/2013 21:41

Hi JBX2013 - how did you get a place offered for Channing when they don't do 7+ out of interest? Thanks.

goldbutterfly · 25/02/2013 21:43

Sorry meant to ask that to MagnoliaCupcake!

notquiteruralbliss · 07/03/2013 12:55

I have no experience of Channing but my (very bright) daughter was bored rigid at SHH and left @ the end of year 4 on the advice of her educational psychologist who felt they were too inflexible.

mumoftwolondon · 04/10/2014 22:11

Hi, was wondering if anybody will see this. I am writing about south hampstead high school so you may be able to shed some light. i went to their open day recently but didn't ask specifically about the reception class. i want to know if they have any specialist classes ie. music/language/PE and how much time do they spend in/out of their classroom (i didn't think it was big enough for so many children). Does anybody on this thread know? Thanks in advance! x

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