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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

16 year old daughter starting private school sixt form in september, will she have a tought time fitting in?

22 replies

milliemac11 · 10/07/2013 16:17

I live in wandsworth and I have a 16 year old daughter who will be starting a private sixth form at queen's gate school south kensington in september. I wanted some parental advice about the repuation of the school towards black caribbean girls?

OP posts:

secretscwirrels · 10/07/2013 16:31

I would think that moving into a new school at 16 would always be tricky. The existing cohort have had five years together and will have well established groups. Having said that they may be happy to meet someone new? No idea about attitudes to wards black caribbean girls, wouldn't you have checked that out before enrolling her?

Original poster

milliemac11 · 10/07/2013 16:38

Well at when we visited the school it was quite diverse in the sixth form with girls of other ethnic backgrounds like arab girls and some south asian girls, but now im starting to have doubts about how she maybe percieved as a black girl coming from a state school.

OP posts:

Original poster

milliemac11 · 10/07/2013 16:40

OP posts:

AuntieStella · 10/07/2013 16:45

The school, like most central London ones, is very cosmopolitan and ethnically mixed.

It does have something of a reputation for being posh, though.

How many joiners does it have at 6th form? If it's only a few then it might be harder to settle when many friendship groups will be pretty settled. But is there's a churn of joiners (and leavers) it should be rather easier.

ArabellaBeaumaris · 10/07/2013 16:49

My concern would be how many new girls join in 6th form. At my school only two new girls joined at that point & they definitely struggled to integrate with the established friendship groups.

Original poster

milliemac11 · 10/07/2013 16:53

The school hasn't informed us of the number of girls leaving or being accepted into the school. However, I wanted to fund out if she would be proposed bullying due to her bieng from a state school, as she was bullied at her current state school for bieng too posh and I would hate to have a opposite repeated issue. That's why I wanted to ask some people who may have knowledge on the repuation of the school and its pupils before we choose that sixth from.

OP posts:

AuntieStella · 10/07/2013 17:56

What did those people say when you asked before choosing?

Given timing for applications/offers, I suspect that would have been about a year ago. I won't have changed in that time.

BadgerB · 11/07/2013 05:24

I wouldn't worry. A new face is often welcome in 6th form - at co-ed schools especially a new girl gets lots of male attention, the boys have known the others since they were little girls and they are more like sisters.

MusicToMyEars · 11/07/2013 06:35

Advise her to start her new school with a friendly positive attitude and she will make friends with the nice girls. Any girls that are prejudiced regarding colour or previous school regardless are not the ones she wants for friends.

Get her to focus on the good and ignore the bad, if there is any.

A little different but my son moved to a private boys school in London aged 11, it wasn't a problem even though the majority of boys came up from the junior school, and half of the joiners came from private schools.

In my sons school race does not seem to be an issue, in fact I think most London private schools are very international, lots of children with dual nationality etc.

nkf · 11/07/2013 06:40

I think it could be a bit of a challenge. It's a tiny school. Will some of the girls have known each other since the age of 11? What does the school say? They should be able to give you some idea of what to expect and be looking out for her a bit.

curlew · 11/07/2013 06:43

"A new face is often welcome in 6th form - at co-ed schools especially a new girl gets lots of male attention, the boys have known the others since they were little girls and they are more like sisters."

Oh good

curlew · 11/07/2013 07:07

I think it might be a bit hard- it's such a small 6th form. Lots of subjects only have one person doing them. Which is fantastic for one to one teaching - potentially a problem socially, regardless of class, background or colour.

NeoMaxiZoomDweebie · 11/07/2013 07:15

I don't think it will be hard at all! My friend arrived at our private 6th form and was accepted with open arms. Everyone was pleased to have a new friend.

horsemadmom · 11/07/2013 07:46

I wouldn't worry. New girls are always exciting to the existing cohort. At my DD's school, there's a bit of a fight to befriend them. She can't be the only one coming from a state school. The other girls will probably assume that she's some kind of genius and has a scholarship (not making the assumption on skin colour but because she's giving up a free education!). My DCs have friends in their indies of every ethnicity and economic background. It makes no difference.
I know a girl who left Queens Gate last year and she had the most amazing time and has lovely supportive friends. Her parents raved about the school's kindness.Teenagers over-think this stuff less than their parents.

curlew · 11/07/2013 08:54

From what I've heard, it's a very caring and friendly school. But there are only a few subjects at A level where there are enough of them doing it to make a viable tutor group. It must be pretty grim being th only person studying a subject.......

Original poster

milliemac11 · 11/07/2013 09:45

well, from what the school has informed me of, in the subjects she has chosen for A-level there a maximum of 10 girls in her class. So the sixth form is quite small; but I thought a smaller school would be a better option for her as before she was in quite a large school where she found it very hard to fit in hence the bullying. Also, there have been many occasions where the children liked to seperate her from them because they knew about her background being socially different from thiers. Therefore, I thought she would feel more comfortable in a private school.

OP posts:

curlew · 11/07/2013 09:50

I don't think there were 10 in any A level subject last year- has the 6th form got much bigger this year?

Original poster

milliemac11 · 11/07/2013 10:15

I'm not quite sure then? Do you have a daughter presently in the sixth form?

OP posts:

BadgerB · 11/07/2013 10:17

""A new face is often welcome in 6th form - at co-ed schools especially a new girl gets lots of male attention, the boys have known the others since they were little girls and they are more like sisters."

Oh good hmm"

You may not think it good, curlew, and maybe I wouldn't either, but most 16 y.o. girls certainly would.

AuntieStella · 11/07/2013 10:32

As OP is asking about an all-girls school, whether it happens and, if so, whether it's good/bad isn't going to be relevant.

curlew · 11/07/2013 10:48

I'm not quite sure then? Do you have a daughter presently in the sixth form?"

No. But I have acquaintances whose girls have gone there. And when i saw this theead i had a quick look at the school's website- there's a list of the numbers taking each subject for A level last year. Lots of 1s, 2s and 3s. 6 for Maths- the biggest class.

Mumzy · 11/07/2013 13:05

They should all be 16+ so hopefully bullying shouldn't b such a problem. Agree with Music smile, be friendly and be prepared to make the first move by approaching girls she likes the look of and striking up a conversation.

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