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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

St-Augustine's Priory or Twyford Church of England?

15 replies

Bazelle · 21/08/2013 21:01

Hi. I can't decide which school would be best for my daughter. One is private, girls only, not renown for its academic results but seems nurturing and has lovely grounds and facilities, whereas the other is a co-ed state school with a very good reputation. The question is in which one would she thrive and achieve her best? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

OP posts:

2cats2many · 21/08/2013 21:03

Totally depends upon your DD. Twyford is definitely more boisterous than St Augustines, but does get good results.

Also St Augustine's is Catholic and Twyford is (very) C of E. Does that make a difference to you?

postmanpatscat · 22/08/2013 07:34

Have you looked at the admission criteria for Twyford? They are rigorous so your DD must meet them all to be considered. You might also consider The Green School in Isleworth.

Original poster

Bazelle · 22/08/2013 17:09

I think we could get a chance for Twyford, probably certain for the Green School. We are C of E and my DD enjoys going to church and the whole christian faith. She is struggling in maths, so I have eliminated Notting Hill from our list, but is doing really well in English, French, music and drama. She would definitely get a place at St-Augustine's or St-Benedict's. I suppose the big questions are if it's really worth paying fees, and what more do you get for your money?

OP posts:

dimestore · 26/08/2013 19:23

I was in exactly the same position as you when choosing a secondary school for my dd. As other posters have suggested, it really depends on your dd and also whether you can be absolutely positive that you would get into Twyford.

I think that generally if you live in the Borough of Ealing, are C of E and will get the maximum number of points, you will have a very good chance of getting a place (I also know of other families who have got in who live in other boroughs). Twyford has an excellent reputation and its results are on a par with the private two Schools that you have mentioned. The Green School is also a good option and I know families who didn't get into Twyford, but got a place there.

In our case, although we had the maximum points, we didn't get a place, as we live outside the borough and were applying under the other World Faiths category. I had realised that our chances were very slim and so we also applied to St Benedicts (my dd didn't want to go to a single sex school). My dd is extremely happy there and it was definitely the right school for her. If you are considering applying, I would suggest attending the open evening that is aimed at girls, as well as one of the general open days. This really gave my daughter a feel for the school and helped us to reach a decision.

olivevoir58 · 27/08/2013 09:20

Love the 'boisterous but gets good results' comment. Sums it up perfectly!

olivevoir58 · 27/08/2013 09:23

Languages and music are their specialisms, so should suit your daughter very well. Just keep an eye on the maths...

Original poster

Bazelle · 29/08/2013 21:58

thanks all for your comments. Do you know if they stream the DC at Twyford or the Green School? I was told that for Drayton Manor for example (not our catchment so not an option) it is very good if your child is in the top set, as he/she will be pushed, but not so good if she or he does not make it. DD is not academic (unless she is a late boomer) and would probably be in the middle set and therefore not get all the attention and good teaching that she would get in a private school. But I might be wrong here.

OP posts:

postmanpatscat · 01/09/2013 17:21

They set at both schools. My friend with two DC at Twyford thinks her academic DS is very well taught and pushed hard, her less able DD is not so important to them - they value results! Top sets do iGCSE at Twyford instead of normal ones. My DD is at the Green, in top sets for maths and English, often complains of not being challenged enough (but would also dislike whichever school she attended, it's not really her ideal way to spend time!) Pastoral care at the Green has been v good over last 2 years.

Toooldforthat · 06/07/2015 21:40

Two years later and I have moved my DD to St Augustine's and she is loving it. She is now finishing year 5. I am still wondering if she will also like it as much at secondary level though. The primary school is very exciting but I can't help wondering if the girls are a bit bored in the secondary school? My other option, Twyford, sounds almost too buzzing though. Is it better to play it safe and risking boredom or go for adventure and risking overwhelming her?

hanami · 08/07/2015 13:43

This thread is giving a big zombie alert. I wonder if you should post a new one to get more interest? What do you mean by "too buzzing"? I have heard some things about Twyford but not that is particularly risky / adventurous compared to other local schools? What do you see as rick or adventure? Just how staid is St Augustines?

Toooldforthat · 08/07/2015 22:13

St Augustine's is very small in comparison, in terms of number of pupils but on 13 acres of beautiful grounds. They have about 500 pupils including the primary school, whereas Twyford has 1500 I think. I had to google the meaning of staid :) but it is exactly it. I think it will be a shock to have all these people suddenly. The risk and adventure refer to the change itself and having boys around, I can't decide if this would be a good thing or not for DD. they can be loud and domineering.

hanami · 09/07/2015 07:52

500 (including primary) is a small pool of children. My primary school was very small (80 though so much, much smaller!!) and we were heartily sick of each other by the end. Sounds lovely to have all those grounds.

Do they offer all the subjects she might want in High School if they are so small? What about choirs, orchestras, trips, sports teams, etc?

Though not everyone agrees, there is some research that girls do better in girls only schools:
www.theguardian.com/education/2009/mar/18/secondary-schools-girls-gcse-results

What does your daughter think?

Toooldforthat · 10/07/2015 22:35

I have discussed it with her and she would prefer to stay at SAP until GCSEs and possibly move for 6th form. The GCSEs results are quite decent actually and she is very happy there, and quite young of character, a girls school suits her to my surprise.

Toooldforthat · 28/08/2015 14:29

Arggggh. Now I have read everywhere that moving to a state coed sixth form from a private girls school is a very bad idea indeed. Don't know what to do. It bothers me that St Augustine's is a small girls only school with not really good academic results. Is it because the intake is not that bright or because the teaching is not that good to put it bluntly? If I could get the reassurance that the few bright girls at the school will be pushed to achieve their best, I would be happier.

Toooldforthat · 28/08/2015 14:54

I will start a new thread

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