leh or spgs?

[gohalep]

if you have to choose between these 2 which one to choose?I wasn't impress with spgs,but I've had a good vibe from LEH

Go with your gut. Some girls love SPGS but they will have a number in each year who are seriously unhappy. It is quite a specific culture.

Then go for LEH, every time!

The "Ethos" page of SPGS's website carries a photo of its High Mistress and a signed message from her, which ends with the words, "St Paul’s is a place of boldness, warmth, creativity and fun, where the search for precision and beauty matter and where humour and laughter are never far away."

On the other hand, in its "Project Ambition" brochure about its new building plans (also on its website), the school says,"we recognise that stress and anxiety amongst young people is [sic] increasing throughout society and its [sic]consequences are writ large, especially in high achieving environments. As we expected, this was highlighted as a key issue for us in a recent survey of parents, staff and girls." That doesn't sound much "fun" to me.

You might want to find out more about that survey if you can.

Considering SPGS is £8k a year more than LEH you would need to ADORE it before choosing it.

Which is closest/easiest to get to?

I was under the impression that there is a lot of pressure on these girls ,and I don't want my DD to grow up a robot who only works ,works,works...Life is to short and childhood is even shorter.

got interviews to both ,but Leh is first choice as she was asked for the music scholarship audition there

Where else did you apply?

leh is closest with school bus on our street

Sounds an easy decision to me!
You would need a strong preference for SPGS imo to overcome gut feel, travel ease, extra fees etc...

Gohalep, do you know if a music scholarship comes with any obligation, such as participate in ensembles, pick up a new instrument etc

we tried there just because is trendy and I wanted to see if my DD can get through;she is invited for interview ,but from what I've heard is not necessarily certain to get a place.So is good to have backup.

And as the Sunday Times found recently, SPGS's fees have risen at a faster rate in the last five years than those of any other school in London. That's not much "fun" for parents.

LEH.

I revisited it a couple of years ago, having left many years ago, and was taken around by the last of the teachers who knew me (and she did!) - it was AMAZING. I almost wished I could go back! Just for their music and theatre rooms, tbh.

the music scholarship is a big commitment as your DD has to be involved as much as she can in musical life of the school.So , yes , it is an obligation.

Completely agree.

Wait until after the interviews and you may find the gut feel has intensified, my DD came away quite sure she preferred LEH over SPGS. Inevitably there will be a little niggle about turning down the name / academic record, I am sure there are deranged parents who would think you were mad. However it is about where you think your child will be happiest and succeed and in that respect both schools offer an environment that will best suit certain personalities (as indeed will most West London private schools), and have pupils who are very happy there and do well. Conversely both schools have problems with some girls who find the pressure of being in very selective schools (though the range will be wider at LEH) and amongst girls who tend to be quite competitive difficult to handle. I'm not convinced the pressure always comes from staff. LEH does have that problem too but perhaps in the new Head leadership in seeking a supportive ethos, the signs are there in actions as well as talk (though the Heads of Year /year groups have always been excellent)

And geographical proximity is definitely an issue too, an hour or more freed up across the day through less traveling is significant in reducing tiredness, having time for other things.

Having said that clearly some of the pressure at SPGS does come from the school. When the GCSE grade deflation first hit schools a couple of years ago (and IGCSEs and private schools were affected too ) SPGS were the only West London indie to insist pupils who missed their As retake them. The other schools trusted to the unis (the top ones to that point had been expecting 10As from pupils at these schools) to understand what had happened, and indeed that has been the case and universities more accepting of inconsistencies.

thank you all for your comments;if we are going to have good news from both schools ,I intend to go to see them one more time ,because this is a very important decision and I want to be sure is the best for my DD.

Schools are also very good at picking girls who will thrive in their particular culture. I recall one absoutely brilliant girl who did not get a place at SPGS. Her parents were livid with the prep, yet seeing her thrive at the top of the year group at a GDST school, I am not sure she really missed out. She was quiet and needed a bit of nurturing. Secondary school is not just about grades but about making good friends and developing self esteem and resilience.

So don't worry too much if your daughter does not get any further. She has done very well to get to interview. Also though SPGS has a good contingent who, say, come in on the tube from Richmond, they are inevitably much more "Chelsea" than LEH. Add in the lack of school uniform and you get some seriously sophisticated and confident girls. (One friend of DDs ended Yr 7 with over 30 pairs of shoes.) This is not a problem if your daughter finds a friendship group she is comfortable with, and she enjoys academic competition. However, as we get towards the end of the process, I am increasingly convinced there are advantages in being part of a wider ability intake, where qudos can be gained from sporting, artistic, and musical ability as well as from academica. Put into context, selective schools in West London are all very good and will get bright students to the right places. Enjoying the secondary experience as well as learning to respect the different abilities of others are also important life skills.

totally agree with you, Needmoresleep

Hear hear need more sleep

Enjoying the secondary experience is a key reason I am willing to pay. I don't doubt Dd1 would get great GCSE results in our local outstanding secondary. I did. However it wasn't fun. At all. One hard battle slog.

My DD loves Spgs and has enormous fun there - but if your DD has a gut preference for LEH AND it's closer then it's a no-brainer! We all fret so much about minuscule differences and forget that all these schools are fantastic and will give most children a great education. I don't think the choice matters too much.

If your DD likes LEH and its close to you then go for it - apart from anything else I spend a lot of time driving there to collect my DD from all the after school stuff and that will be even greater for a music scholar! The new head is great and the majority of girls are lovely good luck to you both whatever you decide

When you get the offer letters let your daughter write a list with the pros & cons for each school & work it out for herself (unless the fees at SPGS are too much of a deciding factor). She is bright & is the one who will be going to the school.

There are negative stories about all the schools but the majority tend to like their own school best. Some teens can have deeply troubled back-stories which are rightly not widely known but this is not the fault of the school or the child.

Eastpoint's advice is good but I would add that it is also important to look at the calibre and reputation of the leadership of each school: this will affect its atmosphere and its direction while your DD is a pupil there.

The leadership can change.

I'd go for the one with the easier commute tbh. A clever girl will thrive at either, and come away with strings of top grades. The question is then which will she be happy at, and I'd definitely include length of day (including stresses of travel) in that.