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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

daughter at Henrietta Barnett, son at University College School?

23 replies

Merriest · 07/02/2015 14:14

Hi all,

Ok, it may be daydream but as I'm researching good schools around West Hampstead / Golders Green I was wondering if it was doable to have a daughter at HBS and a son at UCS... Anyone with that experience? Or other recommendations?

Thank you!

OP posts:

Killasandra · 07/02/2015 14:16

If they pass the entrance tests and can commute there by themselves then of course it's fine.

Killasandra · 07/02/2015 14:17

But you will need a backup plan for if they don't get in.

Killasandra · 07/02/2015 14:19

HBs website says 2000 girls applied for 93 places.

You are crazy to count on getting a place.

Original poster

Merriest · 07/02/2015 14:24

Of course it's competitive and I will need a backup, but I can't see why I wouldn't try :)

What else would you recommend in the area?

Thanks!

OP posts:

bonzo77 · 07/02/2015 14:40

my parents did it. Me and HBS and DB at UCS. I had a horrible time, not sure if it was the school or me. Have you looked at South Hampstead, Channing, North London Collegiate? NLCS has a coach that does the school run.

Killasandra · 07/02/2015 14:41

Most certainly try. When are you planning to start tutoring?

I don't know the area at all, but if you look up the dcsf league tables you'll probably find almost all of the schools are similar.

Look at how many low, middle and high achievers get 5 GCSEs and you'll probably find not much difference between the schools. Most schools get less than 10% of their low achievers to pass, around 50% of their middle achievers to pass and over 90% of their high achievers to pass.

I'm only impressed by schools that do very well with their low and middle achievers. For example there's one school near me that got 25% of their low achievers and 75% of their middle achievers to pass. That's impressive.

Anyone can get their high achievers to pass. As the league tables show.

Feellikescrooge · 07/02/2015 19:03

Actually Killassandra you need to aim higher, where I work 50% of low and 90% of middle get 5C or above and we are in one of the poorest council wards in the country. Look at the VA, ours is about 1034. The school nearest us gets similar results. I always think the school should suit the child rather than the parents' social ambitions. OP wait until your DC are able to voice an opinion, they are an important part of this decision!

Killasandra · 07/02/2015 21:04

Feel - I'm impressed!

No schools do that well near me.

Which is fine, cause actually I only care what my DC get.

I send my 3 to 3 different schools. None of them with brilliant results. 1 of them with downright dreadful results. But I'm happy with all 3 schools.

horsemadmom · 07/02/2015 21:48

There are no low or middle attainers at those schools. A-C pass rates are irrelevant at HB and UCS as they are highly selective. A big chunk of their GCSE cohort will have 8 or more A*. A level results similarly stellar. The stats you quote are for comps which these schools are not.

Killasandra · 07/02/2015 21:55

Of course there are no low or middle achievers there.

Doesn't mean they're good schools or better than they're neighbouring schools.

It just means they're selective.

Killasandra · 07/02/2015 21:56

Horse - my point is you can't tell if these 'stellar' results are due to the school or the cohort.

Nor can you tell from these 'stellar' results if the school is any good or not.

horsemadmom · 07/02/2015 23:51

Ok. You clearly aren't from North London.
Yes, HB and UCS are excellent schools. Over 2000 sit for 93 places at HB at only 1 in 10 get a place at UCS at 7+ and the odds are even worse at 11+. The entire cohort is at the top of the ability range and both schools stretch all the DCs who attend and they get fantastic exam results. For the right children (i.e. those with the ability to pass the entry procedures), HB, UCS or similar high achieving schools (Highgate, NLCS, Habs, SHHS) will be the right schools.
If you define a good school by selective intake, stellar results and top uni destinations, these are very good schools indeed. If you define a good school as one that has does a good job of improving the prospects of DCs who are not very clever or have social and behavioural difficulties, then you are looking at a completely different type of school. Parents who are looking for the level of academic selectivity that the OP is care about the criteria of the former.
The OP asked about two specific schools. I have experience of UCS and am happy to answer questions. Killasandra, your experience is clearly not with the type of schools the OP is interested in.

Killasandra · 08/02/2015 06:54

I define a good school by one that makes my DC happy.

As my DC are very clever I can rely on them to get stellar results.

But it's keeping them happy which I need the school to do. Because if they're being bullied at school or hothoused then the fact they're clever won't matter one bit.

Because my DC are clever I had the luxury of not worrying about the academic side of school and just choosing a school based on it's predicted pastoral care.

I chose the school where I thought they'd be happiest for the next 5 years.

2 of my 3 want to go to Oxbridge. And so far they're grades are certainly good enough.

1 of them goes to a grammar which is more selective than HB.

And if we lived near HB I'm sure we would have sat for it. The private schools no way.

I don't like the 'finished product' from private schools.

Killasandra · 08/02/2015 07:47

There's a poster I follow on here whose DD went to Tiffin girls.

She's had a dreadful time and been very unhappy.

When her results came out she got some As mixed in with her A*s. And all her classmates did better than her.

So she was upset and felt dreadful. She got straight As and A*s and was unhappy.

That's not what I want for my DC.

HBs results are better than the grammar my DS goes to. That doesn't for a second mean it's a better school. It may or may not be. You can't tell from its results.

You need to speak to pupils who have just left or who have been there for a few years to find out if it's a good school.

We bought our house to be near a very good primary and a very good secondary. After talking to local pupils and parents we decided not to go with the 'very good' schools. Because we found out they had no pastoral care and lots of bullying and lots of snobs.

Bullying you get at every school. But snobs and lack of pastoral care you don't.

Enough27 · 08/02/2015 08:15

Yes it's doable. Both my DDs go to HBS (y7 and 10), and their friends' brothers go to schools everywhere. My DDs both absolutely love it there, so I can recommend it.

Feellikescrooge · 08/02/2015 10:54

I think killasandra is still right. You need to look at the VA to really judge a school. Yes it is easy to get a class of very able pupils to get stellar grades but what does the school add to their lives? My DC all went to the local comp but all got to the course/uni of their choice. They also did D of A, MUNGA, charity walks etc. They came out of school happy, well adjusted adults despite having to deal with personal tragedy. A school is more than the headline figures.

notquiteruralbliss · 08/02/2015 18:20

OP by doable do you mean logistically? Because I guess that depends on where you live and how DCs will travel. Don't know whether it still exists but when my DD went to one of the Hampstead schools there was a private minibus service that piked up from home and ( with a clever reshuffle at a central point in Hampstead) dropped off at most local schools. Hampstead traffic is awful @ school run time.

Original poster

Merriest · 09/02/2015 19:08

Thank you all!

Can someone tell me what OP means? Sorry I'm new and not English :)

Killasandra, the thing is that my DC seem to be high achievers... as far as their results today can tell (but they're still young, Y3 and Y1 respectively).

Enough, great to hear! Question if you don't mind: do you live in Barnett?

notquiteruralbliss: yes I meant logistically mostly... I work outside of London and wouldn't be able to do the school run myself.

Thanks!

OP posts:

Killasandra · 09/02/2015 22:03

Of course they're high achievers.

But do you think that means they should be segregated and only mix with other high achievers?

I personally don't like that. Although for various reasons I did end up choosing a grammar for 1 of my DC.

But I actually think it's really good / useful to mix with all sorts of people at school.

That was the only time in my life I ever did. Once I went to university and then on to a professional al job I have never again mixed with a diverse wide range of people.

So I like mixed schools.

Killasandra · 09/02/2015 22:05

I choose based on which school I think has the best pastoral care. I.e. the school that looks after the child's well being the most.

Because that's the most important thing to me.

nirmithayaparan · 03/03/2018 23:19

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

EnconaHotSauce · 03/03/2018 23:24

Ouch at your last sentence! And you are advertising your English skills…

jeanne16 · 04/03/2018 11:56

Killisandra. How do you really know about the pastoral care provided by schools? All schools will be able to tell you what their policy is. However unless you actually spend time in the school, you will have no idea how or if it is implemented. I am a teacher and have worked in a number of secondary schools and I can honestly say that parents don’t have a clue what goes on in schools.

The reason parents go on Ofsted ratings and league tables is that is all they have. I do agree with you, however, that parents cannot see the VA schools provide, and only see the league tables. So a school that cherry picks the most able will obviously get great results.

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