Tiffin Girls School sixth form from independent school

[nutcracker9]

Calling any existing/previous Tiffin Girls School parents. We are considering Tiffin Girls School for our daughter who has so far been educated at private schools. Does anyone have any idea how many/what proportion of girls join the sixth form from independent schools and whether there are any adjustment issues? Also we live in Fulham area so an hour commute. Are there many from so far afield?
Any advice welcome. Thank you!

Is she currently at a girls school?
Moving from mixed to co-ed would mark a bit of a change, but from single sex selective to single sex selective (assuming current school is selective) she shouldn't find any major differences.

The classes will be bigger of course. Partly because of this, she will need to be more of a selfstarter rather than wanting to be spoonfed -that is part of moving into any sixth form anyway. She might find the girls to be very clever (depends on where before) and find it a bit tricky at first to break in socially.

Tbh I think the issues will find are mostly those arising from joining a new school in the 6th Form, rather than the sector it is in. Apart from funding and numbers in classes, Tiffin will be very similar to lots of independent schools and of course, better in many ways. Many of the girls at Tiffin would have gone private if they hadn't got in there, although not all could have done - there will be a social mix but you aren't talking comprehensive style by any means.

For both you and your DD it will be important to NOT see this as a big issue - should be low down the list of conversation topics with other girls and parents, as should conversations about who has or hasn't got what - I'm sure you are very aware of this.....I Just say it, because in terms of fitting in, the only way it will be obvious to others that she has come from an independent school is if it is made a thing of.

I'm sure you'll find it interesting and there will be differences. Most of them will be due to a different school rather than a different sector though.....guess it won't always be clear which is which though and in your mind, it might all seem to be due to the fact it is State. I'm sure you'll find the gaps between Tiffin Girls and most independents in pretty small, if you can see beyond the shabbier facilities.

I wouldn't recommend spending 2 hours/day travelling in sixth form unless absolutely necessary. And I think an hour from Fulham to tiffin is best case scenario (Fulham Broadway to Richmond needs a change at earls court then the 65 bus?(
What are your other choices?
Remember tiffin gets good results due to the intake of very very bright very pushed girls.

And I'd check before you go much further, how many apply for places in the 6th Form and what the typical entry profile is.....not what is says are the minimum entry requirements. A highly selective school taking into the 6th Form are likely to be hugely oversubscribed and have their pick of girls - I would be thinking many A* and nothing below at A at GCSE. As I say, ask for the typical entry profile - far more use than the official entry requirements which can make it seem much easier than it really is to get in.

I would not move her, my daughter was at TGS and was very unhappy aa were many of her colleagues. They wrote a letter to the SLT at the end of year 13, saying the pressure was unbearable and the school only cared about the Oxbridge applicants. She left last year but I doubt it has changed much.

The school is girls only and no-one gives a fuck about what school external applicants were at previously.

However, there is no spoon feeding or 'helping' with controlled assessments. They are told early on they are on their own.

We also had a long commute over an hour - too long in my opinion.

Ask about numbers leaving / coming in. I have only heard of girls leaving Tiffin after GCSE to go private or to surrounding state schools, usually requiring support with confidence etc. At two local very selective independents nobody went the other way.

Hi, my DD is in Lower School at Tiffin. My friend's DD has started sixth form there from our local independent school. She settled in well. The reason for the transfer has been purely financial though. Also they live quite close to the school.

The commute is enough reason to avoid it. I've spent too long on the 65 bus.

Esko I was interested in your comments, my DD is there and we have had one or two doubts along the way. TGS certainly gets great results and produces independent thinkers but the demographic mix, hot housing, slow-parent teacher communication, exclusively classical music dept all means we are mulling over the 6th form now. I'm in favour of opting out, I think a small number do each year, but DH thinks DD will get better results if she stays and he's probably right but...

What I noticed when we looked round the new sixth form building, it's gorgeous, but it was utterly silent, no music or chatting. A group of girls huddling around their books in total silence, no liveliness. My own sixth form could not have been more different, but then I didn't do anywhere near as well as TGS girls seem to do! If you look at the results there're virtually no students getting lower than an A or lord save us a 'D' - (couldn't help thinking hi-five' to that girl).

Hi MrsGherkin. The thing to bear in mind is that the school gets great results because the girls are very clever and motivated. I don't think some of the teaching was that great, in fact one teacher was so inept that the whole class at AS hired tutors - except us - my daughter spent 80% of her time on that subject in year 13 with the help of a tutor and barely scraped the A at A2.

My daughter's year was unusually cliquey and a particularly nasty form of low level bullying rife. The leadership pretended they were unaware tbut in reality they could not control it and a couple of the perps were star pupils. I persuaded my daughter to stay as I thought the girls would have matured by Sixth but I really wished I hadn't.

If your Dd loves the school and it is local to you and her friends are staying on, perhaps do Sixth. She would very likely do as well academically at another school assuming it is not total rubbish.

Nutcraker TGS girls are strongly told not to come to the school if the commute's more than an hour, in reality there are quite a few who do. A longer journey could make a long hard day more of a strain. I would hope that any new girl from outside would be welcome and settle-in fine, but is there any catchment for 6th form do you know?

Nutcracker9. I'm interested to know what you decided and how did your dd do in the end? Thanks!