Berkhamsted School Vs Abbotts Hill

[gemmamiles1973]

Mums in Herts ... Help!!! I'm moving to the area in summer 2016 and at that point I'll have 2 girls about to start y2 and y7. Any experience of the above schools. Both girls are (only) just above their national expected levels. I wonder if they'd even get in to Berkhamsted? I hear it's quite selective? Is Abbotts Hill as selective? Although I hear there's quite a few Grammar schools in the area? Does this make Berkhamsted and Abbotts a little easier to get into?

The grammar schools are in Bucks (Chesham) and if your year 7 is just above national expected level, I would say a Bucks Grammar school would not be a good fit. You would need to contact Bucks for late entry procedures. Berkhamsted is not far behind grammar school standards but again you would need to contact them. Bucks parents have traditionally used it if they don't get a grammar school place but many Hertfordshire parents will choose it as 1st choice. They do have a junior section for your younger child but I am not sure when it starts because everyone I know who has gone there went in year 3. I know nothing about Abbotts Hill I'm afraid but results and league tables will tell you something about how they compare with Chesham Grammar and Berkhamsted. I think the Watford Grammars are more difficult to get into than the Bucks Grammars. You could look at a prep school that will take both children until the end of year 8. This would give you more options for your year 7 if the schools you like are full.

From what I have seen, Abbots Hill is gentler and more sheltered than Berkhamsted. If you want to buy a little time ( and the option of trying for Bucks grammars and / or a school at 13 plus) you could always look at Chesham Prep.

Both good schools. But Abbots ends at yr 11, so a lot of the girls go to St George's in Harpenden or St Albans high school for girls for A'levels.
Berko is from 4-18yrs, so that might make a difference if you're looking for a place for both your girls.

Hi. Thanks so much for the responses. I'm hoping I'm not talking late entry as I'm talking about y7 in September 2016. She's cutrentky y5. So I think I'm ok? I should have been clearer. I'm concerned about how selective places like Berkhamsted and Abbotts Hill are, and whether my daughter would even get it being a just above average student. And more so whether she'd end up in the bottom set for everything which is never ideal. There doesn't seem to be an independent school for kids that fall into this category in Herts from what I can see? But maybe I'm misjudging it?

Hi OP.
Neither school is hugely selective, though Berkhamstead, slightly more than AHS.

An averagely academic child will get a place at either.

Berkhamstead is town based, much more urban (though Berko is hardly the mean streets of South Central LA).
It is also a large school and co-ed at sixth form.
It has a rep for being monied.
The facilities are excellent.

AHS is tiny, and based out of town. The girls are not allowed out of school. Very protected. The pastoral care is amazing.
There is however no sixth form which puts a lot of people off.
The facilities are not as good as Berkhamstead.

The results of both schools are similar.

My DC have not attended either school, but I have friends with DC at both who are happy with it.

That's so helpful. Thank you. The urban side of Berko puts me off somewhat ... Kind of want them running around in fields at their age ... But I guess you just do that at the weekends! But I did hear the facilities were great there. Guess I need to get my backside in gear and visit to get a feel for the places. I'm notoriously bad at making decisions so even a visit may not do it!! Are there any other good (not too selective) private schools in the area? A search doesn't come up with a lot, and we'll need to be on the train line into London as hubby will be splitting his time between working in London and Watford (but we'd rather live Berkhamsted or St Albans I think). Thanks all x

The other private school specifically in that area is St Albans High School but that is pretty selective.

Or Habs girls is doable ( school buses from Harpenden). But again very selective.

Can I ask why your assuming your DD wouldn't get in the more selective schools?

Oh another thought: the Royal Masonic. I know a girl who gets the bus from Berkhamstead.

Clever girl but I don't think the school is hugely selective .

Thanks so much Thewordfactory. So helpful!! Gosh I feel a little mean ... they're bright, enthusiastic and kind girls (I would say that right?). But they have been tested (my eldest many times) and they consistently sit either at the top of, or a tiny bit above the expected national curriculum levels for their age. So, even of they get in, I would worry at a very academically demanding school, they would be at the bottom of everything, and I worry that would be demoralising for them and have a less encouraging effect than somewhere that had students at more varied levels. I'm probably doing them a disservice!! Royal Masonic sounds good. I hear Rickmansworth itself is pretty nice too. Maybe that's an option for somewhere to live instead of Berkhamsted? Everywhere around there seems extraordinarily expensive mind!!!

Two points I would make from my experience (DC about to take GCSEs).

My DD has attended a mixed ability school and has done very well indeed (so far). She has been extremely happy.

Second point: your DD is 9?

At 9 both my DC were decidedly average but DD passed her 11plus and DS managed to secure a place at one of the most selective schools in the country (with an academic scholarship).

Things just kind of came together for them in year 6/7.

I don't know the Rickmansworth area at all, I'm afraid.

Wow that's amazing. You must have been very proud. My eldest is Y5 but she's the eldest in her year, born within weeks of the cut off. So I'm wondering if, in reality, she'll suddenly become very academic. I may be being unfair though. She's at a very competitive prep school where

I would recommend berko (my kids go there and we did look at AHS and decided against it. I know of a couple of kids who have moved from AHS to Berko recently).

Berkhamsted: If you are looking at yr 2 and yr 7, you will have different sites to drop off / pick up. (Yr 2 pre-prep and yr 7 will be senior).

There will be an entrance exam for yr 7 and there may well be a waiting list for Yr 2 as well.

New principle is due in September 2015 and also a new HT at pre-prep, but lots of exciting developments and investment in the school.

My daughter is late summer baby and doesn't struggle academically.

Sorry a child jogged me and my finger tapped "post"

Where many children are showing national curriculum standard grades a good year or so ahead. It's my understanding there's only 1 child that is below average. So DD maybe doesn't shine as she might elsewhere. She's in the middle, if not towards the bottom in every set. And, like I say, this is a girl who scores (just about) above the national expected grades. I think it's because she's my first that these things surprise me!!! I'm hoping you're right that it'll all come together soon :-) Thanks for all your advice x

My DD was in the middle of her prep school. The top group were prepared for scholarships and she was nearer the bottom of the next group. So I guess where your DD is. She went to Queenswood, in Potters Bar. Have you cosidered this school? Definitely not too difficult to get into. Quite different to Berkhamsted and worth a look.

Queenswood is a lovely school!

Expensive though .

I did look at Queenswood. It looks amazing. But I'm not sure if it's too far round the m25 as the London side of DH's role is West London. Thought it might be a horrid journey. But the school looks great. Why very different to Berkhamsted would you say? I must say I'm very encouraged by the similarities between my DD and the examples above, and how much your DHs seem to have achieved ??

Berkhamstead is very much a town day school - when you visit, you'll see the school is literally just off the High Street. The netball courts overlook the road.

A lot of pupils walk home from school with their friends and I think pupils can get lunch in town from year 11.

Q is a campus school, set in acres of grounds. About half the girls board (weekly, only a handful of foreign students termly board). The day girls eat and do their prep at school too.

Berkhamsted do board (though I am not sure that's what the OP wants) but they do appear to be very separate to the day pupils (Two of my children have gone thru the school without ever making friends with a boarder).

There are now 4 sites for Berkhamsted set around the town, plus various sports fields, so there is a degree of walking between sites. The pre-prep is set in a wonderful location, but presents problems for parents who also have to get to other parts of the school.

Would still recommend it.

The majority of boarders at Queenswood are 6th formers, fewer down the school. It is weekly with some weekends in school for drama, sport, music competitions etc. It is much smaller than Berkhamsted. It has no prep department. Berkhamsted teaches boys separately from girls, until 6th form. The it becomes co-ed. Queenswood is all girls all the way through. There is a current trend for some girls not to stay into the 6th form at Q, but this fluctuates. Q is very sporty, tennis and hockey in particular. Yep....it is super expensive but a lot of busy parents find the weekly boarding very useful. The days are pretty long and packed with activities, hence the day fees are high. Drama beyond brilliant. If you lived in or near St Albans it is not that bad a journey. Not so good from Berkhamsted.

Both schools have a very different "feel" to them so would encourage you to go and look at them. I live in Berkhamsted and send my girls to Westbrook Hay. I love that they have 26 acres to run around in!!! The school feeds on to both Berkhamsted and Abbotts Hill and is not selective at all. If you want a school where both girls can attend then have a look at Pipers Corner. A simply lovely school but a bit further out. I think that's where our girls will be moving onto!!

P.s. I don't think Berkhamsted is as selective as it makes out. There are several children each year who do not pass the Bucks 11+ each year and go to Berkhamsted. That's not to say that it's a breeze to get into though. They do seem to achieve excellent results given the wider range of intellectual abilities though and the school definitely has an "academic" feel to it. We chose not to send our kids there (even though we live two roads away) as we wanted to keep our options open at 11+ and also wanted a school that encouraged you to excel in whatever it was you were good at, be it academic, sport, music, arts, performance etc.