LEH or Guildford!

[jennymalaysia]

I can't believe it - after all the help making the decision between Guildford and Surbiton (on academic scholarship) - we decided on Guildford thanks to all the great input from you Mumsnetter - DD just got offered a place at LEH today! I suspect both are equally academic and results are comparable (though Guildford scores slightly higher)

Pros for LEH
DD brother is at Hampton - and they would share bus in - he really wants her to go to LEH - he is struggling socially and has always relied on his sociable, popular, younger sister
facilities are much nicer - classrooms bright etc....
Head has come from Wimbledon and is supposed to be great - really improving pastoral care

Cons for LEH
4k more expensive than Guildford
public transport terrible - 1-1.5 hour and 2 buses to get back
DD is very sporty - and I would imagine will have after school practises (unlike DD who does clubs during lunchtime only at Hampton) - as a working Mom - I will struggle to get her - and she will have to rely on the bus
DD got in on wait list - indicating she may struggle to keep up with her classmates (bottom set/ low confidence fear)

Pros for Guildford
great train - 30 minutes door to door and safe and easy for after school activities
lots of girls on train from Claygate - seem to be more Claygate girls going to Guildford than LEH
LEH seems to attract girls from Twickenham and Kingston area - making playdates harder to organise in future
DD scored top of the girls on her entrance exam (apparently according to registrar) - which makes me more comfortable that she won't struggle academically compared to the other girls
its cheaper

Cons
Her brother will be very sad if he does not go to LEH
it would be nice for them to be at side by side schools (brother and sister)
school classrooms are much pokier and scruffier - not as much space
Is Guildford pushier/ more stressful? Don't know!
Head is reputed to be not all that in touch with the girls (does not know girls names etc.)

Any advice would be really appreciated.....

Thanks so much

LEH is just that bit more prestigious than GHS. GHS is known locally but LEH garners an international presence for itself.

Help! Am facing the same dilemma! We have been lucky to receive 2 amazing offers between LEH and GHS and cannot decide. We received music scholarship from both schools and an academic one from GHS. We live in New Malden and there's a LEH school bus stop outside the house but thats an extra £500 a term. Her older brother goes to Reeds in cobham which I drop off and pick up daily so GHS is an add on journey. He has 3 more years to go before uni.

DD is very sporty

LEH has one of the best junior rowing programmes in the country*

*I row so I am biased.

@alidasi as a LEH parent I would say there is not much apart in terms of academics or sport between GHS and LEH.

Both schools are very sporty - although as previous poster mentioned GHS do not row-,LEH are current National 8s champions .

My DD is on a National level sports programme so music isn't really important to her though she does play the clarinet. The LEH music department is amazing - the concerts, many many choral groups and musicals are of a breathtaking standard . Musics and Drama is often the highest in the priority pecking order when it comes to extra curricular .

My DD will soon will leaving LEH - she has had an amazing time- she has got involved in things that I never thought possible and the schools has opened her mind to all sorts of different experiences- and it has given her confidence to pursue her chosen path . I never would have dreamt,when she left state primary (with stronger skills in English), that my DD would be heading to Oxford for a Chemistry Masters - but the great STEM extra curriculars got her hooked!

For me the master stroke of my daughters experience is that all this has been done in a low stress environment . I have a DS at another highly selective school and in our house LEH is referred to as the "well being centre" She has simply had a lovely time .

I was at a sports fixture at GHS a few weeks ago and there were plenty of very happy looking GHS girls too. So I am sure that GHS might provide a similar experience . We too had a dilemma on our 11plus choice . In the end we let our DD make the final choice and I think she made an excellent one.

There will be old references to LEH as a hot house but a lot has changed under Mrs Hanbury's tenure . For example there is automatic transfer to sixth form ( even if a girl completely flunked GCSE !) ; girls are empowered to take control of academic decisions and there are numerous well being days . Hence its nickname in our house .

Good luck with your decision making

And just to add - that post was not intended as a stealth boast . My DD arrived at LEH via the wait list ( so with a slight hang up about that!) , with grade 3 clarinet and some modest local success in sport. So not hot housed - that really isn’t our style. LEH have developed her into someone who isn’t afraid to give anything a go and a really good sense of self. She isn’t phased by much and is very resilient .

Thankyou so much for taking the time to reply. It really is a hard one and I ought to visit the schools again and investigate into train journeys and bus routes.