Surbiton high vs nonsuch

[Sallyknowsnot]

Hi, looking for advice please.. my dd has been offered a scholarship at surbiton high school. We are waiting for results next Wednesday on national offers day and hopefully she should be offered nonsuch too as passed with a decent score. We are very torn as love both schools. Both equidistant and very convenient.
Love the feel of both and due to scholarship now, SHS very affordable.
Please help! Which would you go for?

Nonsuch but then I'm firm believer in state education, particularly the Sutton grammars!

I would think where you live and your DD's preference (and issues about school journey time) would come into play?

Thanks so much for your reply gazzalw. We live approx 15 mins drive between both schools. Of course SHS comes with all the frills etc but nonsuch ticks all the boxes too
Just worry we might make the wrong decision and regret it

Great that you are well positioned for both but that probably doesn't help with decison-making!

I'm a firm believer that you can't make the wrong decision - what is your gut feeling?

I know some of the grammar schools will let you look round again after Offers Day if you phone to make an appointment (well the boys' ones used to!) Worth trying if your DD is offered Nonsuch? I think seeing a school properly in action (rather than at a heavingly busy open day event) will give you different insights and hopefully will help you make your minds up.

We paid for private schools for my DCs but I certainly wouldn't have if we had had an offer from a school such as Nonsuch. You may as well take the place and use the saved money for lots of extras.

Take the state option. The Sutton grammars are great - you can't go wrong.

Thanks so much for your responses all. Really appreciated. And such good advice. Brilliant idea to ask for another tour of nonsuch. Many thanks

The frills are worth paying for, let alone getting for free.
Nonsuch isnt all its cracked up to be

My daughter is in year 7 at Nonsuch and loves it. There are so many opportunities for the girls, the school has exceeded our expectations in every way. I think my concern with private schools would be whether it can it be afforded for the whole duration of high school? Plus there are the extras of uniform/trips etc. Good luck with your decision

I'd go with Nonsuch as it's more academic and doesn't cost a penny. There is a lot of stuff you could do for your daughter with the saved money.

What's the head teacher issue like at Nonsuch. The leadership has been turbulent in recent years and this always has an impact on morale, ethos and staff engagement. We had a quick look when DD moved for 6th form and got such a negative vibe we walked out. I'd be diligent in taking soundings where possible.

I've heard very similar too regarding turnover of head. Not great.. think new head is from Tiffin girls
Btw millyT you mentioned your daughter is at nonsuch, would you mind me asking what the cut off score was last year on national offers day? We are in catchment
Thank you so so much x

I read somewhere that cut offs last year for Nonsuch were around 315 OOC and 273 IC. Not sure if they were the inital cut offs or final ones.
Hope that helps. Good luck

Thank you very much!! Definitely helps xx

Not sure of exact score for offers, didn't get any info sent out on that, I think 300 and over was fine for in catchment though, going on what my daughter and her friends got. They give you scores for exam but offer scores vary on the amount of girls applying for places.

Sallyknows how did allocation day go for you? Have you made a decision for your dd?

We got nonsuch and have accepted! Big relief x

That's good, congratulations. My dd is off to Nonsuch too x

Oh brilliant! Many congrats. Hopefully they can be friends.

Hello everyone,

Sallyknowsnot and Loconuts, would you please share your and your daughter's feedback on nonsuch? Are you happy with it? My daughter was offered a decent scholarship by Sutton High for 2018-19. I expect she will get into nonsuch and still undecided. We were a bit overwhelmed by the numbers in nonsuch's open day. Would be grateful for your opinions.

We were a bit overwhelmed by the numbers in nonsuch's open day. All of the Sutton grammars (and the Tiffin schools) have enormous numbers turning up for their open days (they are bunfights!). It doesn't reflect the reality of the schooling experience though (all are relatively small compared with their local state comprehensive counterparts).

I always get the feeling that the girls SW London grammars have more of a hothouse feel than the boys ones. Maybe it reflects the pressure that the girls put on themselves?

The GDST schools always seem to do very well by their girls but possibly in a less overtly pressured environment which may also work to benefit more academically average (comparatively) pupils. And/or those who are not as super-competitive or driven. The smaller class sizes will probably be a bonus too. And if you look at their results, the SW London GDST schools usually seem to outperform their state equivalents (although this impression is based more on a cursory glance at results than in-depth analysis!).

Good luck!

Surbiton High is not a GDST school btw.

I think reelinglush was responding to the poster who bumped this (year old) thread and who asked about Sutton High

Hi AnotherNewt and jeanne16 indeed I was referring to Sutton High School, although I'm that Surbiton High isn't a GDST school. Why would that be?

Surbiton is a United Learning school (formerly known as United Church Schools Trust). GDST schools are all non-denominational.
No better/worse than each other, just different groups of schools.