North London schools, opinions please!

[MuminMama]

Hello. Looking at schools for DD, 10. She will most likely to go Fortismere, as we are lucky enough to live very close. But at the last minute we have decided we may be able to stretch to private. A school that is fairly close is a top priority so that means Highgate or Channing are in the running. We are going to both open days. But does anyone have any broad generalisations of what these schools are like, how difficult to get into, etc.? She sat for Henrietta Barnett but didn't get through to the second round. I'd definitely say she is in the top five in her class, but no genius, much as I love her. I'm not sure I want her to 'fail' another exam and I think particularly Highgate might be very hard to get into. Thank you so much for any opinions or info!

Both very competitive schools but not impossible to get into - go have a look around and see if you think your child would like to go there/enjoy it. Channing is girls only, Highgate mixed sex education so very different schools. Bear in mind private school fees go up by more than inflation each year so factor that into your considerations in determining if you can afford to send her there.

Thank you! We will have a look and take it from there.

Lots of North London girls go to Queenswood near Potters Bar. You could add this one in maybe?

Thanks for the suggestion. We are fairly determined to be as local as possible, based on our own experiences of commuting to school.

Any reason for your loss confidence in Fortismere ? We are in catchment both Fortismere and Archer.

Highgate Private : fabulous school . Kids come out well rounded go getters. Sport important. Very competitive place. You will probably have to tutor (unless your kids a natural).

Channing more nerturing.

Thanks! No particular reason, I think we just felt we hadn't explored all the options. Since I posted we have decided to go with Fortismere, as really we are actually very happy with the all-round culture it offers. Fingers crossed. :)

Can anyone comment on the culture at Highgate with regards the different degrees of wealth? I heard kids who don't ski in Courchevel/vacation in the Caribbean can feel left out so wonder what others thought ?

I have friends with kids there. Together they earn comfortably in excess of £500k / year and they feel like the poor relations sometimes. The birthday parties and so on are extraordinary. It's a very wealthy catchment school, but I suspect many London private schools (& a lot of the boarding schools) are like that. Was the same in my day.

austentatious - wow that's something else when a family on half a mill per year feels like a poor relation.

Is Channing the same?

only girl I know at Channing is from quite humble background with fees paid by a family member (not parents, who wouldn't be able to afford it). The parents love it and have made friends with some other parents. I get the sense that Highgate isn't about Courcheval but about whether you have to fly commercial to get there

Wow, Highgate must have changed in the past few years then! Our dcs were there a few years ago and although there were some very rich families most of the ones we knew weren't like that. But it might be different now. School was great in our experience.