Nottingham High School vs local "Outstanding" state secondary

[Tigertoes]

DD year 6 is bright and ambitious and we are looking at school choices. An absolute is that it must be co-ed as I want her and her 2 brothers to be at the same school.
Our local secondary is rated very highly, although I don't know what all the numbers mean TBH and we looked round and thought it was fine. There were some aspects I didn't like, large ish classes, mixed ability maths years 7 and 8, lessons before school if you want to do triple science, slightly tatty etc but generally was fine and we know lots of lovely families there who say it's an academically demanding school. Quite a few of our friends kids have got 10 A* and I think DD should be capable of doing similar. It would also be 5 minutes walk and, erm, free.
But then we went to look round the High School. It is clearly glossier and slicker and gets amazing results, but then so it should. DD loved it but they did give her muffins and let her do loads of cool taster stuff so I am not quite sure what she was assessing. I liked the facilities and the teachers and loved the sense that they would have a door opened to a set of opportunities and exposures that allow them to feel they can succeed at the very highest levels on a national or world stage as a matter of course (may not have expressed this very well). However, I was wary of how often the bursar and fees and results and oxbridge were mentioned and did't get a particularly warm vibe from the other parents, although the tour guiding high school kids were very charming. I also worry that having education served up in such easily digestible packages makes one less resilient and self starting in the long term. No idea if this is true though?
We can just about afford all 3 going there from income I think but it will leave very little to save for their university etc (joint 100k) and we will really feel the drop in disposable income, life would be fine but a lot less comfortable.
I appreciate we are in such a lucky position, and either choice would be fine, but I just don't know how to balance all the considerations. Is the financial and logistical outlay worth it for the experiences, facilities, small class sizes, etc or is it actively not worth it? Would it be better to give them some saved cash for uni and to start up in life? What makes the decision clear in the end? I really need a crystal ball!
They would probably go High school for sixth form anyway all being well so perhaps that a reasonable compromise?

Thanks Joey

Sorry I got my year groups mixed up! DS2 is in Year 6 currently so the same as your DD. He tells me there are actually 5 girls in his whole year, not 4, and they have all been put together. The year 6 group last year had just one girl in the whole year (child of a teacher).

DN who is doing 3-4 hours of homework every night is in year 9, not year 8.

The girl numbers are increasing. You had to be pretty brave to send your girls last year when it was the first year of girl entry. A high percentage of the early girls were siblings of boys already at the school and moved over from the girl's school (so they knew people already).

There isn't a lot of inter year movement at all. There isn't a specific year 9 intake. It's very competitive and unless someone leaves then there won't be a free place. As such, you are not getting significant additional numbers of girls into each year group each year. You're just as likely to get another boy if someone leaves and a place becomes free. DS1's year group had three new children in September due to people leaving.

As a parent group I think we're very nice but you're unlikely to see the parents very much at all and the opportunity to get to know them is extremely limited. The catchment area is very large and a large number of children take school buses (or the tram if they live in the city). I certainly don't know many non junior school parents unless there's an outside of school link. That perhaps makes us seem a bit cliquey?? There will definitely be other Fernwood parents though.

The school has excellent academic results but you would expect that given that they are academically selective from the outset. A very high proportion of children play an instrument to a high standard and it's not seen as geeky to be spending your lunch breaks or early mornings at swing band or swimming or at classics club etc. That in itself is a nice thing. There is very little down time for them though, particularly if they are good at sport and are also at school on Saturdays (or in the case of girls if they can breathe and are therefore part of every sports team because numbers are low ). External parents often complain that their children have had to give up long standing out of school activities (particularly Saturday activities like football teams or music school) because the expectation is that school always comes first and the school does enforce that rule. You will not have many opportunities to go away for the weekend during term time due to the number of fixtures. At the same time, don't assume that you won't have to pay for external music/sports training. The children who are excelling in those areas have out of school lessons/coaching on top of what is done at school.

I wouldn't send my child at year 7 entry unless they are academically extremely capable. It must be miserable to actually be bright but at the bottom of the class and it's the sort of school where your placement in the class is very visible. If you've been near the top of the pile and then suddenly you're not, I think that would be hard.

I wouldn't completely rule out NGHS due to having boys as they are on the same road so it shouldn't be a problem.
I can't comment on the senior school much but have been extremely impressed by the junior school, the ethos and the leadership team. Hearing about the academic pressure at NHS would put me off. I think girls put enough pressure on themselves. The attitude at the girls school is that happy girls thrive, and every effort is made to make school fun and to try and tackle the anxiety and perfectionism that can hold girls back. The girls and groups I have seen so far have been extremely enthusiastic and well behaved- The staff say this makes teaching a delight and opens up opportunities for the girls. The facilities are amazing and there is a lovely friendly atmosphere. They really "get" what makes girls tick and innovative teaching methods are tailored to the way the girls learn. ( disclaimer- My daughter is only at the junior school ..... but can you tell we love it?! )

I should make it clear I am talking about the girls school (NGHS) in the post above !

Hi Mums, I am looking to apply for my DS's admission into Nottingham High school for September 2019 intake. Has anyone recently (past 3 years) put their child through assessment tests for Reception for Notts High school? I will appreciate a discussion on how to prepare for the assessment. Thanks!

So, we have gone for state. After a lot of anguish. But it has meant that I have stopped waking in the night worrying about money...
I think our plan will be to save as much cash as possible over the next few years and see how they all go at state. It things look like they are going the wrong way then we may look again in year 9, and certainly at sixth form.
This school choice thing is haaaaard

Hi tigertoes, i have pm you. Hope you will get it x