Woldingham vs Streatham and Clapham High

[monaco77]

DD has been offered a place at both schools. We've always been very in favour of Woldingham but want to make sure that we are not dismisding SCH too fast.
Woldingham strikes us as having a great focus on the individual and helping girls develop their own talents, with a strong pastoral care. Question would be whether it's too much of a bubble?
SCH, I like the fact that the senior team seems really keen to develop the school and that the community is wider. Question here is about the individual attention to a child/pastoral care.
I would welcome views from parents who are in either school and who possibly had the same choice to make. What ultimately made you choose one vs the other? Thanks in advance

Hi OP. My DD is in Year 9 at Woldingham, and she (and we) love it. My DD initially liked a co-ed school better, as the atmosphere there was a bit more similar to her state primary. But when it came down to it the warmth and range of opportunities at Woldingham were in all of our views much better suited to her. I think sometimes there is a bit of a Woldingham bubble, but in a good way - my DD doesn’t seem to have a lot of the stresses that some of her old friends from primary school talk about (make up and boys mainly!). That said there is a large contingent of ‘London girls’ who catch the train from Clapham Jct / Victoria each morning, who apparently tend to be a bit more worldly than some of the more local girls - massive over generalisation of course, but my point is that the school seems to cater for all types. There is definitely a good vibe that comes from the school being a boarding school - my DD is a day girl but often stays for her tea and into the evening to do activities, and has friends who are boarders.

Thank you very much Merlottime, it confirms the feeling we have about the school as well.
I do agree that I see some positive to the girls staying younger longer!

What's the journey to each like?

If using trains, how would she get there when there's disruption (and how accommodating is the school when that happens)?

As a lot of the Woldingham girls travel by train, the school are very accommodating if there is disruption. Although on a Southern train line they haven’t been too badly affected. I have seen parent messages announcing that minibuses would meet later trains than usual, or trains at East Croydon on occasion, and when a strike was expected the school did make sure parents were aware so could make alternative arrangements, or book flexi-boarding if they wished. Quite a few of the girls at the schools have brothers at Whitgift so presumably face the same issue unless they are very local.

A parent from the school told me that the school had arranged buses from London when there were the extensive Southern strikes in 2016.
We are OK with the commute and will use flexi boarding.