Sport in NLCS vs SPGS

[pasternak]

We are considering these 11+ options for my daughter who is quite active and high achieving in sports.

I am hearing that sports at NLCS is ‘pretty lamentable’. Can anybody compare this aspect of the two schools?

SPGS does well in Lacrosse and Fencing, I think.

However, the year 7 girls are not strongly encouraged to play in teams, so some cohorts don’t end up with a very deep pool of Netball/Tennis players, Athletes or Rowers to choose from as they move up the age groups.

In some cohorts, there can be a ‘sport is uncool/a waste of time’ feeling, whereas music, drama, debating etc seem to be regarded as more worthwhile passtimes.

Is LEH an option? Very sporty...maybe not quite as academic as the 2 you mentioned tho. FWIW I have also heard that sport is pretty lamentable at NLCS these days!

Or Putney High?

What about the attitude from the school/PE dept? Do you know if they track and support athletes?

Our experience of SPGS has been that it is extremely strong in Netball even from year 7 where there are 7 teams, swimming and the tennis club. Rowing comes in year 9 I believe. Lacrosse is strong of course and cricket is growing and encouraged.

Don't agree with Kingscotestaff's analysis of SPGS.
In earlier years at least, Netball is really busy and competitive with more girls who want matches than fixtures. It is very cool to be sporty and the sporty girls have a huge advantage for making friends across title groups/ classes as they have many extra fixtures and practices weekends etc and the parents get to know each other better too.

Fair enough, mariniere, as I said, there is a massive difference in sports enthusiasm between cohorts. If your DD is in a sporty year group, that's great, but in some years they're not so enthusiastic.

The school is known to be extremely strong in sports. Teams are mixed age groups, so even if your form isn't sporty you will meet other sporty girls quite easily.

Dont be certain that swimming and tennis are strong. A lot will be done outside school in clubs, ie Queens Club, so it will be difficult to make a mark if you are starting from scratch. The same will be true elsewhere but it is less marked in team sports.

Have you considered Queenswood at Brookmans Park in Hertfordshire. The brightest can do very well there and sport is in their DNA. Weekly boarding helps with the team training and competitions. They have sports scholarships, so it might be worth a look if you can go a notch down from top academics to a bit more all rounded.

Thanks, everyone for your input. I find it helpful. Of course when I say she is sporty I mean that she is already at a certain level and doing it outside of school. I assume mixed age teams at SPGS means performance oriented approach which sounds great. I imagine the nlcs criticism stems from the school not taking sports in the same serious or shall I say professional way, which could lead to a feeling of not being valued.