Copthall vs Mill Hill County vs Small Independent School

[Mamaof2cuties]

Hi

As completing the CAF gets nearer, I was wondering if people can please share their views of the above schools. We really liked both and can't decide, we only think MHCH looks too small for the number of students.We are likely to get a place at either school so it's which to put 1st.

We also went to see Mount House School in Barnet and really liked it but the student population is only 200 or so. It feels too small for a secondary school. Opinions will be well appreciated.

Thanks.

I don't have any dc there but I know that MHCH is very popular and places are highly sought. They are very strict over some things eg uniform and they don't allow mobile phones to be brought to school at all. One child I know got a Saturday detention for bringing her phone to school!

I'm interested in this. We are looking at MHCH on Monday - daughter will probably get an offer on a music place. Bit concerned that DH has taken against it bc we got to the open evening and were turned away, having come from a different open evening, bc they weren't letting more people in!

I have a friend who teaches at Copthall and feels it has really improved in the last few years and is doing very well.

Thank you both for your replies x. Just struggling with which goes on top.

We are leaning towards MHCH but I think it's just because it is highly sought after plus the better GCSE results. Why is it so run down. The Head didn't mince words on discipline!

Copthall didn't have a good reputation until the new Head. It has improved a lot and feels like it will continue to. It also seemed like it had more/better facilities and will offer a well rounded education.

@Echobelly, hope your DH can look at it objectively when you go.

Interesting about the discipline; I've heard MHCH is big on it, and that may be off-putting. Totally turned us off Wren academy, even though its results are great - DD is a 'good girl' and sensitive, and both she and we are worried that a super rules-led environment would just be unnecessarily stressful for her.

I would choose MHC over Copthall right now but suspect this may flip at some point given their progress.

The results at Mount House aren't as good as they should be for the tiny classes and nurturing. MHC is much better, though clearly you get a different experience at a tiny independent school.

@Echobelly, we didn't look at Wren again this year as we thought it was too rigid. My DD is like yours, self-disciplined and needs somewhere less regimented to encourage her to loosen up.

@FabDabbyFloozy, thank you. My thoughts too. We should go with the current state. Copthall just seems like they now mean business. And it's just girls, I always fear girls dumbing down for the boys ... I did. We can only hope that we have instilled enough self confidence in her to not see the need to though my parents did for me too.

Mount House isn't selective at all I think (except for the fees). We are considering it for DC2 who has coasted through primary but has lots of academic potential and very creative, if she can only focus. Hence don't want her to be lost in the crowd again.

I get the impression MHC is not as hardcore about rules as Wren, so I'm keen to talk to the people we know with kids there (one girl in y8, another with an older boy) how they've found it actually, as o know some schools really talk up the discipline because they know many parents like that. The C issue was at Wren that it sounded from the kids like it really dominated their life there! I'm keen for MHC to be a goer, as we have a firm music place offer from Claremont as our back up, but it is far away and an unfamiliar area.

Copthall wasn't on the table as, like me at her age, DD does not at all fancy a girls'school.