Highgate school vs Henrietta Barnett

[ramennoddles]

DD recently got a place at Highgate and she has also applied to HBS and will hear back in March. Her predicted grades are quite good around 6 or 7 9s, 2 8s (because some of her teachers refuse to predict nines as they think the grade boundaries may vary a lot) and 1 7 (which she plans to raise to an 8 by the time she does her mocks). She is quite academic and thrives off pressure. We want her to go to a school with a stimulating environment with passionate teachers. We were wondering if HBS has class sizes that are too big as we have heard that about the school. She is not sure which school to pick and we were wondering what your experiences of these two schools are?

Is this for 6th Form?
HBS is incredible and offers a fantastic education. However you have to think of other factors. Highgate has fantastic facilities and offers more in terms of sport and other extra-curricular. Also depends whether she prefers all girls or co-ed? I have had a child at Highgate although a while ago as she left as wasn't happy. This however isnt a criticism of the school as it was very large and she felt overly anxious coming from such a small primary. Also, she was in the first year of girls in year 7. But highgate is fantastic, as well as HBS. Depends what you are looking for in terms of other factors aside from results...

Check the size of the A level classes at HBS, they won’t be huge. At a different local outstanding state school and most a level classes are no more than about 10-12 with some being as low as 8.

What A Level subjects does she want to do?

I have one in HBS and had one last year in private not Highgate but very near. HBS will not have any huge classes though it depends on subjects, maths is very busy. The facilities are not much to write home about, it’s a state school with the usual funding issues. If I could afford it I would and maybe will go private again for 6th form, if dd2 agreed, for facilities and assuming good teaching with smaller classes. In my kids’ opinion, the girls at Highgate are very overdressed, it’s jeans and hoodies at HBS. This alone would swing it away from Highgate for my two.