Hampstead schools : SHHS, UCS, Highgate etc...

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Hi, so my DD has been accepted into South Hampstead, UCS and Highgate from her 16+. I am very proud of her and I know we are very lucky to be able to have this choice but we are all quite unsure about what way to go as we don't have any personal relationships to the schools.
We agree that SHHS is brilliant and DD is very pleased to be able to do 4 subjects and an EPQ there, however, she is also upset that there are no boys - does anyone know if the girls get any contact with boys from other schools?
We also really enjoyed UCS and enjoy what we have heard about its more liberal reputation, however, DD can either take 4 subjects or 3 and an EPQ and she is not very happy with this.
Highgate is also amazing, however, we have been slightly on the fence with the more 'traditional' reputation we have heard about it as DD does not enjoy more restricted schools and teaching.
Any advice? Any comments about the schools?

I think in London contact with members of the opposite sex is fairly inevitable...

That said, I'd have thought it would be easier for a girl coming into sixth form to go to UCS rather than SHHS as all the girls would be new at the former. They're both great schools though and it would be worth finding out how many new girls SHHS takes.

I really liked Highgate when we looked round for 11+ but one thing did put me off and that was that the kids have to follow a dress code in sixth form. I think it was looser than City Boys where they wear suits but sixth form is a stepping stone to university and the point at which pupils become students so should be allowed to wear what the hell the like. We liked the fact that the sixth former who we chatted to at UCS was wearing jeans and a really horrible hoodie. That's as it should be.

I wondered whether this (possibly trivial) policy reflects more traditional attitudes within the school.

"it would be worth finding out how many new girls SHHS takes"

I asked this, and was told for this year 8 girls were supposed to join but only 6 made their grades.

Hi, thanks for the input hothouseorflophouse!

I am on the fence with what advice to give to my DD as she is equally as split. She has been asking around about the two schools and she's getting slightly worried as she's heard that quite a lot of girls in shhs are unhappy and she's heard the girls in ucs described as 'bitchy'. I do think this might just be other people's overreactions and I don't think she should be stressing too much about it...

Highgate is a fantastic school and not at all traditional in the way that you describe. My experience is both as a parent and teacher of many years standing.

She really shouldn’t do 4 A levels and the EPQ. That is too much and completely unnecessary for uni applications.

It is difficult to change schools for 6th form, regardless of which school she chooses. A lot of friendship groups have already been established and it can be hard to break into them. Added to this is the significant step up in the academic work and it can be a very stressful time. My DD moved schools for 6th form and the 1st term was tough.

What did you decide OP? DD is in Y10 and considering the same sixth forms. SHHS is currently our preference.

@Coco278 / Coco278 , We decided on UCS. She went in to see shhs (full day with other girls and in lessons). She had no problems with teachers - she really enjoyed the way the teachers interacted with her and other students. However, in the end she couldn't do a single-sex school. She felt like its 'vibe' wasn't hers.
Personally, I'm a fan of mixed school and am really happy with her decision.
We also looked at the school's respective grades and UCS achieved considerably higher results in the subjects she wanted.

Thanks for the update OP. Congrats to your DD on her offers and deciding on UCS. Some girls from DD's school joined UCS last September for sixth form and are really enjoying it.

What were the entrance tests and interviews like for UCS? DD will shortly sit her exam. No idea about what they expect from the essay assessment! Any thoughts would be most appreciated!