Francis Holland

[givemesomewineplease]

Could anyone give me some current feedback on FH Regent’s Park and Sloane Sq? Trying to decide if one or both are worth visiting. It’s for a bright and academic dd who is into sports, music and art - she has her heart set on G&L but she needs some backups. Are these schools rigorously academic and which of the two is considered better academically (I’m looking for inspiring and strong teaching rather than an obsession with churning out A*s) or are they much of a muchness now? SS would be easier logistically but have been told RP has a better reputation academically (really though it would be a pain to travel to every day, hence wondering if I shouldn’t bother with either). Any feedback appreciated.

FH Regents Park has the reputation for being stronger academically. FH SS has just taken a lease on the premises next door and will have an extra y7 class every year starting in September. This will increase the size of the school significantly over time. It is hard to know how this will affect the school.

I’m not sure either school has a reputation for sport as they lack facilities, like many other London schools.

You're obviously aware that neither is considered to be in the top tier of academic girls schools. The head at Regent's Park, Charles Fillingham, came from City of London Boys in 2016 and seems determined to up the academic bar at FHRP. I believe it was he who introduced a formal program to stretch the more academically inclined girls further. It will be interesting to see if their results improve substantially in a few years.

FHRP is across the road from Regent's Park so they do have fairly easy access to the sports facilities there, in addition to having a decent sized swimming pool in their building.

Thanks all for your thoughts. The academic background of the new head at RP sounds promising and so I think that’s worth a visit. So hard trying to fit in all the open days, hence hoping to streamline my list a bit!

I would prefer a senior only school so that all the girls start together in Yr 7, which puts me off SS a little, and also if the intake is increasing, it would concern me if they have the infrastructure and planning in place across the board in sports, music as well as academics to support all the girls. Strong academics are very important to me and my dd so I think RP is the one to visit.

Not everyone wants the "top tier"; they would never be my choice.

I know many many girls who have gone to RP and SS and they have been very successful, in fact many have surpassed achievements of former peers at other London schools. Both RP and SS are academic, just not as fiercely competitive as some schools - which is a good thing! RP very slightly has the edge academically but I would pick the one that suits your DD and journey best.

I really wouldn't write off SS if it's easier logistically, easy commute makes such a difference to secondary experience in my experience, especially as there's a lot of out-of-school socialising, you don't want to be constantly driving to N London to pick up your dd if you're on the other side of the city. Seriously, that would be my priority over a slightly better academic record and a junior school - schools are very adept at splitting up junior school children so cliques don't form and new girls integrate well.

Not everyone wants the "top tier"

Very true. To each their own.

If my DD were keen on sports, I would have looked for schools with a reputation for strong participation in sports. If my DD had a passion for fine arts or music or drama, I would have looked for schools with a reputation for a focus on fine arts or music or drama. As it happens, my DD is keen on maths. Her prep school specifically suggested that she would be a better fit at schools which were "more academic".

A couple of people here have mentioned that RP is better academically so I just wanted to mention that it’s actually SS that is higher in the league tables and gets better exam results. Obviously that’s not a main reason for choosing it but wanted to make sure you had the facts to base your decision on.

The mixture of responses reflects what I had already thought, that both schools are worth considering, but wanting to reduce the number of possible schools I was hoping there would be a clear preference! In all honesty, I don’t want dd slogging it into central London on the tube (with sports kit, musical instruments, art portfolio etc) when we have some great schools very close to us in West London so I feel half-hearted about both FH due to location. But it’s the fear of her missing out on the v academic schools around us that makes me want to ensure she has a very good alternative (and with the consortium exam FH is covered when she sits G&L). I’ll try to make it to both open days and decide if the journey would be worth it. Thanks all for your feedback.

it’s actually SS that is higher in the league tables and gets better exam results.

That’s been true at GCSE for the last few years but RP still gets somewhat better results at A Levels.

Hi sim not sure why people are saying FHSS is not “top tier”. I think they got 88% A-A at GCSE last year. Does it make that much difference whether a school is achieving 95% A-A or 88%?

I would be focusing on GCSE results at 11 plus because they can always move for A-level.

OP, I visited FHSS back on Jan and we loved it. I was surprised by how down to earth it was. The head’s talk was like a breath of fresh air compared to other open days. She talked about how A-Levels are too rigid in preparing Zyoung people for the workplace of the future. She said the average graduate will change job nine times. What we need to instil in young women is flexibility and resilience. Many more girls will work flexible hours and run their own businesses. She said no girl will leave FHS without knowing how to open a savings account, get a mortgage snd the basics if starting a business. She just seemed so switched on and forward-focused. No other school touched on any of this.

DD was offered an academic scholarship there which was very hard to turn down, but in the end we chose one of the Hammersmith girls’ schools. But I think it would be a privilege to go to FHSS and it’s worth the tube journey if necessary. It’s such a quick walk from SS tube and there’s far worse places to hang out after school than the Kings Rd. Lucky them!

It’s not a “second tier” school anymore - definitely one to watch! Good luck!

Also, just to add, I know two girls who have opted for FHSS over PHS this year. DD was also offered a scholarship st PHS but we would have chosen FHSS if it was out of those two, It might not have the on-site facilities, but I thought it had a more genuine, personalised atmosphere.

Good to hear some positive things about FHSs. I have found it hard to find much online about it!

Just to add that I have a DD at FHS SS and it doesn’t feel tier 2 at all! I know a few people who prefer it over the G&L’s as it’s focus is much more rounded, it has genuinely good pastoral care and I think probably gets the best out of all the pupils.
It’s become incredibly hard to get into so I wouldn’t count on it being a back up as many really bright girls are not getting places because of the demand.

So nice to hear this as dd starting there next term and have not heard much about it. I thought the gcse results were fine.