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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Camden School for Girls/St Marylebone/Parli/Haverstock etc

28 replies

hope92 · 12/09/2019 13:36

Trying to work out hte best state secondary school (Y5 now). The two best seem to be CSG and St M, but wondering what the view was on all the North London state options? Henrietta Barnett is a different thing I think. What is the best state North London girls/mixed secondary?

OP posts:
malmontar · 12/09/2019 14:12

Depends completely on your child and where you live. There's no way you'd get into all of those from the same address. I find questions like this really silly because there is no way someone can tell you what's best. It's what you deem as important and what your child needs. They all have their opinions and people who like them and don't for various reasons.

Original poster
hope92 · 12/09/2019 14:46

It's not silly if you can plan ahead.

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malmontar · 12/09/2019 15:13

Well it is if you haven't even said anything about your child. CSG is useless for SEN for example but gets excellent results for high achievers.

SamBee1 · 12/09/2019 15:19

I've got strong feelings about 3 of those schools and send my daughter to one of them (no idea about the 4th). But you literally give nothing away that would help us answer you? Especially in terms of how they would suit your daughter. And are all applicable to you? I was unaware there is any crossover in catchment area between CSG & St M? Unless she's great at music, etc, then they'd be a different answer. What are you looking for?

Otherwise simply compare Ofsted & Exam Results. It's a poor way of doing it, but I can't think what else would help you?

Zinnia · 12/09/2019 16:07

Unless you live on the doorstep of St M you won't get an "open" (ie non-church) place. Performing arts places mega-competitive. If you have been fulfilling church requirements, the distance can go to 4-5 miles. I looked at it for DD, and know people whose daughters are doing fantastically there, but for us the limitations of the site were a big turn-off. Also DD wasn't keen.

CSG - what Malmontar said. I don't quite understand the hysteria around CSG, it's semi-selective after all. There are enough threads on here about that already!

Parli - loved it but we were too far away this year.

Haverstock - new head, new Ofsted. Definitely worth a look.

You don't ask about Acland Burghley, but its popularity has shot back up and I know a number of disappointed families whose DC didn't get in this year.

But all this is my opinion, as PPs have said there is no substitute for going to look at them all. St M's open days are usually early so you might need to check that if you haven't already!

Zinnia · 12/09/2019 16:12

Oh and you're right, Henrietta Barnett is an entirely different thing. Unless your DD is top of her year I wouldn't put her through it, it's a pretty brutal process.

Original poster
hope92 · 12/09/2019 16:30

We live just close enough to St M for it to work on an open place, but want to move towards kentish town for price reasons, so are looking for a good school in that general Dartmouth Park/KT/Camden Town area. Not sure if St M or CSG is better - my daughter likes both and would suit both i think.

OP posts:
SamBee1 · 12/09/2019 16:51

For the area you're looking at, definitely include Acland Burghley, I found the new (not so new now) headteacher quite inspirational.

I know plenty of people who have turned down CSG for Parliament Hill which will be a new school more or less than when you arrive, not sure what Haverstock would have over all the above. If you do end up moving to these areas, go see AB and PH as well as CSG, and are all very different, but it sounds like CSG is where you're keenest to like.

I'm not commenting on St M as no knowledge.

Vinorosso74 · 12/09/2019 23:13

My DD is same age as yours and we have some schools in common on our list to see. We're about to start the visits to get more of a feel for them.
CSG seems to have mixed feedback and I do wonder how pressured it is. AB seems the popular school choice around here but a few years ago it didn't fill all it's spaces.

JC4PMPLZ · 13/09/2019 09:00

They are all such very different schools, liberal, less liberal, mixed, single sex, scholarships, uniforms, no uniforms, none. It really makes no sense as a question. Give some criteria,

PhonicTheHedgehog · 13/09/2019 09:26

Has anyone been to see any schools yet?
If you’re DD is in Y5 it would be as well to go this year.The CSG open events are over I think (?) or nearly so, and maybe St Ms too. But check the websites and go if you can.

Original poster
hope92 · 13/09/2019 13:14

Liberal is good, single sex seems to be how London does it but not fussed on that. meettheparents.co.uk looks very helpful but haven't been to any of their meetings yet.

A lot of open days coming up next week and the one after. Saw CSG today, and liked it a lot but Camden Town catchment seems a lot edgier than epcted.

OP posts:
Original poster
hope92 · 13/09/2019 13:27

What is the Paddington Academy?

OP posts:
PhonicTheHedgehog · 13/09/2019 13:35

Beacon High is near to where you were looking to buy. You might like to look round there?

Zinnia · 13/09/2019 16:22

@hope92 Meet the Parents are great, get to one of their sessions if you can.

Grin at CSG being edgy! It has a reputation locally of being "up itself" (this is not my opinion, just what I have heard other people say), and the covert selection/ barriers to entry put lots of people off which I expect is the idea. You would pay an absolute premium for a property close enough that you're likely to get in though. Some of the "naicest" streets in Kentish Town are in "catchment".

Sorry can't help with Paddington Academy, out of my area!

Vinorosso74 · 13/09/2019 18:46

@Zinnia do you know if Islington do any Meet the Parents? I can only find stuff for Camden....
Apologies for hijacking the thread OP. Am open to extra info myself.
Is Beacon High going to be the next AB then???? It's one with a dead cert of getting a place. That said so is IAMS which we're going to see.

Huffthemagicdragon · 13/09/2019 19:04

Hmmm at the idea of someone who thinks CSG's catchment is edgy considering Beacon High. I would homeschool rather than send a girl to Holloway (as was). It's sad but it's going to take more than a name change to turn that ship around.

PhonicTheHedgehog · 13/09/2019 19:14

My dark humour was lost. Or more probably not very funny and just a bit mean. Sorry.

But I think we can help OP a bit more now. Haverstock isn’t for you. Acland Burghley isn’t for you. London is edgy, it’s full of Londoners!

How about staying where you are and moving after your daughter has a St M place? That or looking at other areas.

You know there is an independent boarding school that has a fancy outfit that takes lots of children on bursaries. Then there are the church schools . I’ll make some food and if someone’s not mentioned them before I get back I’ll look up names.

Vinorosso74 · 13/09/2019 19:41

My response to Beacon High was tongue in cheek as no way are we considering it. Not sure OP is considering it either....

PhonicTheHedgehog · 13/09/2019 21:40

www.christs-hospital.org.uk/admissions/admissions-timetable-2020-entry/

I was thinking of Christs Hospital.

Original poster
hope92 · 13/09/2019 23:01

I accept the hits, @phonicthehedgehog, totally fair enough.

I am all over the place on all of it, and Acland Burghley is on the list for sure. East Finchley is a great idea, will look into it..

OP posts:
Zinnia · 13/09/2019 23:10

@Vinorosso74 MTP is a Camden thing as far as I know, believe they'd like to expand but it's focussed on the NW1/5 schools on the whole

Original poster
hope92 · 13/09/2019 23:11

Ok so that is not the east finchley school i was thinking it was. Have to say Christ's hospital looks very strange. Who sends their kids to boarding school in 2019?

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PhonicTheHedgehog · 13/09/2019 23:30

Who sends their kids to boarding school in 2019
People who find Camden School for Girls edgy Hope!Grin

How about Parliament Hill School for Girls?

Muswell Hill is cheaper to live in than Kentish Town and you’ll have Fortismere and Alexander Park and lots of others I can’t remeber the names of right now.

Zinnia · 14/09/2019 18:12

You're thinking of Christ's College Finchley, @hope92! I hear very good things about that.

Fortusmere and now especially Alexandra Park are hugely sought-after and house prices close to them both attract a premium accordingly!

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