SW London girls independent/grammars thread 2020

[autumnnightsaredrawingin]

Last year, there were two amazing threads which were super helpful about exactly this, so I wanted to start a thread for girls due to start September 2020. If anyone from last year wants to contribute please do!

We have narrowed our choices down to 5, sadly not in the right postcode for Tiffin, and decided not to do the Sutton grammars.

So, she will be doing PHS, WHS, LEH, SHS and Woldingham. Also registered for Emanuel but we may pull that one.

@PhilippaFawcett well done! Best wishes to your DD!

Thank you so much @Gandtime for your reply and information just trying to look at things financially. Although outings tend to be nice for the children shame they don’t do many. Anyway I’m sure they have lots to do at school :)

Congratulations @PhilippaFawcett on your choice!

Has anyone heard of WL moving at PHS, LEH, WHS etc just out of interest?

I haven't heard of anything moving so far, but state school offers come out on Monday so I think things will start to move after that. A lot of people will get Tiffin and then decline the private offers they are holding.

@PhilippaFawcett - would you mind talking me through your reasons for choosing G&L? Not to pry, but just that we are so incredibly stuck on choosing between it and LEH. G&L so much closer but LEH have been so welcoming and the grounds, facilities are just incredible. Little details like the LEH staff all remembering our dd's name when she's come back again for other events really feels special and worth something (and maybe worth the long journey???). I don't know how we will make a decision in the next two days so any reasons that helped you make your choice would be greatly appreciated.

@givemesomewineplease not a problem. Firstly it is very much about location. G&L is four tube stops/15 minutes for us whereas LEH is 20-25 minute bus ride. The bus is fine for going to/from school but if you go as a parent it can take an hour in rush hour as you are going with the traffic. My son is at Hampton and it takes at least an hour and a half to get there from work. I have good friends with children at LEH and they spend a lot of time collecting from after school activities where they have missed the bus. Fine if you don't work but I work full time.
Secondly, I felt the vibe at G&L would suit my daughter better. It is scruffier, and the girls look more like individuals. Thirdly I didn't get a great feeling from the admissions team at LEH, who came across as arrogant and quite old fashioned (the only school not to use email). Several people on here and in real life have been very negative about the school, whereas all the G&L parents I know are wholeheartedly positive about it.
But essentially they are both amazing schools and the main decider for me was the geography. My daughter is very sporty and having the sports and boat house accessible by public transport is a huge plus. Hope that helps x

@givemesomewineplease - if you genuinely can't decide I'd go for the nearest definitely. We have had a similar dilemma for DS, having narrowed down the choice to LUS and Hampton. Love Hampton but don't really want to be tied to the school bus for 7 years and LUS much easier and closer to get to- not just for DS but as PhilippaF says, for us as well for all the times we need to get there. I think LEH has more after school clubs than Hampton as well which makes the bus thing even trickier.
DD is at another secondary school and I have had to pick her up from rehearsals, when she's ill, attend school evening things far more than I thought I would.
She also likes being near lots of cafes, shops etc!

Thanks @PhilippaFawcett and @borisboris, v helpful. Where is your dd @borisboris? I think LEH is our favourite (because of the facilities and space, and also that each time she has gone back for music or scholar events the teachers and admissions people have remembered her name and seem to really really want her), whereas G&L probably have a waiting list as long as your arm and they know they don't have to work hard to convince anyone! But then G&L has such a positive reputation from current parents and amazing results, and then it's 20-30mins door to door for dd (10mins by car). We have had such a positive experience with the admissions team at LEH, they couldn't have been kinder and more accommodating, but that's maybe because of the extra scholar-related events dd has been invited to. We haven't had that opportunity with G&L so don't have the same warm and cuddly feeling. But all parents seem to rave about G&L once the kids are in, which is all that matters.

I'm so worried about the journey, otherwise honestly I would choose LEH. I think dd will be getting 3-4 late buses each week by year 8 or 9, which means getting home after 7pm. And that's just so late. But while she's there, the facilities are knock-out and the teachers have all been so nice and friendly. Also a lot her friends would probably live in Surrey and beyond. I'm going round and around in circles as you can probably tell!

Our DD is also starting at G&L. We chose not to apply to schools that we really liked but that we felt were either too far away or awkward in terms of transport from our home (City, SHHS etc). Not just because of the journey time (which is obviously a big factor) but also thinking about future potential friendship groups.

I think if one of those schools was clearly a better fit for our DD then we would have maybe had a different approach. But all the schools were great in their own way and I think a much bigger factor is out of your control - the cohort in your child’s year!

I would also just add that it’s not selfish to think of how you as a family will juggle the logistics. We currently live walking distance to our DC’s primary school and the freedom and flexibility that’s given us as a family has been great. Hopefully the move to getting the tube a few stops to G&L will be smooth!

givemesomewine - I’ve never visited LEH, but we did visit Hampton back in the day when we had a similar toss up between LU and Hampton. My impression was that Hampton and LEH feel more like suburban schools, which may or may not be a drawback, depending on your preferences. Yes they have the sports fields all around, but the schools are in quite isolated locations really. As they get older and particularly when they’re in sixth form and have free periods, a highlight of the day for those at LU or G&L is going to the food market in Lyric Square for lunch; or even just a quick Starbucks. It’s all there on the doorstep with these schools and they do enjoy the flexibility And independence it brings. I couldn’t imagine my older ones being coached to and from a school now, they would be bored stiff. If DS stays late for a club, they often get their own dinner on the way home. I do worry about Hammersmith, especially in the winter evenings, as it can be a bit volatile as you will know, but they’re London kids and they need to learn to navigate the streets, buses and tube at some point. That’s just my view. Oh, and the admissions people at G&L seem lovely, as far as I can tell. The head is very down-to-earth and approachable. She teaches history and makes sure she teaches all the Year 7 girls at some point so she can get to know them. There are many super talented girls at G&L but they don’t make a fuss because the ethos is not really like that. I noticed the head saying on the website, “this is not a place for queen bees..,” I think this is true, from what I can tell.

Also at G&L, they wear the tracksuit with hoodie and trainers nearly every day, so they don’t have to carry sports bags to and from school. DD only wears her uniform one day per week, if that.

@givemesomewineplease I just wanted to say, good luck with your decision. As you know, we had a very very similar dilemma with PHS and LEH. I agree with your experience, that the admissions team have been nothing but kind and helpful, the staff we met were lovely, and when I declined our LEH place we received a really kind email. It was a very, very hard decision for us, but for us it was the massive difference in distance, plus the fact that Putney have a much stronger sports team in a sport my daughter loves, and the fact Putney offer PE GCSE and LEH do not.

Some people have told me we are crazy for turning down a place at LEH. Others have told me Putney is an amazing school and DD and I would have come to resent that very long journey every day to LEH.

It’s a really tough one, but you know your daughter best. Close your eyes and see where you can truly imagine her. Where you think she’ll be happier. And if that is LEH- go for it. For us, my heart said Putney, so that’s what we did. X

Good luck in making your decision. Personally I like the suburban feel of LEH and the amazing grounds. I see it as an advantage that they cannot necessarily hang out in town after school (there’s plenty of opportunity for that in the holidays). The sixth formers seem happy to hang out at lunchtime in their sixth form centre which has its own Costa!! The LEH head also teachers year 7s (geography) which is lovely as she gets to know the individual girls. I think your decision comes down to whether you and your daughter are prepared to make the journey. They are both excellent schools.

I’m just going to comment that the late LEH bus is at extra cost, plus doesn’t go to the same stops necessarily as the normal bus! I collect 1 day by choice (something after school), 1 day that dd finishes after late bus, and 2days where she could get late bus but would then be home at least 40 mins later than if I pick her up (90 mins in one case) and would have a 15 min walk (in dark/rain) with book bag, sports bag and two instruments...and if I’m going to drive to get her from the bus stop I might as well drive to school!

Of course it does give plenty of time to hang out in paws for coffee in HAMPTON or to walk in bushey Park...

@autumnnights. LEH does offer PE GCSE now - it’s new and just starting up.

@pamplemoussed ah ok, my mistake! I was told it didn’t, but to be fair that wasn’t this cycle of visits.

A few things to add here.
I think the PP who commented the Hampton schools are more suburban is right ( I’ve got DD/DS at both schools) . When we had choices between LEH and the Hammersmith schools someone told me that the pace of growing up is just a bit slower at the Hampton schools, less temptations ( but some still are!) and probably less super rich people. That is possibly more so for, say, LUL vs LEH than G&L vs LEH. It turns out that the suburban pace was the right pace for us but it will depend on your child . The downside is that they might be slightly less worldly than the more urban schools but they can and will catch up . Fast forward a few years and some of the girls at LEH will move onto other indies like KCS/ Westminster for sixth form so that option is there too. My DD has a sixth form place at one of the schools that takes girls in the sixth form but I think it’s very unlikely she will move - at heart she is a LEH girl but we did explore it to be certain . For us the late bus has been great - our one is usually on time - there are fewer stops that is true- but she can also take the local bus too . I have heard that LEH are going to be offering PE GCSE . My DD would have liked to have done PE but since she does a lot of extra curricular sport and science I think in a way it’s good that she had to opt for something else. In terms of where friends live yes the coach network can mean a wide catchment area but I don’t think the Hammersmith schools are all local kids either- I know plenty of G&L/ SPGS/LUL girls who have far flung friends too . Yes it’s possible that your daughter might make friends with a girl who lives in wIndsor but actually very few come in from there . In fact Year 7, 8,9 classes are grouped by location so in the early years most of my DD friends were not that far away . Some are but they manage ! But I agree transport is a very important consideration . The coach is actually quite social and our service is pretty reliable . For the PP who asked about waitlist - a friend DD has just had a G&L offer from waitlist . She is keen for a LEH place ( on that waitlist too) but they have told her that they won’t go to their list until after state school offers on 2nd March - since some of the applicants will be waiting on Tiffin Girls etc .

Hello. I agree with the last poster about the suburban versus urban thing. I have friends with DC at LU and G&L and they are definitely more streetwise than my DC. I'm not saying they are more advanced and doing things sooner, but they are more aware of things like clubs etc., There are also more extremes in terms of wealth, which is good (LU have a great bursary scheme) and bad. As another poster has mentioned, Hammersmith is very edgy at night, but they do see 'all sorts', which is good depending on your view point.

I didn't apply to those schools for my DC for these reasons and went for the more suburban schools in places like Wimbledon and Kingston, which are still easy to get to. Of course, you still get wealthy children here too! We applied for the Hampton schools but only as a back up just in case. I work full time I cannot pick up from school so it is crucial for us for the school to have a good public transport network. I would say check out the public bus options for the Hampton school. There is a very good bus into Kingston that the Hampton headmaster takes!

It's hard as a scholarship means they have 'chosen' your DD, and that means a lot. You also have a very good feeling about it. If you can come to the terms with the transport and it bring a bit tricky from time to time, then go with your gut feel of LEH

@givemesomewine do let us know what you decide!

@Thisisconfusing and @Thesunalwaysshines thanks a lot for these points. We have made up our mind and shortlisted LEH for the very same reasons mentioned above.
While we loved LU after the offer holders events and thought as all hammersmith schools have that urban buzz, LEH would be more suited to our DD plus the added benefit of proximity.
@givemesomewineplease Good luck deciding. It is a tough one.

• not as ... that

thisisconfusing makes a good point about moving in sixth form if they get fed up (for any reason) and fancy a change, but they can decide themselves then. Some are desperate to leave an all girls school, especially if they've been there since 4 or 8 years old, no matter where it is located! I may consider a 'London' school for my DC at sixth form, if they want it.

Thanks everyone for all your thoughts and words of advice. So helpful. I'm actually away on a long weekend until tonight (slightly unfortunate timing!), hence my limited replies, so as we're still in total deadlock I think we'll have a roundtable discussion tonight with dh and somehow decide between G&L and LEH! Deadline is tomorrow.

Have released LU with great difficulty so hopefully that will make another dc happy.

Have we got to make a new thread once this one reaches 1000?