City of London School for Girls vs Godolphin & Latymer vs SHHS

[londonmum123456]

Our daughter got a place offered from both City of London School for Girls and Godolphin & Latymer. We liked both schools and the commute is similar as we live in the Queens Park area. (She also has South Hampstead as an option. We were somewhat less impressed on the open day but haven’t ruled this out either.)

At CLSG, we like that a relatively high share of girls go into STEM subjects after graduating. DD really likes her sciences and math and so that seems like a good fit. Plus, CLSG appears to have a relatively high share of children from state primaries (which is where she is currently at). DD also went to CLSG on an open day for state school children and enjoyed her time there. On the other hand, G&L has a reputation for being nurturing and that may also do her well. Plus, we like the idea that they offer the IB. I doubt that she will go to college in the US but it’s nice to have the option of more than just four subjects in the final two years. At G&L, we also found the teachers at the open day especially nice and energetic / young. The teachers at CLSG also nice but seemed to be more on the older and perhaps less energetic side though in either case it is probably hard to judge based on the little interaction you have at open days. Last, it appears that CLSG has the reputation of being more academic (though not sure if that’s true….). DD is certainly academic so that may be a good fit but we also want to make sure she is in an environment where she can gain broad confidence socially. I am not sure a very competitive school would be best. Any thoughts??

One more point -- I have heard stories that in some years at least there was not a good vibe in some classes at CLSG and an unusually large number of girls left the schools. That said this is second hand information and I am not sure how representative this is.

In any case, any thoughts on the choice we are facing would be so much appreciated!

@londonmum123456 2 of my dds were educated at CLSG (recent leavers) and received an outstanding education ( all A*). The school has a friendly vibe and a good mixture of girls from different backgrounds.

My dds still have a solid bank of loyal and supportive friends from CLSG, who are decent young women. CLSG teaches the girls to be strong and confident; and that they can achieve anything. My dds ( I have 4) have plenty of friends who attended G & L and it is completely different from CLSG socially with most girls entering from a prep school background.

I am sure G & L is a great school but one of my dds friends younger sister currently attends the school and was badly bullied.

I’m CLSG educated but far too long ago to be of any use to you. 😄

My children are still in prep school so my knowledge of both schools comes from other people. City is the one that people near me want (G&L is far away for us).

I know this is obvious but please don’t hold onto offers longer than you need to. Someone else will be desperate for the place you don’t take.

An odd post above, I think.
It is very sad if a pupil is bullied, but G&L is a school which prides itself (and is renowned for) its pastoral care and nurturing environment. CLSG must be unique if no child experiences difficulties.
Academically the schools are fairly similar, fractions of percentages between them. The Sunday Times rankings this year demonstrate this.
20-25% of G&L pupils enter from state schools; 10% are on bursaries.

OP some of the competitive schools in London have exploding offers which means the schools over offer, but once all the places available have been accepted the list is closed. This happens whether or not dc has been offered a place. CLSG is one such place.

Bullying goes on at every school surely.

@londonmum123456: They are all good schools! As your DD got offers from all of them, it is highly likely she will thrive in all of them, whichever school you or she chooses in the end. Other factors, e.g. commute and cost, may be important to consider. Our DD was in a similar situation last year, but she ultimately chose CLSG. We have no complaints about the school so far. Our friends' DDs who went to G&L and SHHS have also been v happy so far.

We know some parents with older DDs at CLSG but no one's talked about girls leaving en masse. Several do leave at 16+ but this is fairly common at most schools - some will leave to go co-ed or to state. I've not thought that the teachers are old - now that you mentioned it, there appears to have been little recent change in the heads of departments, but I take this as a good sign! The headmistress is new this year and it remains to be seen what her impact will be (though so far all good).

Best of luck with your decision making.

Thank you, everyone! This is helpful.

@bevelino, can you tell me how the academic pressure was at CLSG to stay for the sixth form? I wouldn't want my daughter to be constantly worrying about having to leave the school after year 11.

@cheeze, the commute to G&L is a little shorter, maybe 10 minutes, which makes it 20 minutes a day. That's convenient but definitely not a deciding factor. Yes, City is less expensive. Though I do not know how this may change once they start their building works. I have two more questions if you don't mind: First, did they tell you anything about how the building works may (or may not) impact the kids? Second, and completely unrelated, it seemed that most clubs at CLSG (similar actually at G&L) are during lunchtime. Do they also have after school clubs? Seemed like this might be less of a rush...

@londonmum123456: As far as I know, the previously proposed buildings extension are on hold indefinitely. This means the prep school will not expand for the foreseeable future. You're right that there are many clubs at lunchtime, with a smaller selection before and after school. I think this is fine, as I'd rather DD got home before the rush hour. On the 2 days she has after school clubs, she doesn't leave school until well after 5 pm, with knock-on effect on homework etc (not that she has had much homework set so far).

@londonmum123456, as you know CLSG is an academic school and there are high expectations on the girls to succeed. While dds were there, they were not aware of any girl leaving due to failure to keep up. The school provide a lot of support and the progress of each student is monitored closely.

One of the things I liked about the school was the way in which the girls supported each other. For example if someone found a topic difficult another student would explain. Also there were extra lessons for girls to catch up or go over any subject they found difficult prior to the exam periods.

I’ve had two DDs at G&L and we have been really happy with it. It’s an incredibly inclusive school, and girls of all sorts thrive happily there - I haven’t heard about any bullying. There’s plenty of focus on STEM if that’s a concern for you. What has most impressed me is the way they manage to get excellent results without putting overt pressure on the girls. There’s a real awareness of the pressure they put themselves under, and a genuine desire to support them to do well without adding to their stress

Thank you! @bevelino, you said in your original post that the schools are completely different socially, with G&L many girls entering with prep school background and less so at CLSG. What is your sense how this might play out on a day-to-day level? I know you said your DDs attended CLSG and so it will be more indirect form what you observe from your friends, still may be helpful.

@londonmum123456 our experience of CLSG was the school integrated the girls well from the start. There was a bonding week away from home during the first few weeks of year 7. Unless a girl declared she was in receipt of a bursary it was not known or speculated by any of the other girls.

My dds (and I can only speak from their experience) were educated at a prep school but have always had solid friendships with girls educated in the state sector and from all backgrounds. CLSG ensured the girls understood that everyone is different but should be treated equally and that sentiment stayed with them throughout their entire time at the school.

Hi, @cheeze, DD was invited to an interview next week at CLSG (16+) and I wonder if you know why some pupils leave for state schools. Is that to do with a better chance. to get a place at uni? Thanks!

I know someone who's leaving as they want to be co-ed for 6th form. Also plenty of state options that are decent at that age, so parents are quite happy as they can move the fees to younger sibling.