Kingston Grammar/Surbiton High/LEH/Tiffin Girls/St Catherines

[KChilds]

Hello, we're relatively new to the area and plunged into secondary school applications. 10yr DD is pretty bright but has been at state primary with no tutors until very recently and isn't exactly highly polished. We are quite relaxed - maybe too relaxed meaning that we might not get in anywhere!
Anyway... not knowing too many people in the area, was wondering if anyone had strong feelings either way or personal experience of the above schools? Academic standards important - but a friendly and supportive atmosphere more so, and ideally a nice school community. Just trying to get as much intel as possible! Thanks all.

If she's 10, is she in year 6? If so you may be too late for some of these for next year?

We looked at some of these schools. If you’re very relaxed and have not had tutoring, I don’t think LEH will be a good fit

We absolutely loved it and so did our daughter. They were very up front with their expectations on the number of hours for prep. Our daughter is very bright, had been having tutoring (learned that lesson with our first child, the hard way). And felt we wanted her to have a bit more flexibility. She did very well and is now in her last year at Birmingham.

We have had friends of our daughters go to Tiffin and Surbiton and did very well. You could also consider Notre Dame, St George’s

I agree that St George's is worth a look.The thing that gets me about pupils I meet from there is that they seem so happy. Like they feel right in their own skin. Some of the more academic schools can be a bit more nerve-wracking unless they are natural high-fliers (LEH or Tiffin.)

If you’re considering as far as St Catherine’s. Then I can recommend both St Cats and (personally) Tormead school in Guildford. They would, in my mind, both fulfil your criterion for supportive/community. Both are very different in their style (one country and one city). Websites for both indicate online open days still available and registrations not yet closed for 2021 if that’s what’s you’re after. So not too late yet! Think Tormead has a virtual open day this Friday as a friend is logging onto it for their DD. Happy hunting and let me know if you want my (just one person’s, mind!) experience. :-)

Yes to Tormead. I know a lot of Tormead girls and they are happy and lively and energetic about life. They don't have that huge pressure to overachieve that GHS puts on their girls. It seems like a lovely school.

I think the OP may mean St Catherine's Twickenham.

I have a DD at St cats in twickenham. We only joined this September from a different prep school but I have been happily surprised at what a nice, nurturing and caring school it is. Pastoral seems to be good and academics are taken seriously but not hot house environment.

Sorry I didn’t comment on the rest!!
Kingston Grammar - we loved this school but kids have to be pretty bright. It’s not top 60 in the country for nothing. Saying that I have friends whose kids go there and they are all very happy with the school and find it nurturing and supportive
Surbiton High - another good school. Not as academic as KGs but they do push the girls hard. It’s also a big school of over 1100 so if your DD would thrive in a smaller environment, it might not be the best place. If they are confident they will be fine
Tiffin Girls - it’s free!! But also highly academic and difficult to get in to. Don’t let it put you off but you do need to have a super bright DD

St Catherines (St cats) see my comments above. A good mix of abilities and is fast becoming a popular choice as the new headmistress has her eyes on strong a level results and a thriving 6 form.

Thanks everyone, all very useful. yes, did mean St Catherines in twickenham! Have done all the registering required so far so no options completely closed off. Will be trying Tiffin test next week as a total longshot, but nothing ventured, nothing gained!

Good luck 😄

I have a DS who has just started KGS from state school. From the schools you have mentioned and from chatting with friends with daughters, I would say:

1. Tiffin and LEH are highly academic and I would think you’d need tutoring for those schools and have the type of DD who would thrive in that type of environment. IME some girls managed LEH but didn’t get Tiffin.
2. My son is at KGS and really enjoying it so far. The Head and head of Y7 are very friendly and supportive. Academics and sport taken seriously but without heaps of pressure (so far). Parents and kids seem reassuringly normal. It feels a bit more informal than some of the other equivalent schools we looked at. I would say he was in top third of his class plus we did 1 hour tutor a week from Y5. Some of his bright friends did not get into the school - remember that as it is co-ed there are far less places available for your DD. Reasoning has dropped this year which may help you if you haven’t tutored yet.
3. Surbiton is probably less academic but very popular as it is good at sport.
4. St Catherine’s supposed to be very good at pastoral care. If friendly/supportive are a priority for you then take a look as this is it’s value against the more competitive schools. Radnor House which is opposite would be the same too and has a reputation for excellent pastoral care.

As someone who came from the state system, I would encourage you to get some form of tutoring as it isn’t just being intelligent - it’s knowing how to do the tests to show the intelligence.

Good luck!

All great schools that fits different types of girls.

My DD at LEH, self motivate, determinate and bright. The school does not put pressures on the girls but the girls does. I actually think it's less strict and more relax compare to other schools on your list. Strong in music, sports and drama. My DD loves it. It's the right school for her.

Might be worth looking at Sir William Perkins (SWPS) in Chertsey too - DD very happy there, it is academically strong but that is not the be all and end all, and it has a 50% state primary intake, meaning the dynamics are a bit different (in a good way) to a lot of private schools (I.e. it’s perhaps a bit less polished, which is exactly what we wanted)

I went to St Catherine's. It was an absolute hell hole. I'm naturally academic (all As and A*s in 11 GCSEs without studying) but the school's sole focus ruined me and there was no pastoral support at all when I clearly was having a breakdown relating to childhood trauma. I would crawl through fire before letting my child anywhere near.

Just seen you didn't mean St. Cats in Bramley. I haven't heard of one in Twix so ignore me!

Ha ha! Will def steer clear of St Catz in Bramley then...

Thanks to all, so useful and kind of reinforcing the picture I was already getting of the schools. We are tutoring although not doing much between times. Think will try and ramp it up as KGS sounds great. Am very happy they have dropped reasoning. Reassuring that your son from state school is loving it kittybloom, thanks.

Another good reference for KGS here. DD is in 2nd year, also from a state school. She had limited tutoring to get used to exam format etc. but was at the top of her class in all academic subjects. (Didn't get in to Tiffin)

She loves it, as others have said it is a very friendly and kind school. The head is great - full of energy, very progressive and whilst he's very funny he also is inspiring for the older students. Definitely feels like an urban school both for location (obvs) and that it's less "old school" than others.

She has friends at LEH and at St Catherines, also very happy there. Mixed vs co-ed is obviously a matter of preference, I would also look at St Georges if it's close enough, and I hear very good things about Claremont - better than it's past reputation.

Good luck!

Tiffin has been wonderful for DD. We tried it as a long shot alongside the usual range of SW London independents, and we just couldn't turn it down when she got in. She's had a lot of fun there, which belies its hothouse reputation. They work very hard these days on the pastoral side of things, which I gather from old threads on here used to be a weakness.

Yes - Claremont definitely on the up