Henrietta Barnett, Dame Alice Owens, Latymer or good local option...

[lastminuteschoolsdotcom]

Have to make a decision re DD for CAF deadline on Saturday and, without having had the benefit of attending open days this year, I'd really like to hear from people with children at / personal experience of the schools above.

DD has a sibling place at a good local school near us i.e. walkable, but has had a go at the grammar options and is through to the second round of all the ones that we know about (Latymer 1st round results still to be announced but it seems sensible to ask about them all at the same time).

Each school would be a considerable journey (i.e. up to an hour) and, without knowing them that well, it's hard to know whether what they offer beyond her closer option will make the travel time worth it. She's a very able child who I think will be fine academically in most places so it's really down to where she will be happiest. Slightly erring towards HBS of the three above because she's quite geeky and liked what she read re robotics clubs etc I'd heard some historic reports of bullying but that goes back a long way, hence wanting to hear from current or recent parents.

Any knowledge about any of the above much appreciated. I've done a search for old threads but wondered if there was any more up-to-date information.

I heard Latymer provision wasn't great during lockdown either OP so may not be a great option from that perspective.

Henrietta had the best online provision during lockdown by far - lots of live lessons. QE Boys was also excellent.

The others listed were as good as most secondaries - work set but not much in the way of live lessons or feedback at least in non-exam years.

So @lastminuteschoolsdotcom what did you put down on the application form? I always think it's ironic that they choose Halloween as the date to have to do it.

(I have a hunch as to which one you put top but I'm not going to put it down because it's likely wrong).

Sightly puzzled as to why people look at what happened in the first lockdown in terms of remote learning etc rather than seeing what's in place now when there has been adequate time to prepare.

@PatienceVirtue sorry just seen this. Also, don't know if this is totally 'outing' but we put HBS first and CSG second (largely because HBS is the closest of the grammars for us and journey time is such a consideration). Slightly regretting not putting CSG first now. Doing the second round at HBS (which was after the deadline) gave us another (albeit cursory) look at the school, which was helpful but I'm not sure it is for us. The travel time and fact that students will come from so far afield and from different directions, combined with what I've seen of some of the parent intensity (a culture which I understand often extends into secondary school life) makes me wonder if she would have much of a social life there, though I don't doubt that it is an excellent school. I think the odds are against her getting a place anyway - she found the second round exam really hard - so she'll probably default to CSG. But if by any chance she does get offered one, the LEA have said they'll be flexible where parents are waiting for results of selective school entry so we might end up asking if they'll consider letting us change our preference because they whole process has been so much more confused this year. If they won't, I guess we'll have to stand by our original decision. For me, not being able to visit the schools and get a feel for them has made this such a hard decision.

@wouldlikeapuppy I see what you mean in that is it harsh to judge a school based on how it reacts to a pandemic but then again, it really did seem (even leaving aside considerations about budgets etc) that some schools had a much more flexible, 'can do' attitude than others and that is hard to ignore.

I have my two girls at the same local school and I love the conversations they have at supper about their day. They are in different houses which makes for competitive moments during house sports! We wondered about the nearest selective school which is an hour away but SO glad we didn’t, my eldest’s best friend has recently left there with an eating disorder. Local schools make children feel part of a community, mine love the short journey, later sleeps in the morning which in mental health terms is so important for teens, snd I love the fact that they decide if they want to work hard it isn’t pressure out on them - I think for girls this feels really important to me.I think there is a snobbery about local schools sometimes - I think of these people as ‘comp snobs’ and I sometimes feel that some people feel a need to be able to say that their child goes to xxx school even if they aren’t that happy there.

@lastminuteschoolsdotcom (I don't think the attitude alone will make a difference. A school who offered a lot online, not considering if some students couldn't access it, wouldn't necessarily be a great school. Some schools would have been affected directly (with covid sick teachers etc) more than others etc. Some schools might have been focusing more about the students emotional welfare than sending out work etc. I think sometimes there is too much focus on being given work rather than seeing what the benefit is for...).

Anyway whilst I can see the benefit of a local school, I also know many children (including DC) with longer commutes that don't mind - they see the travel as a social thing and if they enjoy the school, they don't mind the travel (think about working at a job nearby but that you dislike, or a job further away that you love). I assume it also depends on the child - DC was definitely tired of out London suburb and needed to meet new people and she really enjoys the independence being able to travel further distances on her own.

Saying that, your options are great and you can't really go wrong either way. Good luck!

@wouldlikeapuppy totally agree that it shouldn't be all about what work was provided regardless of who could access it and, in our case, if it had been apparent that the school was prioritising emotional welfare then we wouldn't have been as bothered about the limited work available. But the pastoral side was the worst aspect to be honest. Saying that, we've moved on and I'm sure they've learned a lot and would be better prepared if schools closed again.

And thank you, you make a v good point re travel. I guess without experience of it, all I can imagine is a little year 7 travelling for hours each week but they soon get bigger and maybe, as you say, some distance and a feeling of independence could be a good thing. We'll have to wait and see :)

Sorry to hijack the thread but I wonder if any of you with daughters at CSG would mind if if messages you privately?

@camdenish that's totally fine. Happy to answer any questions i can

Thanks @lastminuteschoolsdotcom