SPGS vs G&L

[WanderingWoman]

My DD has offers from both and she is a well rounded person. We didn’t think she would get into SPGS but she did so now we have to chose. The distance is the same. She really can’t decide. She is top at her prep and would like to be close to the top though not the top( somewhere between middle and top is what she say). She would rather not have uniform but the IB is something that would suit her.

Anyone who has children at either could you maybe give me some information?

Congratulations to your dd!

I can’t help on G&L, but this thread on SPGS should have some of the information you’re looking for:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/4161295-St-Paul-s-girls-school

Firstly, congratulations! What a lovely dilemma to have.
Our DD recently started at G&L and loves it. FWIW, she was pretty much at the top of her prep too and they felt she was an ideal candidate for SPGS.
We all loved SPGS, but unfortunately our DD wasn’t offered a place. Her friend (whom the prep thought SPGS might be a stretch for) did get offered a place and absolutely loves it there too.
If I try and compare the two of them, our DD’s friend is much more determined and driven than our DD. I doubt every girl there is the same, but without a doubt they are all very, very able. And our DD’s friend definitely has more homework so far!
It’s hard to tell at such an early stage (and since the school discourages this), but I think our DD is in the upper half of her class so far, based on things like maths that we can quantify. In retrospect, I think this suits our DD’s personality to be stretched but not feel like she is struggling too much, so we probably found the right school for her.
Having said all that, had she been offered a place a SPGS, we would have taken it in all honesty. And I’m sure she would have been fine. I do know people who chose G&L or LU for example over SPGS. And I know people who say their DD’s were not happy at SPGS and also at G&L!
So I guess what I’m saying is - there is no right or wrong decision. They are great schools. It seems like a life changing choice now. But in reality, it’s just one step on a much longer journey (apologies for the cliche!)

Both superb schools. I don't live the right side of London for either so we didn't sit, however I would be over the moon if my DD did get a place at SPGS.
That isn't to say every child who goes there will be a perfect fit, and. you'll never know for sure if the one 'you don't pick' will have been better. As my sister-in-law who went to SPGS says, it has been her passport. She said it shaped her to who she is today, she didn't become a top banker like she imagined she would however is successful, has a wonderful family and she always says how thankful she is she had the chance to go there. Although of course this is 20 years ago!
I just know if I had the choice of the 2, I would feel incredibly sad handing back the place to SPGS! Yet of course not every school is for everyone

Thank You Everyone. You have been so helpful! My daughter is currently leaning to SPGS though we will still go see the G&L offer holders talk as that could be crucial. We are very lucky as we went to see both the schools before lockdown!

Hello, we are in exactly the same position. I didn't think she would be offered SPGS and very almost didn't even apply, however G&L was always our first choice and a school my daughter has been talking about all year. We especially like the IB for her which which is one of the reasons why we are thinking of turning down SPGS. It's very hard to decide when we cant go and see both schools, Im hoping that the online events will be helpful for us. My daughter is leaning towards G&L. Her school think she is the ideal spgs girl and that she will do very well there, I'm conflicted. Im worried about the pace of SPGS and whilst i don't deny that she is bright and academic, I'm worried that SPGS might end up being too much competition and too much school work at the expense of other interests - sports/music/friendships etc.. ? Is this just hearsay? Do parents in the school feel that their daughters have too much schoolwork?

Congratulations to your girls - they have done really well, and in such a difficult year.

My daughter has been at SPGS for a few years. And personally - I can’t relate to stories of pressure or competitiveness, not yet anyway.
I don’t even know how they’d be competing when there are no obvious ways to do so - no marks or academic awards, etc.
They do have math sets from Y8, but that’s about it.
As to homework - mine does seem to have a lot. But her friends don’t spend as much time on it. Mine seems less efficient at HW, and takes longer. Possibly a bit perfectionist, but all self-inflicted.
School, as others mentioned, school does have university feel to it - and there isn’t much hand holding. So - she needs to learn for herself how to organise herself and how to study.
.
As to the virtual offeree events - in reality they will have very little to do with what your daughter’s experience will be like in a school. It’s like an ad, or an online dating profile - a snippet of advertising.
So much of how she’d do would depend on herself, her friends and teachers - and that is impossible to predict.
In the end of the day, you can’t go wrong with either of these schools. And you can let your girls choose one they think they like best. They’ll have a great education wherever they go.

Thank you for posting your experiences of both schools. I can't say I've thought of much else over the past 4/5 days and I'm keen on making the decision as soon as possible so we can release the other place. Having read lots of information about the schools on various threads plus spoken to friends (and friends of friends) in real life I am 99% there with our decision of taking SPGS. The last little bit is just me building up my courage to go for it and embark on this new chapter for my daughter. I know the talk of mini-university seems really daunting for us at this moment but all parents I have spoken to in year 7 seem to indicate that the transition to senior school is not as scary and as pronounced as I'm worried about.

@WanderingWoman have you made your decision yet? What did your daughter think of the open events for G&L and the SPGS one?

not sure why I'm here, but as an older student at spgs, I personally love my school. yes, there's a lot of work, but my friends at godolphin have the same amount. the pressure is mostly fuelled by the students and parents due to perceived and/or personal expectations, so I would really not go into it wanting to be 'at the top' – better to prioritise learning as getting in your head about comparisons will do you no good! if your child really struggles with pressure, I would go to G&L, but word of advice, godolphin has a huge drug problem. obviously this happens at all secondary schools but it's particularly normalised at G&L (I know people who knew people doing coke in year 8) in a way that it isn't at spgs. I can't speak to the godolphin pastoral care, but I'd say it's particularly good at spgs, and they listen to you if you want something changed! (e.g. if you think the learning resources for a subject in pshe are lacking significantly and are offensive or if you believe that a policy disproportionately impacts a certain group of people – say, neurodivergent people – they do genuinely take your feedback into consideration) (if you couldn't tell, both are personal examples)
I know this post is old but I can't tell how old so