London girls independent school suggestions

[Zodlebud]

Please can you give me your suggestions for girls London independent schools that might fit the bill for my DD2?

Bit of background. We currently live in the Home Counties and have DD1 weekly boarding within 40 mins drive of north London. We are beyond happy with this school and always envisaged DD2 would go there, but as she gets older I am not sure boarding is right for her and there is no way she will be doing it unless we are all 100% on board. She could be a day girl but she would be spending two hours every day commuting which feels too much.

DD2 is also a lot brighter than DD1 and her current school said we can realistically aim for top academic schools. I have discounted St Albans High, NLCS and Habs girls as I just didn’t like the vibe. We did, however, like the feeling we got from Wycombe Abbey so I don’t think it’s an academic school thing. More of an environment of naturally bright girls who are confident in their abilities without the constant pressure of parents cracking the whip in the background.

I should add that we are VERY anti tutoring. Her current school preps for entrance exams and uses Atom for VR and NVR but outside that I don’t believe a child should have to be tutored endlessly at home on top of this just to get into a school. It’s either the right school for them or it isn’t.

We are in the very lucky position that we could pick and choose between London day schools and move back into London (north) if she got into the right school so we can just apply to one or two and use my eldest daughters school as a backup.

DD2 is very artistic and art, music and dance will be very important to her. A good all rounder but very strong in maths. Likes sport but she is rather take it or leave it to be honest. Definitely not A team material. She is extremely quick witted and sharp - would be good at stand up comedy 😂😂😂. Genuinely interested in what’s going on in the world and has quite an entrepreneurial side. A free thinker who likes to dig down further into things that interest her - shells and rocks are the current favourites.

Current school has suggested St Paul’s Girls. I like the look of it online and had a really positive chat with admissions. Will be going to see it next year. I am slightly put off by it being the “holy grail” of schools though and the obvious amount of tutoring some girls will be put through to get in. Is it impossible to get a place without endless hours of preparation?

Also suggested were City and SHHS but I am a little put off by schools with a prep attached as the dynamic for new Y7 joiners can be a little off. Interested in people’s thoughts on that.

Can’t do the schools too far south as logistically it doesn’t work for DD1 coming home at weekends. We would look to live St John’s Wood / Marylebone areas.

Any other suggestions? We deliberately moved out of London to avoid the 11+ madness so I feel really clueless. Current school has one teacher with experience of London admissions as they just moved to our school from a top London prep but it’s all very new. It’s not territory her current school has much experience with.

Thanks in advance.

OP is Northwood too far? Have a look at St Helen’s. My dd was there, it’s a really lovely school and often overlooked but exam results are similar to Habs etc.

NLC is an obvious choice.

@bendmeoverbackwards Yes, I did wonder about the Northwood schools but they never really seem to pop up on here and, again, it’s outside the normal “territory” for her current school. I’ll take a look.

@TizerorFizz Please read all my posts. Can’t move closer to DD1s school for various reasons, mainly work commute for husband plus being a sensible distance from Heathrow. Moving into London is possible though as his commute stays the same, just in a different direction.

We have also discounted NLCS. I’d go as far to say we hated it. Brilliant school, just not right for DD2.

@Zodlebud I hope you consider St Helen’s, it’s a fantastic school. Some points -

Strongly academic - the brightest girls are really stretched, but the slightly less able are well catered for. They are set for Maths, dd was weak in Maths and was in the bottom set which was good for her and the group was small. They had a fantastic teacher in years 10 and 11 who was determined they should all do well. Dd got an A for GCSE (and actually not that far off from A*).

Excellent language provision - girls choose 2 MFLs from year 7, plus Latin

Beautiful grounds and lots of green space, yet very close to the tube (Metropolitan line)

Very nurturing and caring environment

Combined Cade force with Merchant Taylor’s from Year 10, dd did RAF and really enjoyed it

I really can’t think of any downsides!

In that case, High Wycombe it is.

Some of the schools mentioned here are no advantage over what you like and know. Why is being with lots of very bright girls better than being with just a few? Never really understand that.

Why is being with lots of very bright girls better than being with just a few?

It differs for different types of girls. Some very bright girls will love being a big fish in a small pond. For others they prefer being part of the crowd. For DD being with lots of other very bright girls was the first time she had not felt like an outlier and she loves being one of the crowd rather than an anomaly. Plus she likes the fast pace. You can move a lot faster and cover more interesting things if everyone is very bright.

I agree @Glaciferous. I 100% hand on heart don’t think the brightest girls need to be with other bright girls to be successful. But every child is different. DD2 comments on a daily basis about classroom disruption (mostly from the boys), even though they are set. She actually asked why they can’t just take the children who want to learn and not mess around and teach them separately.

Of course, academic schools also have issues and I’m not blind to that, but when the majority are at the same academic level and want to learn, it must minimise the messing around. Also, as is often the case with girls, they don’t want to stand out or be different. At times my DD2 is a little embarrassed about her abilities (she doesn’t like the spotlight).

DD1s school does set effectively and it works. The very brightest are supported by an academic scholarship programme. DD2 would do extremely well there and we would love it if she joined her sister.

Don’t get me wrong. I am not looking for a “better” school than the one her sister is at. I am looking for alternative schools that also meet her needs so we can apply to three. The other two schools we applied to for DD1 just don’t fit for DD2. We would be foolish parents and be doing DD2 a disservice by only applying to one school.

Thanks for all your help. I am going to find out more about SHHS, SPGS, G&L and St Helen’s.

Best of luck with it all! I am sure you will find somewhere which will be just right for your daughter.

DD2 comments on a daily basis about classroom disruption (mostly from the boys), even though they are set. She actually asked why they can’t just take the children who want to learn and not mess around and teach them separately.

Apart from the bit about being set, this is exactly what DD used to say at primary school. She really does love being somewhere where the vast majority of people are taking things seriously.

Channing? St. Helens def good as well. SHHS and city fab options

Queenswood - it sounds like a perfect fit. My daughter's best friend is there and loves it. The artistic and sports opportunities those girls get are out if this world

@XelaM That’s where DD1 is. We love it. Location is just a little tricky if DD2 doesn’t want to board. That’s the only bad thing I can say about it.

@Zodlebud definitely look at City. Excellent Art, music, drama etc. No pressure for sport-dodgers 😂 roughly 104 places per annum, 25 max of these are taken by the prep girls. Remainder come from many schools (40+different schools in my DD’s year) y7 is organised by postcodes so girls are places with others who live nearest to help with travelling/friendship groups etc.prep girls we’re fairly mixed in my DD’s year but the ratio is about 6 out of a class of 26. Academics are excellent, opportunities for girls to explore their interests are excellent. A significant amount of pupils receive financial assistance so a very healthy mix of backgrounds. Very diverse also. I’ve not witnessed any princessy vibes and definitely everyone doesn’t own a pony. 99% arrive by public transport so a distinct lack of a line of 4x4’s dropping off 😉 open days are a bit mad because the school is physically small but don’t let that put you off. Have a look definitely! I also think they’ve got rid of the exploding offers for 11+?

@Netaporter Are there really 26 in a class???? My expectations for private school class sizes would be around 20. DD2 has a minor hearing issue which makes busy, loud, classrooms a bit of a nightmare for her. The smaller class sizes at independent schools have helped her no end. I don’t think we could consider it for that reason alone.

I am actually really genuinely surprised that class sizes are that big. Is this a similar situation at the other schools mentioned here?

@Zodlebud Hah, small world about Queenswood! We actually declined an offer there only based on distance and the much higher fees (ai also preferred co-ed). Otherwise it looked great!

@XelaM You have to remember that the fees are higher because you are getting more of a boarding school experience, even as a day girl. The school day doesn’t finish until 6pm. Yes it’s expensive but you get a lot for your money. You’ll see similar fee levels at places like Haileybury - they are just a different product to a regular day school.

@Zodlebud yes, completely understand, as my friend's daughter doesn't get home until 7pm even though she lives fairly close to the school. We live much further away and my daughter would get home really late. But we see the Queenswood girls in TP when they ride (we have a pony there do my daughter is there a lot - could not afford it if I had to pay Queenswood fees)

@Zodlebud 20 per class at St Helen’s when my dd was there. And her Maths class was even smaller

This Queenswood talk takes me back! I went to the comprehensive in Brookmans Park and for a while went out with a boy whose dad taught music at Queenswood!

SPGS if you can clear the entrance exam, which would require some prep, or SHHS/CLSG/G&L which would be a bit less work but still very desirable and not to be taken for granted. Among the latter the parent chill factor is SHHS/CLSG/G&L in the descending order and the geographical spread is SHHS/G&L/CLSG in ascending order in my opinion .

@Oblonsky I point blank refuse to do extra work just to get into a school. DD will be well prepared by her current school (who send girls to the top North London schools regularly). If she can’t get in without extra work then it’s not the school for her.

Fair enough, I am just saying it is very competitive and the exam itself is a material step up from the rest.

@Zodlebud I think she sounds like a City girl. I don't think it matters about the Prep school, as most enter at 11+ and they mix up the classes. City is excellent across the board and has a really dynamic, progressive head teacher at the moment.

Or, Queens College is lovely, and could easily cater for a very academic child. Its a small school, which I would see as a plus. The head makes an effort to get to know the new intake by teaching them in the first year. Dance features heavily on the curriculum.

Plenty of girls join City in YR7, please don’t worry about dynamics with the already enrolled prep girls, it’s a non-issue!

Have you decided on anything yet, OP?