Brighton Girls school versus Burgess Hill Girls

[ellieboo9]

Hello,
Currently looking at choices for secondary schools for DD, and leaning heavily towards single-sex education. Just wondering if anyone has recent experience of Brighton Girls and Burgess Hill Girls? Brighton would work much better for us in terms of location, but I went to an interview for a teaching post at B. Hill several years ago and came away with a lovely impression of the place. Are they similar in terms of ethos, or is one more academic/sporty than the other? Inside gen gratefully received!

Hi ellieboo9 ! I am also torn between these two schools but leaning more towards Burgess Hill Girls for my daughter (currently in Y2 but looking to join in Y4). I visited Burgess Hill last week, met the Head of Prep and was shown the Prep school grounds - it was a lovely place and seemed really un-pressured, big focus on the girls' mental health and nurturing them rather than pushing them hard for results. I was shown round by the Head of Preps PA who had two girls at the school and she said they focus on them as individuals, their talents developed - I said I had concerns about single sex education as my daughter is quite Tom boyish but she assured me they offer so much sports wise. I was also very impressed with their art and drama facilities/opportunities as these are two areas my daughter has a keen interest in but they also have a lot of sports clubs to offer. I suppose the only thing I thought was that they have a new Head just starting and how that might impact things in year to come..

I haven't visited Brighton Girls but have also read about bullying and that would concern me a lot too and has put me off seriously considering it even though much closer to home. Hope this is helpful!

Hi bridiebythesea... thanks for your reply! We've also visited BHill for an open day tour and had a lovely chat with the head.. such a shame that she's leaving but I guess after 36 years she feels she's done her time! You would hope that the ethos/culture of a school would be firmly established after such a long 'reign' but I've personally worked in schools that have gone downhill rapidly with a change of leadership (in a matter of weeks in one case!) so I'm still a bit cautious. The bullying issue at Brighton Girls does worry me too, but after a bit of digging I've come across counter-claims that this might be one or two isolated cases that have been amplified by prolific online posting. Who knows?? It would be unreasonable to expect a school to be completely free of bullying, but I guess I'm looking for someone to confirm that complaints are taken seriously and dealt with swiftly.

I have a DD at Burgess Hill Girls and I would thoroughly recommend it. Academically, it's one of the top schools in Sussex without being a "hot house".

Hi getalife6767 Thanks so much - this is great to hear. My DD went for a taster day last Friday and loved it so much that she is starting in Y3 in September. It seemed like such a lovely environment & fell in love with it!