Queens College vs Channing vs out of London school

[Kittylondon]

DD has offers from above. Very pleased but really struggling with the decision since very different choices. We love Queens but obviously less facilities on site; Channing more academic but harder for us to get to; out of London school requires relocation but the facilities are incredible. Also we will have family help with fees so wondering if there will be any discrimination regarding less wealth compared to some of extremely wealthy eg at Queens. Any insights would be very welcome. Would love to release places but we need to reflect.

Apologies for being a bit late with my reply. My daughter had offers from a few London public schools, including a Church of England school. In the end we choose Queen’s. I can speak personally from the financial diversity perspective as she came from an outstanding state primary school. I spent the summer worried she’d be singled out, but I needn’t have worried. The school is incredibly welcoming and I haven’t had a single conversation on primary school or any attempts to identify wealth or social status. I’ve asked her many times if where she went to school has come up and she’s replied that it hasn’t.

My next panic was would the fact we can’t go abroad every school break (we both work full time) make her stand out. Again, it wasn’t an issue. I haven’t sensed new money or old money TBH. More so a lot of working professionals and creative types. And there is absolutely no discrimination towards bursary pupils. The fund is a credit to the school and the efforts of the head.

Finally re extra-curricular activities (including sports), the school is very clever at using rooms in different ways, using Paddington Rec, Regent’s Park and other local sports facilities so the girls have access to a lot of different sports.

Being an ex pat and this being our first private school experience in the UK, I can honestly say the school has been as wonderful as we thought/ hoped it would be. Happy to answer any questions you might have.

@AMagny thanks, this sounds like what we hope for with the school. The open events and application process has left us with a good impression so far :)

@AMagny thank you very much for sharing your experience. Lots of people are saying similar so I am sure everything will be fine !

ME too! Queen's over FHRP and Channing... see you all soon.

See you all soon! @SameBoat2022 what helped you decide?

We thought Queen’s vibe would be a better match for our free-spirited girl, and the offer holders event was a notch above because rather than a tour they offer the kids a taster of three lessons and the parents unfiltered access to 7 current students, one for each year.

Yes, agree on finding a match for independent thinkers and free spirits - it was the main draw for us too :)

Anyone in for a meet-up before September? Message me in pvt with your number!