shhs vs clsg vs forest

[gilmoregirl113]

hello all ! my daughter has received three offers from independent schools across london and we are having difficulty choosing which to accept. the schools are south hampstead, city of london girls, and forest school.
my daughter is very sporty and competes for her current primary school is many events. she is already attending a north london private junior school and is thriving but would like a change in environment. we live in highbury, so the location is pretty central between each school and travel is not so much of a problem since public transport for clsg and shhs will be in use and forest has a bus system. any advice from current parents or students would be amazing :)
my daughter and i agree she’d do better in a girls only school but we both thought that shhs and clsg seem not to have much sports space and felt quite cramped.
any advice on deciding and comparing from current parents or students would be amazing :)
thank you!

Forest is a nice school, but SHHS or CLGS are better if you are in Highbury. The DC we knew who went there from north London missed out on a lot of extra curricular activities and socialising with school friends because of the distance and moved at the earliest opportunity.
Having said that, if sport is really important to you, choose the school that supports your DDs current sport and exposes her to others. Have you spoken to SHHS or CLGS about their sport offering?

I have a friend with child at SHHS and she's v sporty and does loads of after school clubs there. Islington based too. She absolutely loves it there. Also had other offers including CLSG and chose SHHS over all of them and v happy. Good luck choosing

Forest School is known to churn out sports men and women of national fame.

I have DD1 is in CLSG and DD2 in SHHS and I can say that CLSG is better. We are registering for an occasional place for DD2 to move to CLSG.

SHHS used to be a great school but with the headteacher leaving the school this year, the school becomes a bit worse. We loved her so much and are sorry to hear she's leaving.

DD2's class does not have any chemistry teacher this year as SHHS is not able to recruit one. We have to find a tutor for her at home.
www.standard.co.uk/news/education/chemistry-teacher-london-recruitment-crisis-state-schools-b1057751.html

My friend's daughter did the opposite journey - left City to go to SHHS so I think we can't extrapolate from individual experiences.

That said, I spend a lot of time talking to other parents whose children have mental health issues, as one of my daughters does. From these conversations, no other school has been as sensible and sensitive in handling the issues and the missed school as SHHS were with us. They removed all pressure. She missed nearly a term of school and they helped her when she asked for it, but most of the time told her and us not to worry, that she'd catch up. Which she miraculously did.

A friend with a daughter at City felt constantly that she was being told that her child might jeopardise the school's exam results.

But I guess it depends on what your child might need, which is hard to tell at this point. As a more knowable factor, the overground from Highbury to Finchley Road is super easy and filled with kids at SHHS and UCS.

My daughter is in Y9 in SHHS and I agree with metavmum that the school was not what I expected in many ways, especially around the staff. I had to teach my daughter the entire math curriculum because her teachers were not so helpful. I cannot speak of City or Forest but compared to a mixed school where my son goes, SHHS isn't doing good enough.

The journey from Highbury to Forest is not great. Yes, there is a bus, but it leaves at 7.20am. If your DD is sporty then you’ll also end up driving out there a lot - for before-school training, after school clubs and Saturday fixtures. The traffic can be horrendous. Also many of her friends will likely live out that way so you’ll be driving her to/from their houses too! (Or she’ll be doing a long tube journey.)

(I do also think that you’d be mad to turn down SHHS and CLSG given that they are the two most sought-after/academic girls’ schools for families living in your part of London!)

CLSG would be the most academically prestigious. It’s a wonderful school, but it’s not very sporty. The site is constrained and urban with just one astro pitch. There is a nice pool and some tennis courts.

Forest is sporty and leafy, but not an easy commute from you, and not as successful in terms of grades and Oxbridge places as your other two choices.

I don’t know SHHS. A classmate of DD1’s left CLSG for SHHS because she needed a slower pace academically. But I would guess SHHS is more highly ranked than Forest.

Hi this is really helpful. My daughter got an offer from SHHS and may get an offer from City when/if the list moves. She is on the autism spectrum. What do you think about the pastoral care is like for children with special needs at SHHS vs. City? I was impressed by SHHS's pastoral care into the offer holder's event, and less sure about City. My daughter has a preference for City though, so it's really hard to decide should we end up getting a City offer. Love to hear your thoughts!

I would not recommend SHHS if your DD is sporty. My DD in Y9 used to be very sporty but loses interest in sport as she finds the girls at SHHS too shy to play with her.

too shy! wow! i didn’t get that impression at all on our visits. very good to know, thank you

Would love to send you a PM if ok? Thank you.

@NutritionMummy Ah so sorry for the late reply! Yes please feel free