Bancroft or Forest?

[Neverknowinglyunderbold]

My daughter has a scholarship at Forest and got into Bancroft’s and Chigwell. The scholarship programme at Forest apparently provides scholars with a scholarship tutor and other tailored opportunities.

Bancroft’s is higher ranked but Forest has been getting better every year in the rankings.

Does anyone have experience of the Forest scholarship programme?

Which school would you go for? The higher ranked one or the one with a scholarship programme that provides tailored opportunities for scholars?

Congrats to your DD, really well done!

I'd need to understand what it means to have 'tailored opportunities for scholars'?

Thank you @weRone .

This is what they say

www.forest.org.uk/admissions-overview/scholarships-bursaries-assisted-places/scholarships/

The video is the last one for academic scholarships

If the scholarship comes with a hefty fee discount I’d take that (unless you’re very wealthy). The fees are going up 7% a year at the moment and even in non inflation years rise quite a bit. Forest has been through some turbulent years but I think has settled now. Chigwell is a lovely school, am surprised you ruled it out unless distance is an issue.

Ignore rankings. Bancrofts is higher as it selects more aggressively at the entrance exam stage. All 3 schools are big enough to have large top sets.

If the fees are of no consequence, one did your DD prefer? Which is easiest to get to? Will they have local friends? Those are the main things I would consider.

@Neverknowinglyunderbold Congratulations! My advice would be the school easiest to commute to and the one your daughter prefers…We accepted our scholarship offer at Forest as it was always my daughters 1st choice school, so it was an easy decision turning down the other school…I am praying all goes well at the taster day this week ☺️

We haven’t discounted Chigwell but it is a tad bit further away but not enough to be a dealbreaker. But she sees the others as preferable.

So which school did you daughter go to in the end? Our daughter received an 11+ scholarship offer for Sept 2024 and keen to hear from people such as the OP and majorbaby who have been through it. Thanks in advance.