St Michaels Girls (Finchley) v.s. Newstead Wood (Orpington) Or Latymer Secondary in Edmonton

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Hi all, i would very much appreciate your thoughts and guidance on choosing the right school for my daughter. She has a high rank at St. Michael's Girls Catholic Grammar school in Finchley, a 436 rank at Latymer coed school in Edmonton and a descent score at Newstead Woods Girls Grammar school in Orpington (Bromley). We will need to move closer to the school, are willing to do that but would be helpful if you have gone through a similar decision process and made a choice. Thank you.

I will be moving nearer to school regardless. We are within 9 miles of Newstead but will still involve an hours journey as none of the schools are really close by. We have visited select schools eg. Townley, Dartford Girls, Newstead Wood and St. Michael's.

So on what are you basing your decision that all of your local non-selective schools are worth uprooting your family to avoid?

I would say St Michael's but it depends if your daughter prefer an all girls or mixed school. Latymer is also.

My experience so far with state primary has been that they do not focus much on providing for children who are already demonstrating a good level across the subjects. This is not a bad thing but given she is inclined academically, I would like to see if grammar schools provide a stretch. We are happy to move and try a different place so it won't hugely inconvenience us.

All girls are encouraged to play an instrument and to join one of the choirs, there is a big musical ethos at St Michael's. Drama is part of the curriculum and they also offer LAMDA as an extra curricular. Sports wise my daughter plays football and netball at lunchtime and after school clubs, I think there are other sports available but that's not really her passion. They offer a lot of day trips too.

Newstead is very academic, and has a co-ed sixth form.

How did your DD do in the Bexley and Kent tests? I know girls who are at/have just finished Newstead Woods, Chis & Sid, Dartford Girls and Bexley Grammar as well as girls at various of the Tonbridge and Maidstone area grammars. I also know lots of girls who didn't go down the academically selective route but have taken up musical aptitude places at other girls schools or have made a positive choice to choose a girls comprehensive (some turning down guaranteed grammar places for an all girls comp).

It seems strange to choose a Catholic school unless you're very keen Catholics or to consider a mixed grammar that would require a house move, especially given there are lots of grammars in Bexley and thereabouts.

If your DD was deemed selective in the Bexley tests then I'd suggest Bexley Grammar might be a good fit for her; there is lots of sport on offer as well as a very active music department.

Thank you for sharing your experience. That sounds like a well rounded school.

Thank you. Yes schools in Bexley are really good. My daughter received a deemed selected too and we like all the schools you mentioned however is a one hour commute by public transport which is the reason we are looking at grammar options that we can move/ will be walking distance too so in any case will need us to move if we are keen. I was therefore seeking thoughts on these 3 schools as with Bexley schools we will need to be in the catchment by end December.

If you live in South London / Kent at present, would it even be possible to move to north London by the start of January for the Latymer place? I doubt it to be honest. Not a purchase for sure, and even rentals here in N London are like hen's teeth, plus Christmas etc. You've really only got six weeks to find, and move to, a new permanent address.

The St Michael's policy gives you more time for a more leisured move, but surely it would be less disruptive for everyone to accept that your Dd was going to the best school in your current area, and then you could move nearer to N.Wood in your own time if the commute proves too much.

Ask yourself what is St Michael's going to give you that Newstead Wood won't?