Belmont/Mill HillAnd JCoss

[Soycap]

We are looking at Belmont/Mill Hill school (private) and Jcoss (state) for secondary school for our son.
He is sporty but we also want to make sure he gets the best education in a lovely and caring environment. He needs to be pushed a bit to study (he is smart but finds it hard
to focus). Peer influence is important for him.

Has anyone considered both of these schools and how did you make a choice,
considering the cost?

Hi, I think you need to consider a few things to see which feels more important to you.
Mill Hill will have better facilities, larger sport facilities, things like theatre etc for performing arts. The ‘aesthetics’ of it will be better.
on the other hand, Mill Hill isn’t the most academic and I’m sure he will do well in either as I reckon teaching is similar given JCoSs has such great results. He might not get the ‘private school finish’ you get but then if community means a lot to you then jcoss will provide more of that. Also depends what type of social opportunities you prefer, he will have more choice of kids from ‘similar backgrounds cultural wise’ at Jcoss. However that depends which you prefer. Some parents like their children to be with similar kids, some are ok with kids from the same community being in the minority…

DS has been at JCoSS since Y7 and is just coming to the end of Y13, so if there is anything you want to know, send me a PM!

Overall, we have been very happy with the school. The main thing that DS has struggled with is that he does not have any local friends. As they accept students from such a huge area and we don't live in one of the "typical" areas, it's been difficult to form local friendships.

The majority of the teaching has been excellent and the teachers really seem to know each student.

The school hasn't been so strong in sports, however, I think that is improving now.

Overall, it is a very good school and there seems to be something for everyone. DS has been in various music groups, STEM Clubs, sports events and next month he's going on a Physics trip to Cern.

I think he'll be sad to leave, but also looking forward to moving onto the next stage!

Jcoss if you have the option. I don't think you'll feel you've made the smartest financial decision if you go with MH, given you've got Jcoss as an option.
The cons of jcoss are mostly lack of local friends, which will be the same with MH. The kids there get bussed in from a very similar radius to JCOSS.

I have a child at Belmont who is very happy and the sports provision is great. I am not sure where you live, but the majority of my child’s friends live very near to where we do, ( Muswell Hill, Finchley, Hampstead garden) so no issues with weekend meet ups etc.
A lot travel to school together by bus/tube from these areas.

Thank you, this is very interesting. I am wondering whether there is a difference between how these two schools will help in building confidence and self esteem? We are currently in a state school, and feel like the teachers don’t have any time to pay attention to each child in our school. From our conversations with the schools, Belmont/Mill Hill seems to be a very nurturing school. JCOSS also seems to pay a lot of attention to pastoral care.
I guess pastoral care falls under the ‘private school finish’. What is your view on the difference between these two schools?

Thank you very much. Our DD swims competitively but I do wondering whether his interests will be ‘shaped’ by the future school.
Swimmum - were your able to retain swimming focus for your child in JCOSS? I know kids change a lot during teenage years so focus on sport as well as academics would be important for us.
I also have no idea how to direct message on mumsnet …

I can only speak for JCoSS, however, I would say that it has a very personal feel. the teachers really seem to know their pupils. DS is very much one of the quieter students (been told that since Reception!), but despite that, the teachers really seem to know that and do everything to ensure he comes out of himself and is part of the class. If there have ever been any issues, I've been able to email the school or the individual teacher and have received an extremely prompt response. Other parents I've spoken to have said the same thing. They have all been very impressed with the pastoral care and support their children have received.

Does your child swim near the school? How many hrs? Were not at JCOSS but DD had to change swim club to be closer to school as esp morning practise was just not possible. A lot of her swimming friends dropped swimming by Y9, some stayed in the club squad that's not competitive and trains 1-2hrs a week for fitness.
The reality of swimming is that it's a much more time consuming sport than almost any other, even at a lower level, so naturally your child's school experience will be shaped by that. Galas taking up whole weekends mean DD is closer to her swim friends than her school ones as well. There's just no time for much else. It's a conversation you'll have to have later down the line, but the better the pastoral care the better your child's experience will be, esp if they're a competitive athlete.
I know one of DDs swim friends goes to Mill Hill and the pool was closed for the best part of a year last year so she wasn't even able to utilise that. The PE offer is amazing but a lot of the girls just don't bother. Maybe it's just that group of friends though. It seems to me that boys do much better at Mill Hill, but again, it's looong days esp in Remove when they have lots of compulsory clubs. DDs friend would have days where she'd come home at 7pm and barely make it to training.

With regards to the sports element, I think it depends on your child’s friendship group. The overwhelming majority of my DD’s friends are really involved in sport both in and outside of school.

Foxesandsquirrels: DS doesn't swim near JCoSS, which makes morning training a bit tricky! I agree totally with what you are saying, he is far closer to his swim friends than his school friends, purely due to how much time he spends with them at training and galas. Most of his school friends are football crazy, so although he loves playing football, he isn't really into going to watch matches etc.

Both, JCOSS and Mill Hill sounds like fantastic schools.
I also wanted to ask about GCSE and A-level support. Could you comment on that?

Thank you, it is a huge decision to make. Both schools sound really good.

It would be very interesting to hear your views on GCSE and A level support ?

My DS is currently in Y8 at Jcoss. He was previously at a private well known prep school. I only have experience of a private prep school not a senior school, but I feel the only difference is the sport. The amount of sports they play and the competitive element. Jcoss do have a theatrical space and other good facilities. My son is thriving, really happy and has made some really good friends. If you want to message me for more information, please do.

Apologies I'm reading through all the messages. I feel that Jcoss has helped build my sons confidence and as I said in my last message his confidence has grown a lot with the use of the reward system, friends and his form teacher. My DS had left his previous school completely deflated and had a lot of anxiety... the school had done very little pastorally for him and feel there is no accountability and tons of entitlement.

GCSE support seemed pretty good, although part of Y10 was during one of the lockdowns.

A level support has been a bit up and down! They expect the students to suddenly become extremely independent and don't want to hear from the parents. However, not all the students have the confidence to admit when they are struggling. The head of sixth form eventually provided some support once I contacted him. Saying that there are some extremely supportive and encouraging teachers and the students quickly find out who they are!

EPQ and UCAS support has been amazing.

AWFUL SCHOOL AND CULTURE. A COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY
IN TEACHING KIDS THE REAL WORLD.

^^MILL HILL FOUNDATION SCHOOL/ MILL HILL PRIVATE SCHOOL

What makes you say this Dndndndbdb?