Nonsuch High School plan B in Sutton

[Ikem19]

Hi all,

Views and considerations on the below would be highly appreciated:
DD targeting Nonsuch 2025 entry but we need a plan B.
We’re looking at Greenshaw and Glenthorne for now and will definitely attend open days.
Any other recommendations?
Anyone else looked or is looking into a Nonsuch/Wallington Girls plan B?

Depends where you live? Harris Academy Sutton is also popular, as is Cheam High. Catchments tend to be tight though.

As @Ermintrudewasinnocent said, catchments for the popular schools are very small, including for Glenthorne and Greenshaw, so your backup will be determined by where you live.

BUT Greenshaw has a 'grammar' stream (a limited number of selective places) and Glenthorne has Arts places (dance, drama, music) which are not determined by catchment.

My DDs are both at Nonsuch and have friends at Carshalton Girls who are doing really well, at least up to GCSE - the academic ones moved for sixth form. It's part of the same MAT as the girls' grammars and has really improved in recent years.

All of the above schools feel very different so I'd recommend going to as many open days as possible and keeping an open mind. Good luck!

We’re in SM1 but after checking last place offered last year based on distance for both Harris and Cheam High we’re a bit tight.

@Ikem19 I will pm you.

Greenshaw are starting massive building works which put me off (will be great in the future but disruptive for a few years).

You have 6 options so if in SM1 can put the "long shots" you prefer as higher preferences and a "banker" (like Overton Grange, its not popular at present but friends kids have done well there) in 6th place to make sure you get a local school. Good luck.

I believe only with an excellent result in the banding test we will stand a chance for Glenthorne, most probably band 8 and 9 so not easy at all.
At the moment it would be our second option after Nonsuch but we still need to visit.

Will have a look at Carshalton Girls, didn’t check it tbh.

If your daughter is aiming at Nonsuch, she should perform well in the banding test for Glenthorne. As someone else mentioned, a band 8/9 should guarantee you a place.

My DD went to Nonsuch from year 7 to 13 (left 2 ago) and had an terrible time there. She said the amount of pressure that was put on the girls to achieve well was unacceptable and that the teachers regularly shouted at them too.

i certainly wouldn’t consider Nonsuch if your daughter has any additional needs.

Many thanks, always interesting to hear from experience.

Our daughter did end up achieving well, but because of her own determination (and by taking her maths learning into her own hands), and in spite of school not because of them. She took a 4th A level externally to school because they didn’t think she was capable of doing the extra A level. Nonsuch treated her like she shouldn’t be there due to her dyslexia and slow processing for her entire time at the school. She was also told by the head of 6th form to be more realistic in her University aspirations.

Luckily, she ignored them and is now studying maths at Cambridge.

Is there a reason you're not also looking at Wallington Girls? Realistically unless you live right on the doorstep your non-grammar options are Overton, Oaks Park or Carshalton Girls. I've heard good and bad about them all but generally friends with kids at Oaks Park are happy, those at the other two less so. Overton has a reputation as a bit of a dumping ground for kids who don't get in else where and a friend is trying to move her daughter from Carshalton girls due to awful bullying that the school aren't doing much about.
@Zilla74 I have heard similar about both Nonsuch and Wallington Girls. Which is a shame as I have a very bright ASD DD who I thought might cope better there than in a large comprehensive with all the behaviour that comes with it.

The only reason why we're not considering Wallington Girls is because of the commute, not convenient at all.
It might not be that important for some people but for us it is.

For the same reason we're not considering Oaks Park.

@suttonmum10

My daughter has ASD as well as dyslexia.

I would really avoid Nonsuch for any child with additional needs. Unless their needs are such that they don’t need any additional help at all. For instance my daughter was told that she was “being difficult” by the teachers when my daughter had extreme social anxiety and couldn’t talk to the teachers. And that as a dyslexic she could get better a spelling if she “wrote them out a few times”. Total lack of empathy and understanding.

I can give you the full story, these are just a few examples, but in essence they did not understand her or her or her additional needs at all. For GCSE, I had to tell the SEN that there was a recording produced by the exam board with extra time built in for the languages listening exam as I was told it was “too difficult” to allow my daughter extra time. Her whole journey through Nonsuch were incidents like this ona regular basis. We really felt like it was a fight the whole way through.

My other daughter (who also has ASD) did not want to go to a grammar school and went to Coombe instead and enjoyed her time there and they were much more understanding.