London Y7: St Marylebone or Camden School for Girls?

[clevud]

My daughter got a music aptitude place at St Marylebone. We are agnostic/atheist. The school's religious side is extremely light touch. On her first school day, CSG called to offer her a place based on banding and distance. It's very unusual because we live far from the school, 30 min by overground. I'd have loved to send her there, but she says she wants to be with her best friend from primary and that she's happy. Who knows. Uniform police at StM has already irritated me, but not her. We just had a laugh and agreed that not all things that schools state make sense. I'm more interested in a very good academic environment where she can develop independent and critical thinking.
I think she'll be happy in both. Of course sibling policy applies to CSG but not StM which woudl have been useful for my Y11 daughter.
Any views? Need to make a final decision by 9am on 9.09!

Bump

I wouldn’t move her, particularly if she has a shorter commute and good friend there with her (which will help in the first few weeks of Y7). Plus the music aptitude place will give her some great opportunities. Sibling policy is less of an issue for sixth form years. Is your older DD unhappy at her current school or does her school not have a sixth form?

Thanks PBC, elder daughter at Queen's College London, she wants to move to a new school for 6th form next year, and I don't want to pay any more fees, tbh. Hence the dilemma. But yours is a sensible piece of advice. StM seems also more diverse culturally and socially.

We had offers from both and we would have chosen CSG (but in the end we decided to go private). The ethos felt more in line with our family, as we are atheists too, and it felt more liberal and mature. We live fairly locally so that was a factor too. Do you mind me asking your home distance to Camden? Also surprised that you got in from where you are, I have friends on the waiting list.

The sixth form is excellent and if it would mean your older child could definitely get in, I'd consider moving just for that.

We live more than 6km from the school. She was in Band 1 so maybe some availability came up in that one.

or a space came up for music, and she was next?

OK - re-read post and ignore that.

I am not sure what I would do in your shoes.

One thing to consider is that she is more likely to have local friends at Marylebone, and it's probably an easier journey.

Thank you every one, lots of food for thought. I'll take the night to sleep on it and then send my reply by 9am tomorrow.

You must do what is right for your daughter but I wouldn't give too much sway to having starting at one school/ current friendships. As a teacher we often have new pupils join in the first couple of weeks and after a day or two it is forgotten they weren't there from day 1. Friendships can also massively shift at this age.

You are right and have no doubt she would immediately find new friends, but this specific friend has been with her since reception. If DD was currently at another school I'd put pressure on her, but the results of the two schools are marginally different.

Could be wrong but I don’t think having a sister in the lower school at CSG helps with a sixth form application there.

Yes, provided she achieves the expected grades, there is sibling policy.

What did you decide on Op? I would've gone with CSG but interested what you decided

She decided to stay put.

Good luck with the older one getting a 6th form place she is happy with. I've two nieces at Camden, the older of whom got in on music aptitude from some distance away, and the younger as sibling priority. The year the first started, their older sister had a 6th form place offered also (though she decided to stay put nearer home), the effective catchment was much broader for 6th form.

Sorry for jumping on your post OP, and pleased to see you made a decision between two hard choices! But we’re considering both of these for 6th form for DS, and I’d appreciate any views from the captive audience here. We’re atheist. Both not local for us but v doable by tube.

We are in a similar situation, have to choose now between CSG and another school, an academy, where she is happy now, has like 80% of her colleagues from.primary, has her 3 friends....its a 15 min walking distance as opposed to CSG that we have to change 2 buses, or take bus then train.... she wanted CSG but now, I see she is more inclined to stay

Do you regret by now, although still early... we are on waiting list for St Marylebone too,but recently decided she doesn't want it anymore as she is nor at all interested in studying dance...and I understand its mandatory there

DD seems very happy, me less so. Dance is mandatory but for a couple or 3 years? Never thought that actually it is not part of the curriculum of other schools. What i don't like at St Marylebone is that there are no textbooks. Erasing a millennial tradition of learning on well organised and curated materials instead of flying sheets or, more likely, a jumble of files on hideous Google Classrooms. The impact on the children's ability to revise in a structured way and having a clear and organised view of the content covered cannot be underestimated.

What do they learn on? We are looking at this school and I'm not sure how they would do anything without textbooks!

Thank you for all information so far. I am wondering, do they learn online or elsewhere since there's no textbooks?

Also those dancing lessons, are they challenging or sort of 'taking part' type as my DD isn't too much of a dancer 😅

I have no idea about dance classes. I consider them some additional physical activity. Most of the children will not have had any previous dance experience. With regards to learning, lot of material posted by teacher on Google Classrooms and then other handed out in lessons and pasted into their school books. I know many other secondaries do the same.

Not having textbooks is very common at secondary.
They just copy stuff into their exercise books and paste things in there.
Neither of mine have textbooks - one at a London grammar and one at a comprehensive.

We don’t have text books at my secondary up here in the norf, it’s very common tbh due to costs.
is the dance a form of pe due the limited space?

Slightly off topic but I wondered if you could share some information about the music aptitude places please. I am told there are 14 performing arts places - how are these split? Are there even numbers of instrumental/ choral/ drama and dance places or is it random each year?