NLCS vs St Helens ( with scholarship) - 11+ entry

[SKseek]

Respected parents and mentors conscious my question has been asked / discussed in some form before , however would really like to know your recent experience with St Helens ( Northwood) secondary considering they have had a change of headmistress since last Sept.

Very happy for our daughter who has received offers from NLCS ( no scholarship) and St Helen’s ( with max academic scholarship) post 11+ entrance.
With the current rising fees and VAT wld really benefit with the scholarship , plus St Helens is closer in terms of travel and more local to us. However the general perception I get is “” go for NLCS if you have got it””. I understand in terms of ranking it’s really high , also it offers IB. Not sure if StHelens offers IB?

But is there any other reason that would put NLCS really high and any specific Red Alerts for St Helen’s. Crowd wise I almost thought both schools had similar crowd( especially based on students who came for exams with NLCS may be slightly high on diversity .

Would really appreciate and benefit from your thoughts / views/ experiences .

Which one is closer? In terms of academic outcomes your daughter will almost certainly get the same grades whichever one you choose.

We turned down a place at NLCS and went to another school many see as a “backup” and with nowhere as good results as St Helen’s. People told us we were mad.

It was 100% the right decision. DD thrived being top of the year and with all the extra curricular they offered and with a much shorter journey. She got mostly 9s and a couple of 8s in her GCSEs and is considering Oxbridge. I’m not sure she would have found her academic potential in the same way at NLCS where it’s kind of given you will do well and are expected to deliver.

Honestly, your gut reaction is always the right one. The scholarship would also be a big financial help. Both schools have a similar demographic with motivated, ambitious girls (and parents!!!).

Thanks ‘ratherbeingacation’. Absolutely agree , I too feel it’s better to go to the school closer with decent facilities that help her thrive and achieve success rather than purely going by school’s ranking.

Hi @SKseek !

We turned down an offer from NLCS for our daughter.

I would avoid financial stress at all cost. And job and career situations can change very quickly, as they did with both my partner and me at different times.

IB? My daughter was at university with several NLCS old girls. She did 4 A Levels and she did better than all of them. She will tell you that IB offers breadth, not depth, and it also offers extra long essay research and writing practice. It makes no difference to the best students either way. But for some they lack core knowledge for science degrees and some core knowledge for humanities degrees, especially languages; some IB students adapt and catch up, some never do.

Although St Helens has a "good" reputation, would like to point out our experience. My DD subject was not submitted for marking, we found out on A level results day.
The school admitted to their mistake but the approach and handling of the whole situation by the chair of governors was appalling.