HELP! Need advice on Channing vs FHS SS for 2025 11+entry

[Chandelor]

Hi everyone,
I’d love to hear your thoughts on choosing between Channing School and FHS SS for 11+ 2025 entry. My DD is lucky to have offers from both, and she has also been awarded a music award.
We moved to London 2 years ago, so we are still relatively new here. We are open to relocating closer to either school, so commute is not a deciding factor.
Academically, I really want her to be in an environment where she can thrive and achieve her full potential. Since she has a music scholarship, she will definitely be active in the school’s music scene. But beyond academics and music, I also want to consider pastoral care and friendships—as we are new to London, making good friends in secondary school will be so important for her. I hope she can build lifelong friendships in the right school.
For parents with experience at Channing or FHS, what were your deciding factors? How has your daughter found the school environment, both academically and socially?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! 😊
Thank you!

Where does your DD hold a music offer? Surely with more opportunities to fit in ( if not initially with her form then with other music scholars) she will be likely to find her crowd pretty quickly ?

Channing’s scholarship offer is definitely generous, which is a big consideration. I also got the impression that Channing teachers are very good at identifying students’ strengths and weaknesses and providing individualized support to help them improve, which is really appealing.
On the other hand, I really liked the pastoral care at FHS Sloane Square—it felt warm and supportive, and the location is incredibly convenient. From what I saw during my visits, class sizes at both schools seemed quite similar, around 24-25 students per class, so there’s not a big difference there.
Yes, Channing is a bit further from central London, but the Northern Line isn’t too bad, so I don’t see it as a major downside.
One thing I did notice about FHS SS is that many families seem to come from very affluent backgrounds. I wonder if and how that might influence students’ values and experiences during their school life? I’d love to hear from parents with daughters at FHS SS—how does this dynamic play out in reality?
Would really appreciate any insights!

If you have time today or tomorrow (I know you have to make a decision soon), you might try taking the northern line with your daughter to see how she finds it if that is how she would get to Channing. My children find it stressful as it’s very loud (they have some sensory issues though).

I would say academically they are probably quite similar. Channing has more space and feels more airy, compared to when I toured FHS and it has better facilities but then again, FHS is in a nice space too. Channing has more of a community feeling in that it is slightly out of the business of central London, away from King’s road etc . The idea of after school wondering down the King’s road might appeal to many! Personally I preferred Channing’s more suburban feel.

I have no experience of FHS, but have had two DD at Channing and love the school. Great teaching, and in my experience excellent pastoral care. One of my DDs is very musical, and has had a wonderful time getting involved in all the music on offer, as well as studying it to A level.

@londonmum789 Thank you for your reply! Your insights are really helpful.

I’d love to hear more about how much time is typically spent on music activities after receiving a music scholarship. Would it have a significant impact on academic studies? While I’d love for my daughter to be actively involved in music, we’re not looking for her to pursue it professionally. She has studied music for many years, but it doesn’t seem like the right career path for her. We’re hoping to strike a good balance between music and academics.

I’ve also heard that Channing teachers are very skilled at identifying and improving students’ academic abilities. Based on your experience, would you say the teaching truly lives up to its reputation?

Thanks again for your insights!

Not a parent at either school but we did consider applying to both for our DD (and then didn't because of location). We have friends who moved their child from a more academic school to FHSS and they are super happy. They say that they felt their child was more artistic and therefore better suited to the school. They are European and they also said they found it easier to assimilate in the school as there tend to be more European parents. You mentioned you moved recently, so I am just referencing it as I don't know where you are from and it could be a consideration if you are looking to expand your social network too. Finally the school seems to be on an upward trajectory academically and certainly admission is getting harder. Well done for getting an offer!

I don’t think the music scholars do any more than other girls who are really into music, so definitely no impact on academic studies.
The school places a real emphasis on pedagogy. My experience is that both DDs, with very different academic interests, were very well supported.

late but i left Channing a few years ago and the music dept is incredibly strong, with a significant proportion of girls doing music all the way through. really really good pastoral care and a brilliant counsellor too, as well as academically strong w really lovely teachers. i don’t have a wealth of experience w FHS but from a few of my friends’ experiences it is v affluent to the point that less wealthy girls can feel uncomfortable- i have heard stories of casual trips to cartier on lunch breaks! channing quite diverse wealth-wise- most girls came from quite normal families. i left at sixth form to move to a mixed state school closer to home (the main reason being that it took an hour to get to school in the opposite direction to everyone else) but i was well set up, and did rather miss it!