Henrietta Barnett or St Mary Magdalene Academy

[Magnificentkitteh]

Apologies, I already have a thread about choosing between Latymer or Henrietta Barnett and I think that we will put HB ahead of Latymer for mainly logistical reasons, but DD also has been offered a governors' place at StMMA and part of me is wondering whether it would be mad to put that as top choice, given it's slightly nearer and maybe a more "normal" school experience with friends to travel in with and living closer by. But most of me feels like HB must be so competitive for a reason and it would be silly to turn down such an opportunity without a compelling reason (it's a bit of a trek but nothing compared to what some people are considering & it is effectively one bus and a 15-20 min walk compared to a train 2 stops for StMMA ). Any thoughts would be welcome. DD seems to like both schools and is looking for guidance.

We have a similar dilemma this year. Which school has your child ended up with? And is she happy? Thank you.

Hi, she went to HBS in the end, which was her own first choice and I think partly based on the lovely setting. She's slotted right in tbf - she's made friends already and joined football club. There's a fair bit of homework but lots of emphasis on not worrying about making mistakes and maintaining a balance. The journey takes ages, but she's found a friend to share it with. It's early days but I think we made the right choice for her. I might think about co ed for 6th form though depending on how she feels by then.

Thank you, all the best to her and your family.

One thought I did have which might have guided my choice in the end was that teenagers are under a lot of pressure anyway, to fit in and keep up with their peers in various ways and at least at HBS this leads to something constructive as long as it doesn't go too far. I think my dd2 could have found it quite stressful trying to fit in at dd1"s school, even though she would definitely have found some like minded kids there too.

I'm looking again at StMMA as a 6th form option for dd1 though, and I don't think she'll even apply to HBS or Latymer 6th forms as she wants a bit of a different vibe.