girls catholic secondaries in london

[beforesunrise]

ok, this is a looooooong shot, as my daughter is 3

however, when visiting primary schools the headmasters are very keen to give you an impressive list of the secondaries the kids go to afterwards, so i thought i'd do some research to see if they're any good.

we're in north london so the names i have heard are La Sainte Union, St Michael's grammar, Maria Fidelis and Sacred Heart Hammersmith.

can you tell me a bit about them? are they good schools? how do they compare with independent schools in terms of achievement?

thanks in advance

St Michaels grammar (in finchley) is one of the top school for girls in London.
It is an academic, selective school but also very good pastoral care. As it only takes Catholics it is slightly easier to get into than, say, Henrietta Barnet as there is less competition.

La Sainte Union (Parliament Hill) is a comprehensive catholic girls school (they take all ability levels) so you have to live in the general area to have a chance of getting in (along with all the Priest's references etc). It has excellent results given its wide intake.

Not sure about the others. But I would be very happy for any daughter of mine to go to both St Michaels (if the academic type) or LSU.
Unfortunately I have boys!

Forgot to say, worth asking the Headteachers what they do to support those pupils who want to take the 11+ exams e.g. for St M's
Many primaries are not very supportive, and some of them are actually disapproving (on the basis of selection being divisive). If the school is supportive and, say, organises extra classes in Verbal Reasoning, Non Verbal etc for Y5 pupils who are going for selective schools, then you are onto a winner.

St. Ms is very very good. I am afraid that's all I know (boys)

thanks fr the feedback. the HM of the school in question expressely said that they neither prepare for or advise children on their secondary applications, and that that's down to the parents to research and get tutors.

i suppose that's the difference between state primaries and private preps, when it gets down to it... state you have to do everything yourself...

I can bore for England on this topic, though I generally don't.

In summary:

St Michael's -- vv good academically selective school, though only take catholics so not as selective as Latymer and HBS;

LSU -- v.good school, v. strict, hot on maths and sciences, not academically selective but you have to be pretty practising catholic.

Sacred Heart -- similar to LSU. In practice it will depend on where you live, sacred heart has a more west and south london catchment area.

Maria Fidelis -- okay CAtholic school for girls who don't get into any of the above.

Mount Carmel -- as Maria Fidelis.

They are all standard destinations for girls leaving N. London catholic primary schools (except S. Heart, which is out of area for our part of N. London -- I suspect girls from eg. maida vale or Kilburn etc would go there tho).

That do you?

that do me very nicely, thank you frogs. actually, while i have you on the line and since i think you are a bit of an authority on North London catholic schools... any insider info on Rosary (primary Belsize Park) or St Eugene de Mazenod (also primary, Kilburn)?

Not my manor, I'm afraid, we're t'other side of teh Heath. Hence my not knowing many girls going to sacred heart. But I'm sure you wouldn't go wrong with any of those.

It's too early to be really worrying about secondary -- they've changed the rules so much over the last few years that it's anybody's guess what the deal will be in 8 years' time.

Rosary very good but/hence difficult to get in to.
Don't know about St Eugene.

thanks frogs. and thanks 2009. she's down for the nursery, which i wasnt crazy about. but if she gets a place, we should take it, right?

Unless money is no object, or you have other cunning plans up your sleeve then er, yes you should take it.

I don't think going to the nursery attached to a Primary school makes any difference to your chances of getting a place at the school - you really need to check the admissions criteria before making any decisions.

You may not need to go to a nursery you don't like!

Only know about st michaels which was v good in my day and know a lot of people who went there. Still v good, friends with DDs are hoping they will get in.

You need to be v v practising catholic and be obviously comfortable with a catholic outlook on things. My friends are starting tutoring at age 8.

Don't know about the others sorry.

Gumley House Convent school in Isleworth is a lovely school. Its comprehensive and very inclusive towards pupils with significant special needs and always top school in the borough for academic results. Generally you must be a practising Catholic to apply unless the child has special educational needs.
Although if the head teacher leaves [ a nun] by the time your daughter is secondary school age things could change but I think that is true of any school you are looking at

when she's older you could consider her weekly boarding at New Hall, Chelmsford. 30 minutes by train from London and was the top Catholic boarding & day school in the UK for A Levels in 2009 and 2010. Really good all round, holistic education. Fabulous site and facilities. Boarding is rated 'outstanding' by Ofsted and the school has lots of London based weekly boarders.

Hello everyone
Looks like I am slightly behind with this conversation but thought I may add my personal thoughts that maybe interesting regarding girls Catholic schools in N. London, which may be good as it is now 2013.
St Michael's school in Nether Street Finchley is certainly the best.
LSU - not bad but not as strict as what it used to be. Because of its close location to two other schools, everynow and again there are fights between the schools.
Maria Fidelis - Lots of staff changes lately and falling student numbers hence they now take in boys - as of 2013-14. If the Hs2 project goes ahead it will mean major disruptions.
Mount Carmel - On par with Maria Fidelis. Girls who cannot get into LSU end up in MF or MC.
But do not take this as gospel...really do your research...look at their latest OFSTED report...do they have a high staff turnover and if so why and where did the school come overall in the GCSE results of that borough. Good luck !

It is a really difficult decision to make but I suggest that you think about your child's interests when making your choice. My eldest daughter is in year 9 at LSU and I don't think it was the right choice for her - although she is happy.. she isn't interested in Religion and it is high up on their agenda as a catholic school - GCSE religious studies is compulsory so they are only able to 'choose' 2 GCSE's whereas other schools have more choice. The facilities / technology also does not seem to be up to scratch to prepare them for the world they will be entering when they leave.. I think they also focus their attentions on the high achievers and less so on the children who are just doing O.K and not causing trouble. Daughter no. 2 is starting at LSU in Sept, she is much more academic..hopefully it will be the right place for her, but I will be watching closely.. I am looking at other options for Daughter no 1 in Sept. As I said it's not easy as there are so many things to weigh up - friends, travel, curriculum, results etc.. good luck

SOmeone was asking about St Eugene. My daughter is going there just started in Y6 after a relocation. English is not her first Language. Very good tutoring and help, very friendly class that accepted her immediately. We are very impressed with both the school and the method of teaching. I hope this helps!

As a Mum with only one child now in yr 8 we were the only girl who did not get her 1st choice catholic school(because of a short distance too far) we are still on the waiting list , my advice is not to be fobbed off keep in contact with admissions and record all conversations as to where your child is on the waiting list. My school of choice has now informed me that yr 8 has a different system apparently they do not write to you or tel will just send an email to contact them , very vague when you have had two years of heartache and an unhappy child, so keep positive because all you want is the best for your child and try to stay on friendly terms with the school office as you never know you could be next for the school place