City of London Girls School

[JJ6]

Does anyone have a daughter who goes the this school or have any knowledge or feedback??

bump

Weeeeelll I went there. A long time ago though!

While I was there I never felt like I fitted in (despite achieving high grades and having good friends) and was relieved my parents let me leave to go to state school in the 3rd year.

I am perhaps being a little unfair though. It was a very long time ago! They did give me a good education in most areas.

To put my cards on the table, I just was - and still am - against the idea of private education.

I wonder what I can tell you that might still be relevant today. They had good facilities, a nice pool. You get people coming from quite far to attend the school (suspect this might be true of a lot of private schools). I remember a geography project we did, the average travel time was 45 mins.

I'm at my mum's tonight, so I just asked her.
She says it was very traditional. Your daughters will meet some very nice other girls. Some of the teaching was good in my day, but not all of it. There was a good orchestra. It's in an interesting location.

She has heard that the present head is more amenable to cooperating with the boys school than in my day. (A couple of my mates were put on report for talking to boys through the school fence at lunch. I always suspected the real problem was actually that the real problem were from the local state school, as other girls met their City boyfriends after school, with no problems).

Hope someone a little more up-to-date comes along soon!

Oh and of anyone does know girls there, please do tell them that it's thanks to us that they are allowed to wear black tight! We had to fight hard for that! (Grey and maroon were the rules).

Black tights! Gah!!!

bump

Thanks for the info Lowrib. I am wondering if it is worth paying the extra in comparison to other independents? The black tights sound good, well done?? Do you think a child from state primary would fit in or feel 'different'??

I don't think it's so much a case of choosing to pay the extra as of getting in in the first place

competition is hot and it is fiercely academic

the only stiffer one is St Paul's iirc

don't think state school gilrs will feel out of place though - it draws from such a wide area that no-one knows where anyone else comes from, iyswim, and so long as she can hold her own she'll be ok

where else are you looking?

We're a few years off yet but I saw some of the girls in the Barbican and it made me wonder. We have not started actively looking but are based in SW London so Clapham and Streatham High School and Putney High school are possibilities. I am not sure where else. Do you have any other ideas Mrs Badger?

I think that my main issue with either of the City of London Schools is the vast geographic distances. I see lots of the boys and girls from there in our local town and we're a good hour in the other direction to you from the city so I'd wonder how it works socially at the weekends and in the holidays. On paper it's somewhere we're seriously considering for DS but am concerned about the social side and lack of sports facilities in the boys school. Don't know about the girls school but the boys school takes about 50% of their 11+ from state primaries and relies on primary school reports as well as exam results to make offers.

Hi Fiveweeks that is interesting. I haven't noticed the uniforms around my way so that would be a concern. It could be quite socially isolating and not sure that this is worth it for the excellent academic side (even of she got in??)

We passed on CLSB for this reason. Ds would have been coming in from a part of Greater London with few other boys. My impression was of a fab but quite polarised school socially, with much of the intake coming from N/E London. I thought they were very ingenious in how they overcame the lack of sports facilities on site. We liked it a lot.
CLSG has a very relaxed uniform policy now lowrib! Skirts seem to be any length from midi to pelmet. It has a well-deserved reputation for academic excellence.

i have a friend on the staff of the girl's school. i can't get over how well educated the teachers are, PhD and MScs in the subjects they teach seem quite common, really cracking for the a levels i think. they also seem to be effective people.

MinaTannenbaum what do they do about sport? I was under the impression that they had to go out to Sevenoaks for some sport and that would be almost impossible from where we are. I'm veering towards Habs / UCS for the sports facilities as DS is very sporty.

They have playing fields near us and we don't live in Sevenoaks (SE London)!
Playing fields were not a big deal for us tbh as our son is NOT sporty, but he has done fencing - their own salle! - and the lovely indoor pool appealed too. Also, they are one of the few independent secondaries to continue to offer football as well as rugby and I applaud them for that!

Thanks. TBH he's sports mad so I think that being able to try everything on his doorstep is going to be a priority, but we'll still give City serious consideration.

@ fiveweeks and others within striking distance of UCS and Habs: have you thought about Highgate? Very academic and superb sporting facilities.

I would be very interested in Highgate, have only heard good things, but I think that the journey is going to be too hard as we're on the other branch of the northern line. Bus goes straight to UCS and Habs is probably our local private school of that calibre. Mill Hill has great sports but isn't as academic and atm he seems quite academic too.

yes the salle at CLS is nice
they sail in Docklands too

CLSG didn't used to offer any 'field' sports at all (ie no hockey or lax, just tennis netball rounders swimming fencing volleyball etc), which was actually a plus for us.