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Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 5:58 pm
by snowedunder
Hi all, My DD is currently in year 5 so have been looking at quite a few schools. We feel co ed is right for
her and seem to be left with quite a hard decision between two. Aldenham or Belmont followed by Mill Hill
at 13. Would be so grateful to hear any comments on either school.

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:01 pm
by surreymum
Welcome to the forum (which can be sometimes be a bit quiet at weekends)
I have no personal knowledge of these schools, but Zorro, who posts on here, has a son at Aldenham so hopefully should be able to give you some info....

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 6:07 pm
by snowedunder
Thanks surreymum first time on elevenplus. I have read some of zorro's comments maybe she will know a little about
Mill Hill.

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 9:29 pm
by sherry_d
No idea about the schools but if you intent on changing schools at 13+ would you not want a school that prepare for CE rather that a school like Aldenham that goes all the way through?

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:29 am
by snowedunder
The Prep school DD is at only goes to 11. If Aldenham is the choice then thats fine she can go at 11 through to 18. If however we prefer Mill Hill that starts at 13 so she would have to go to their prep school Belmont for two years.

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:04 pm
by zorro
Hi snowedunder.
I have a son at Aldenham so please feel free to pm me to discuss.
As you will probably have gathered we are delighted with DS's progress at Aldenham and would highly recommend it. I do know a little about Mill Hill, have 2 friends with DC there and also know a child who went to Belmont.
Are you aware that Mill Hill still have Saturday school?

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:42 pm
by snowedunder
Thanks Zorro not sure what pm means as new to this. Yes I know about Saturday school. I think what concerns me the most about Aldenham is the very few girls. I believe out of 60 in year 7 at the moment 12 are girls. Mill Hill is also boy heavy but certainly not to that degree. I do see this as a difficult decision as both seem fabulous. Up until I went to the Mill Hill open day on Saturday it was Aldenham all the way but now very confused. Would love to hear anymore gems of information.

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:59 pm
by zorro
Pm means private message. You click on the pm icon on the left.
Are you going to the Aldenham Open day? It's on June 18th.
I think all schools which were originally boy's schools will be boy heavy for a few years. I think my son's year was the first to get get girls coming through from the prep school. When he started there were about 19 girls as opposed to 40 or so boys. But I think the intake at 13+ is nearly all boys, same at Mill Hill .I wouldn't see this as a problem as the girls have their own houses in Senior School (Y9) and seem to more than hold their own! In actual fact when my son was at primary school (state) there were only 10 boys and 20 girls! You can't really tell what the boy / girl ratio will be from year to year.

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:29 pm
by snowedunder
We went to Aldenham open day last october and a private tour a couple of weeks ago still no really any the wiser all the open days seem to do and say the right thing.

Re: Aldenham or Mill Hill

Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:50 pm
by zorro
So why did the Mill Hill Open day change your mind about Aldenham?
I believe Mill Hill is more expensive. It also has the reputation for being very'snobby' for want of a better word. A lot of very wealthy families send their DC there. One of the children we know (whose parents are both dentists and not short of a bob or two) was made to feel like a poor relation by several other girls when she first started.
Although there are wealthy parents at Aldenham, the majority of my son's friends are from normal, professional families . Sure, he has rich friends too, but he hasn't been made to feel inferior in any way despite not coming from prep school like most of his friends.
Where do you live? Distance is also an important factor.