11 Plus Exams Forum

Hello Everyone

This is the first time I am writing on the forum. My DD has been offered a place at City. My biggest confusion is what should I choose between Watford Girls and City. She has got a got good score at Watford and if she gets an offer from Watford girls..it will be hard to decide.
Is there anyone else in the same dilema?
Your feedback will be highly appeciated.

Many thanks
Ash

You need to tell us something about your dd and what is important to her. How will she get to City? How close are you to Watford and will she be going with other girls from her class? DG

My DD is a bright and intellent girl.. She works really well under pressure. We live in Harrow which is about half an hour from Watford girls and if my daughter goes to city, she will have to take a train. I know a girl who travels from Harrow to City.

I am not able to decide if its worth paying for Indie. If we choose Watford Girls would it be a lot different to City acadamically and overall development.

Thanks
Ash

We turned down City for Dame Alice Owen's a semi selective school just like Watford Girls, only it is mixed gender. Both my dd's play a lot of sport. They play Watford girls at Netball and compete against them in Athletics. They have local friends and travel by train to school with a whole group of friends. I think she will have all the academic opportunities she will need at Watford Girls. Herty where are you? DG

Hi ash123! Congratulations to you and your DD on the City offer and the Watford Girls result!

If I may ask you, did you consider schools nearer to you, such as North London, St Helen's or Henrietta Barnett and how did you get on? Might there be another offer to come on 3 March?

Your stated choice is between a fee paying school a long way away and a partially selective nearby. I wondered if there might be other choices in between. .... How important is the Watford Girls sibling policy to you? A lot of families eventually choose that school or, for example, Dame Alice because of their sibling policies.

Thanks for your inputs. DD also got an offer from St Helens (with token scholarship) but both she and I prefer City despite a longer commute.

Our first choice would be HBS (DD is in the final 250) but right now thinking through our backup plan. We do not know anyone in Watford Girls but were impressed with the teaching staff and headmistress. City is clearly a top school but does it make sense to pay so much more? Any advise/thoughts would be great help.

Many thanks,
Ash

Ash your dd would do well in any of the schools you list and your decision would surely be based on your personal preference, ability to pay school fees and the journey to school.

Travelling to schools over long distances or that involve expensive or complicated travel arrangements can make it difficult for students to participate in after school activities and meeting up with friends, which is very important to the girls as they get older and more independent.

Whether or not you would be happy for your DD to travel home in the dark is another consideration. Would she be able to participate in sporting fixtures, music concerts, plays and so on?

For what it's worth, my children are at independent schools and, even with our positive experience of them, I'm really not sure I'd want to part with £100,000 per child if I had an offer from an excellent selective state school.

I'm just thinking about what I could do with that money..... Maldives is my first thought....

If money is not an issue, choose the school you like the best - and CLSG is a wonderful school - but if you aren't a multi-millionaire, go with the grammar school every time. HBS in particular.