11 Plus Exams Forum

Hi Friends,

My DD will be in year 4 this September and we live in Salisbury which has a girls grammar school (South Wilts Academy).My husband works in London and I work 1 hr away from Salisbury.I could transfer my job to London. .We were in the process of buying a house and found a house in Abbots Langley which we like ... if we move I would like my daughter to try for Watford Grammar school, HBS or Tiffyns if she doesn't get any of these then there are lot of good independent schools around that area. I knew its competitive...She is currently in a state school doing well.

I am quite confident if we stay here she will go to a Grammar school but on the contrary I feel its very laid back and number of girls going to Oxbridge kind of uni are very less. Please advise

What do you actually know about Watford Grammar School for Girls, HBS and Tiffins?

Have you checked that the house you like is in the catchment for WGSG and how long the journey to HBS would take. I asumme you are not planning to go to Tiffins from there?

Watford and HBS both use CEM and Maths and HBS also has a challenging English comprehension and creative writing paper. Over two thousand girls sit for just 93 places. Do you have evidence that your dd would be capable of competing when the odds are so greatly against her.

Which private schools were you thinking of? Most selective schools this close to London are hard to get into. Habs girls has 600 girls sit for 120 places.

Did your daughter get all Level Threes in KS1 sats?

I know of more parents who go the other way; moving from the pressure of getting into good North London schools and to somewhere where the stakes are not so high. A student I know of was able to get in the top 50 at Bournemouth Grammar as he found the exam a lot easier than QE and DAO.

I suggest you go to the open days and do the journey by public transport from Abbots Langley to HBS and WGSG before you make the decision.

It might be the right thing for you if your dd is academic and enjoys being in a challenging environment. Have you asked the school for advice and an opinion on her ability to get the high marks required?

You would be better off posting this query in the Herts and North London section. DG