Brentwood School or CCHS (Chelmsford County for Girls)

[rocky23000]

Hi All,

A bit confused between Brentwood School and CCHS. DD got into CCHS, and good scholarship in Brentwood. As we live in Bwood, we are not sure which way to go

Bwood School:
Pros: Smaller class sizes, good sports facilities, local to us, DD will be able to attend pre and post school classes more, we will be able to participate in school's activities

CCHS:
Pros: Much higher in league table rankings (Number 20 compared to Bwood not being in top 50 independent schools),

Cons: Too competetive? Bullying, is it really a problem just for this school? travelling on train for DD

Any views, or clarification? especially from parents who have been in a similar position.

[dez]

We didn't apply to Brentwood. But if we did DD would probably got a Scholarship. From Brentwood to ChCHS the journey from Shenfield station will only take 30-35 mins. Even we full Scholarship I will still choose ChCHS over Brentwood School.

[2 to go]

DD1 is already at ChCHS and DD3 will be starting there in September. DD1 is extremely happy at CHS and thinks it is a wonderful school. She has a much larger group of friends than she did at primary school and has not experienced or seen any bullying. She enjoys the academic work but does not find it overly-competitive. We have friends at Brentwood School who seem to get a huge amount of homework. She travels on the train from Shenfield. It is a very easy journey made by numerous CHS girls and a sociable part of the day. She partipates in orchestras and swimming galas, which both run after school , and always has friends to travel back with. On a normal day she leaves the house at 7.50 and is home by 4.15.

[purplegirl]

After investigating both the indie and GS route, I decided to only apply to GS. Happily this years DD is to join older sister at ChCHS. Older DD loves the school, has made wonderful friends, tried many school clubs (settled on a couple that she likes), and she even likes the canteen food! Its a great school, with teaching of an excellent standard. I would recommend it.

However I have friends in a similar position to you, both with DDs with Brentwood scolarships and ChCHS places. Both are opting for Brentwood; talking to one mum yesterday, see believes that as her daughter has a scholarship she will be more "visible" and more attention will be paid to her, "a big fish in a little pond". However she was a little concerned about mixed ability classes. Brentwood is closer for her than ChCHS, but both journeys are acceptable.
Her daughter liked both schools, so that wasn't an issue.

I would always opt for the super-selective GS. But both are excellent schools, what does DD prefer?

Although it should not play a part in your decision to decide what is right for your DD: if you do opt for the indie route, then you will make someone elses day when they are offered the place. These places are in demand for a very good reason, it is a fantastic school.

[moved]

This decision depends on your child. Does she need to be surrounded by other bright girls to succeed? Will she be more confident at the top of her class than in the middle? Does she need more teacher attention to ensure she works and doesn't just coast?

One thing to bear in mind about CCHS is that very bright girls feel normal and there is always someone better than them at just about everything they do.

[rocky23000]

Thanks for your views and sharing your experiences.

Tough decisions, but, happy to be in a position to choose. I think our kids cope with everything in a much better way than we anticipate. However, we would keep everything in mind when she makes a decision and we will help her in that.

[rocky23000]

DD quite excited about the school and travel (on her own). We are going for a taster session in June.

Keeping our option open, we will be in touch with Brentwood school. But, will have to decide in a few days.

[Moodles]

We have been dealing with the same dilemma and in addition an offer of a scholarship from New Hall also. We finally made the decision over the weekend to go with CCHS .

[jojo1]

We were also in the same position, a scholarship for Newhall but we all decided to go with WHSB.

[nini]

My DD has just started at CCHS. She is absolutely delighted with the school! She gets very little homework -often no homework at all! She was offered a top scholarship but, as soon as we heard that she had a place at CCHS, we turned the scholarship down. So far it has definitely been the right decision. She loves the social life on the train. Good luck with your decision.