nonsuch what is it really like.

[notaclue]

My daughter will be going to nonsuch in september. We are really interested to hear from parents whose daughters already attend the school or know of someone who attends the school. Would love to hear what their experiences are (good and bad), how easy they found it to find friends, overall atmosphere of school. Do many meet up outside school or is there not so much time due to homework load?
Would really appreciate any feedback you may have.
Thanks so much! !

[Nonsuchdad]

I'm in same boat as you

[Nonsuchmum]

Our daughter is in year 8 & absolutely loves it. She was the only girl from her primary school that went & didn't know anyone. She threw herself into everything including sports clubs, school play & orchestra and has loved every minute of it. She has made lots of friends & is so enthusiastic about school. I am sure your daughter will be very happy there.

[notaclue]

That sounds very reassuring! ! We have heard some bad press about nonsuch with regards to their pastoral care and that they are selective add to which students they show an interest in (i.e. those who want to study medicine). I spoke to the new head at open evening last year and felt reassured at the time that they are looking after the whole student not only the academic side which I believe is very important. I have also heard rumors that nonsuch was far easier to get into than wallington this year and that some who did not put nonsuch as first choice were given a letter to try to persuade them to go to nonsuch. Never expected any of the grammar schools to be "desperate" as there obviously wre far more gurls who apply than get offered a place. Slight concern that Wallington might get the higher ability girls? All of this said both me and my daughter absolutely loved nonsuch when we visited and we felt convinced that it was and is the right school for her. Just have the above niggling concerns (she did pass wallington and tiffin too so could always put her on reserve list..).

[Nonsuchmum]

Well our daughter has no idea what she wants to study in the future. All I can say is that she is very well looked after in school & has been given great opportunities. She has thrown herself into everything. It's not just about the academic side. We couldn't be happier. I cannot comment on Nonsuch being easier to get into this year since I know nothing about this. Good luck to your daughter.

[2outof3]

Notaclue,

Please let me reassure you that the head of Nonsuch is so obsessed with not pushing medicine applications over other subjects that I swear I will scream if I hear him say once more that there is more to life than medicine and Oxbridge. He constantly stresses that girls should be picking the gcse subjects and A levels that they enjoy and want to study and not the subjects that their parents think are most academic. If anyone is obsessed about medicine and Oxbridge, it is the parents of the girls.

Nonsuch has also put in place several initiatives to address the perceived lack of pastoral care, which in my experience (two DD having gone to the school with one still there) was actually unwarranted in the first place. However, that is just my experience and others may feel otherwise.

As for higher intelligence girls going to Wallington, well who knows and really, it's not something I think you should lose sleep over. How your own daughter does will depend mostly on how much effort she puts in, not how intelligent the other girls are. The school isn't perfect (what school is?) but we have certainly been very happy with it and my DDs have been happy and have achieved very well

[modernista]

Nonsuch is a good school with high achieving girls. My DD is happy. There is a bit of peer pressure for academics. My DD was easily at the top of her primary now she realises she has to work hard. No bad thing IMO.
Parents put a lot of pressure on girls, on the plus side, my DD thinks I am super relaxed in comparison.
There are a lot of after curricular activities on offer- they seem to be two tier.. a lot of clubs if you just want to take part and then very competitive school teams.
My DD takes less part in sports because she realises she is not that good. On the other hand really flourishing in other extra curriculars.
Girls dont have that much of a chance to meet up casually afterwards as most dont live within walking distance. However it is better than some other grammar schools I believe because there is a partial catchment

[Ela]

Can ,please, somebody enlighten me regarding the foreign languages at Nonsuch? Are there two foreign languages to learn plus latin?
And can it be true that the girl may end in year9 without any residential trip since there are not enough spaces for everyone wishing to go? Thank You!

[clickclack]

In year 7 the girls are assigned one language (based on their form group), either French, German or Spanish, the girls are not given a choice however most girls are visited by a member of teaching staff towards the end of year 6 at their primary schools where if they speak one of the languages at home a change could be made. This is at the teachers discretion.

All girls study Latin in year 7. In the Spring term of year 7 the girls then have an opportunity to choose another language to study in year 8 rather than continuing with Latin. They can opt to continue with Latin however.

It is true that trips may be oversubscribed, if this is the case they use a ballot system to allocate the places.

Hope this helps.

[Ela]

Thank You click clack!!!