HBS vs NLCS

[danicka]

thank you kenyancowgirl. The open afternoon was split into two groups: parents taking a school tour and parents having informal chat with teachers and current parents. We were in the latter group. Yes, I guess you are right, we were all charmed and dazzled at the open day, but the open afternoon for offer holders had a very different feel.

[ASMS]

I would be really grateful if any current HBS parent could give me the teaching methods of HBS. Such as, does HBS give regular homework to reinforce what they learn at school? Do the teachers mark and give comments? Do they have a regular test on various subjects to reinforce the understanding of the subjects?

[ToadMum]

I would be really grateful if any current HBS parent could give me the teaching methods of HBS. Such as, does HBS give regular homework to reinforce what they learn at school? Do the teachers mark and give comments? Do they have a regular test on various subjects to reinforce the understanding of the subjects?

Not in your area, but I did find the school policies on the website - the Assessment, Homework and Curriculum policies may help.

http://www.hbschool.org.uk/363/about-us/school-policies

[Northdad]

DD came back a bit deflated too. I haven't got to the bottom of it yet. But her experience included the fact that she was the only one from her school there, she didn't get to eat the jammy dodgers in the art class, she saw all the treats in the arts centre from outside (when she was on the activities) where the parents had gathered, but by the time she had finished the 'greedy parents had scoffed them all'.

Besides the disappointment of not getting the usual NLCS sugar fix, there was a serious point for both DD and DW. Whilst the school could have done more to have teachers or the NLCS girls on hand for the more informal chat, the issue was that DD felt a bit left out and at least once, almost deliberately bypassed by members of her peer group. One or two of the girls were not the least bit inclusive (to put it mildly) and are definitely not girls that DD would want to be friends with.

DD has been to the school several times and each time the experience has been nothing short of excellent. She was therefore clearly expecting to have the best time here, given this is the school she really likes... and this time she didn't get that. For different reasons DW also felt different about it, mainly because of the demeanour and statements of some of the parents. It's got to be said however that the Parents Guild were great.

Questions for the forum... was the experience a bit of a one-off? Was it the situation given that the girls and parents are in the driving seat for a change? Or could this be the sign of things to come for 7 years, if we accept? Other views of the day appreciated.

Let's see how the other schools are in comparison when we go and see them next week.

[loobylou]

Northdad I'm sorry your dd felt disappointed by her experience. I have no knowledge of the day or the school but I would say that it's not that uncommon to get that sort of feeling. I know each year people seem to post similar things after the "meet your form" evening or equivalent - a "we're getting cold feet; did we make the right choice?" feeling. It's write rare to have people then coming on here saying they regret their choice later on. I think the difference between the dream ("if I do well I could come here") and reality ("if I click that button that is where I'll be for the next 5/7 years") can be quite scary.
In addition it's about now that the reality of leaving primary school starts to be felt.
Your dd sounds very sensible to have been able to spot the sorts of girls she does not want to be friends with. In every school (probably more so in a girls' school) there will be Queen Bee types who tend to be popular and b**chy. To know she wants to avoid them is a good thing. All the posters on here who know NLCS say the pastoral care is good so you have to assume that the teachers are not duped by those girls (often used to be the case in my era). In any school there will also be nice girls who your dd would get on well with.
I hope you end up finding your decision relatively easy.

[has2bme]

I am following this thread out of interest, but felt compelled to reply. My DD is not going to either of the afore mentioned schools. She is however going to an academic school, out of London. Having just been to the 'open morning' at the now confirmed school choice was a pleasant experience. We had a panel of head of department teachers including the head and head girl, we were able to hold a q&a with them sat in front of us. Then also speak to them individually afterwards. The children went to do a treasure hunt etc and given cake and drinks etc. All the girls had a great time. We as parents were given the opportunity to ask the Head and subject leads and coach co-coordinator questions in an open and frank manner.

I think overall it was valuable and I felt reassured. Yes there were some parts of the school I saw I wish were slightly modernised etc. However being able to direct questions to the staff really was a key decider for me, plus my daughter felt very happy and positive coming out of her meet up.

I don't know if this helps as it's not directly related to the mentioned schools, however my intention was just to share how positive it can be as an experience.

[OldBean]

I don't have experience of these schoools. However we had a disappointing offer holders day at one school. DD felt there wasn't anyone in the group she would click with and a lot of the parents and children seemed very different from us. We'd previously had a very good experience at the open day and at that point it was the preferred school. We decided to ask for another visit on a normal school day and to meet some of the prep children moving up, this was very helpful and showed the school cared about our child.

[Bibliovore]

Northdad,
I found the open event at NLCS comparatively low-key also, particularly the presentation and Q&A at the beginning. This is in part in comparison to others that we have attended over the past week, one of which had a large panel of teachers, the leadership team, head girl and subject leaders, and another one of which split the parents into three groups who each had a Q&A with 5 or 6 pupils from across the age range of the school, who really gave a good sense of the school. At NLSC, the Yr 7 girls present at the Q&A really didn't get to say much, which was a pity. We went on a mini-tour and afterwards did find it very useful to speak to Mrs Wilson and to the head of the Middle School who gave some really good insights. In comparison to other events there were fewer NLSC girls around for DD to speak to, which was a little bit of a shame.
I suppose some schools aren't too sure whether the offer holder event is a confirmatory thing, or whether it really is about creating (or continuing) a "buzz" about the school. In the end the NLCS one didn't cause a positive or negative shift in our view. DD said the other girls were nice, but she had a few others from her school there, so spent some of the time with them.
If we get the positive email on Wednesday night, we will go to one of the HBS offer holder tours and see how that shapes up in comparison.

[thisisnuts]

If we get the positive email on Wednesday night, we will go to one of the HBS offer holder tours and see how that shapes up in comparison.

Does HBS have offer holder tours?

And if they do, will it be before your acceptance deadline for the Indies?

[nyr]

HBS has offer holders tours the day after National Offer Day. Even though NLCS know that some families will drop their offer once they have a place at HBS, they are decent enough to give an acceptance deadline a few days after 1st March. Some schools, such as Habs boys are a bit keener to secure their coffers. A couple of years ago they wanted parents to accept the place and put down the deposit by noon on National Offer Day which was before many parents knew for sure that they had a state school offer.