Best home location for both HBS and SW herts

[Somuchinfo]

Hello everyone,

I hope someone can help me. Not sure which is the correct area to post in as this covers both HBS and SW Herts Consortium area. We are based in an area with no good local back up option school and currently renting so have an option of moving. We want to do this very quickly now to give our dd the best chance of a good school. She is bright and trying hard for HBS and SW Herts Consortium test. But we are now very confused. If we move to the area within SW Herts (Watford, Bushey etc) and she actually makes it through the HBS exam then we've moved too far away realistically to travel to HBS haven't we? Are there any transport options from there to HBS? Or should we be giving up the idea of SW and concentrating full efforts on HBS and moving to Finchley?? We are currently in Barnet but local schools are terrible

I'm not set on grammar only. As long as the school is good and a good fit. But at the moment dd's heart is set on HBS (like hundreds of other girls!!)

Feel like we've been dithering for ages and just need to do something now!

Please help!

[Daogroupie]

Why wouldn't you stay in Barnet and sit DAO, HBS and Latymer?

There are lots of dds that go to all three of those schools from Barnet.

1900 dds sats HBS last year and did not get through the first round so probably best to wait and see if she gets through the first round before planning a commute to HBS.

I know of students who commute to HBS from Watford but if the SW Herts schools are your only reason for moving to Watford it would be strange to move there from Barnet which is much closer to HBS and then chose HBS over a SW Herts school.

I would stay in North London and focus on the North London schools. You can still sit SW Herts, Parmiters has three non catchment academic places and Clement Danes also has some.

You can then move to Watford if other options don't work out and you get one of the SW Herts non catchment places. DG

[Somuchinfo]

Thanks for your very prompt reply.

Unfortunately where we are located in Barnet it takes us out of the priority postcode for both DAO and Latymer.

[CestMoi]

In Barnet itself or the borough?

I can't think of any part of High/East/New Barnet not in the catchment for DAO.

[Daogroupie]

Anyone can apply to Latymer to sit the test which is on Saturday 15th July.

Latymer lost their catchment area for the test 18 months ago.

If you get a high enough rank for a place you have until end of January to move into the catchment area.

So if you stay where you are you can focus on HBS and Latymer and then move closer to the one you do better in.

DG

[Somuchinfo]

Oh really? We are near Mill Hill so borough of Barnet. Maybe I've read the admissions policy wrong on the websites but I thought you had to be in priority catchment areas even after taking the tests for both DAO and Latymer?

[Daogroupie]

No. Latymer were forced to change their admissions policy 18 months ago. This was published on their website in November 2015 so in 2016 anyone in the UK was able to apply to sit the test.

But in order to apply for the school you meed to be in the catchment area by January of the year of entry. So you can apply for the test from Barnet and apply for the school from Barnet but you will need to move into the catchment area by end of January.

This is very clearly explained on their website where it was been since November 2015.

This will be the second year of anyone in Y5 being able to apply to take the test.

So you have more options than you thought.

If HBS is your main interest than much better to stay in Barnet and sit Latymer as a backup. DG

[Somuchinfo]

That's really very helpful. Thank you so much.

[Middlesexmum]

We live in Stanmore and my dd goes to HBS. She currently travels via the Air Fenella private minibus service but the journey is also straightforward via public transport - Northern line tube from Golders Green to Edgware. I either meet her at Edgware or she can get a bus home. There are lots of HBS girls from around the Edgware area.

We are also in the outer catchment for the Watford Consortium. You need to look carefully at the postcodes, only some parts of Stanmore are in catchment. I think it's HA7 3 or HA7 4 that are in it. Some HBS girls also come from Bushey, Air Fenella come sometimes accommodate them depending on the routes. You could look at Hatch End or Pinner too.

[Somuchinfo]

Thank you so much for all the really useful info. Having never even previously considered Latymer before I know very little about the school. So lots of reading and research for me ahead now!