Forest vs. Bancroft vs. City of London School for Girls

[delmar]

Hello everyone,

I am just starting to reserach on both grammar and independent schools in my area (Chingford) plus CLSG and would really appreciate any insights on Bancroft's, Forest School and CLSG. I've searched on what percentage of their pupils go to Oxbridge or to Russell group universities, but this is not enough to make up my mind. How academic are they, what's the atmosphere, curriculum, etc. My DD is quite into Art, so this is also good to consider.

Would home tutoring be sufficient or should I definitely look into private tutors? Any resourses you could point me towards? I am ordering the Bond papers right now.

Also, how long in advance do you think I should start preparing my DD for the exams? Could you recommend any private tutors who has successfully prepared kids for these schools (please PM me their details only if you've either worked with them already or know someone who has been tutored by them and got a place in any of these schools). I am also looking specifically for creative writing tutors (as well as 11+ Maths and English) as English is not our first language and I feel my DD would need extra help with writing essays, structuring her sentences, composition, vocabulary...

Thanks so much!

Many thanks.

We try to keep the forum as safe as possible - we don't allow tutors to be openly recommended, because it attracts posts with fake recommendations ('dodgy' advertising solely designed to solicit business on the internet).
It is also not unknown for unscrupulous competitors to 'plant' posts seeking to denigrate the opposition!

Genuine recommendations from forum members by PM only (private message) are permitted - but be aware of the possibility that someone who appears to be a 'helpful parent' offering advice may not be all they seem! There could be an ulterior motive.

Always treat recommendations from unknown persons with great caution.
However, we have many long standing members (check carefully the date of joining and number of posts) who make a very valuable contribution to the forum. If you receive a private recommendation from one of them, it could be worth considering.

Please let us know if you think anyone is abusing the system by soliciting for business or 'spamming'.
It's easy to report a possible problem - just click on the red exclamation mark that appears with every post and PM:

Moderator


Note:

• • Institutional Course details can be found here
  
  • Intensive Holiday Courses can be found here

Kind regards

ForumAdmin

[Daogroupie]

City is in the North London Consortium so they do not write their own exam but use the same as other schools. It is straightforward to prepare for but Bond is not the way to do it. What year is your dd in and what are her sats levels? DG

[delmar]

Thanks Daogroupie.

It's very early for my DD, she's Y1 and at this stage I am just researching the schools, exam formats, etc. and supporting her at home with general maths and English. Which resources would you recommend for kids 6-7 years old if Bond are not appropriate? As English is not our first language I was thinking of finding a tutor (again, not to start preparing for the tests just yet but to help her to broaden her vocabulary, creative writing, grammar and punctuation, etc. and perhaps some maths in case her school are not covering properly everything. I want to fill in the gaps, if any. So do you I should be looking for a tutor who is familiar with the exam format or just find one who teaches general maths and English?

I know Y1 is so early to think about all that, but I was hoping to get other parents' insights into these 3 independent schools. There are 2 grammar schools around, Latymer and Woodford County, so we would be looking at them, too.

As of Y4 I we will be starting with the 11+ preparation.

Any advice is welcome.