City of London School for Girls
Senior schools in london
City of London School for Girls is another London powerhouse, with 96% attainment of A*/A at GCSE Level and 83% A*/A for their A-Levels.
The students are invariably academic across the board. They are the hardworking, competitive, ambitious type and the teachers offer lots of interesting homework to satiate this hunger. For homework, the emphasis isn’t on volume. Its purpose is to bolster the school’s ethos, which fosters a love of knowledge and teaches the girls to develop good learning habits.
School information
The list of extracurricular activities is also impressive, with a vast range of clubs, societies and sports occurring morning, lunchtime and afterschool. This is a good opportunity for your daughter to explore existing interests, or develop new ones.
The school offers amazing trips for every year group to ensure the learning and fun carries on beyond the school grounds. They are also keen on getting students to participate in charity fundraising events to promote a better sense of community.
This school can be intimidating, due to its strong performance nationally, but if your daughter can hold her own academically and is confident, City will be a good fit and she will thrive.
admissions
The school invites twenty-four girls to join in year 3 and around 72-80 girls in year 7, with the corresponding entrance tests. There is also admittance into sixth form and this is based on GCSE results, as well as exams on the subjects they will be looking to study.
For entry in year 3, there is even a limit of 150 girls, who will be invited to take the assessment. Your daughter faces stiff competition even at this stage. It is highly recommended that you attend one of their 7+ events before registering. Registration begins as soon as your daughter is in year 1. This is based on what children learn at school, but the level is expected to be much higher than the national average. There is also a short interview where girls can ask questions. This should be seen as a chance for the girls to show themselves in their best light, as well as finding out more about the school.
Much like the 7+, we advise that you attend the 11+ open day at the school before registering your daughter to join in year 7. The admissions process is fairly standard, with a 1 hour 20-minute English test and a 1 hour 15-minute Maths test, which is followed by an interview if the exam results are of a high enough standard. The English exam is split into 3 sections, (one reading and two writing), while the maths paper tests the girls on a variety of topics. The questions become more challenging towards the end of the paper.