Different daughters - different schools?
Georgia and Lydia McMillan
Case Study: St George's School Ascot and Downe House
Georgia and Lydia are wildly different girls, and we made an early decision that they would not necessarily attend the same schools. Comparisons are glaring and we wanted each to succeed in her own right. We deliberately chose schools within an hour of home so we could attend as many school activities as possible and take an active part in the girls’ school lives.
Georgia always wanted to board (she clearly expected to move into Mallory Towers or the Chalet School) and loved every second. Always academically competent and a real “team player” Downe House was an easy choice. We worried that Georgia may be lost in a school of 800 academically driven girls after her sheltered little prep school. In fact the house system (she chose the one in the woods away from the main school building) provided a sense of smaller community and unerring loyalty as well as healthy competition. We watched Georgia, who had always been a fairly “black and white” girl who took herself very seriously, learn to laugh at herself and quickly develop a tolerance to all kinds of “interesting” behaviours in others! Understanding that there were many who were just as bright and talented was another valuable life lesson!Georgia’s enjoyment and success was clearly noted by Lydia, but for her things were not quite so straightforward. When her turn came she had already spent a year in a French School where not a word of English was spoken and her daddy and I had decided to separate. She had coped brilliantly in France, but was emotionally volatile and had missed her Common Entrance year. Our choice of St Georges was well reasoned – a smaller school with a caring attitude and a reputation for its all round approach and ever improving academic achievements. To be honest, at that point in time, league table status was low on our list of priorities – Lydia’s emotional health was our greatest concern. (As it happens, Lydia’s academic achievements have far exceeded our expectations – she has just started a French Studies Degree at University in Paris!)
St Georges’ attitude is best summed up in the call I received after Lydia’s entrance exam. Her performance was so poor that the teacher marking the paper had asked if English was her first language. The headmistress at the time, however, had spent lots of time with Lydia and even contacted the French School. I can still remember my relief when she called to tell me that on the basis of her references, circumstances, and long interviews she had decided to give Lydia a chance! Guess who was the first person I wrote to when Lydia was made Head Girl last year after a landslide vote!!!
Click here to read more about Georgia & Lydia’s school experiences and the strong friendship bonds each formed at their schools…
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Your comments
I nearly didn’t get into my secondary school either, now I’m deputy head girl and got 7A*s in my GCSEs. My parents saw my school as too academic and almost stopped me going, but the pressure definitely helped me after four very lazy years at a prep school!
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well done :)
You are right to be proud of yourself