Is it really a similar commute for the two schools? If you live in Chelmsford I would think New Hall would be much closer!
Are there particular extracurricular activities he enjoys - sports, drama, music? The clubs/opportunities on offer at New Hall would probably be more extensive. Most of the boys we know at New Hall are quite sporty.
There is also probably more of a range of academic ability at New Hall (though SHSB may have more of a range than KEGS for instance). Your son is likely to be top of the year, which is good for confidence, but there are downsides to this: not many to push him along, extra pressure to stay on top - particularly with the scholarship - etc.
And how do you feel about co-ed vs all boys? I like the idea of the diamond model that New Hall does (boys and girls in separate lessons from Y7-Y11), but girls his age will still be around and that is a different dynamic to having only boys in his year, at least until sixth form.
Finally, even with the scholarship, would your family be ok financially paying the remaining fees (which will continue to go up each year) for the next 5-7 years?
Apologies as I know these aren't specific insights into the schools, but they're things I would think about in making the decision! We had a similar decision, though the commutes were very different (grammar was much closer) and that is what ultimately swayed us.
Are there particular extracurricular activities he enjoys - sports, drama, music? The clubs/opportunities on offer at New Hall would probably be more extensive. Most of the boys we know at New Hall are quite sporty.
There is also probably more of a range of academic ability at New Hall (though SHSB may have more of a range than KEGS for instance). Your son is likely to be top of the year, which is good for confidence, but there are downsides to this: not many to push him along, extra pressure to stay on top - particularly with the scholarship - etc.
And how do you feel about co-ed vs all boys? I like the idea of the diamond model that New Hall does (boys and girls in separate lessons from Y7-Y11), but girls his age will still be around and that is a different dynamic to having only boys in his year, at least until sixth form.
Finally, even with the scholarship, would your family be ok financially paying the remaining fees (which will continue to go up each year) for the next 5-7 years?
Apologies as I know these aren't specific insights into the schools, but they're things I would think about in making the decision! We had a similar decision, though the commutes were very different (grammar was much closer) and that is what ultimately swayed us.
Statistics: Posted by Humdinger — Sat Mar 08, 2025 3:02 pm