Reviews of Guildford High School for Girls, Guildford
Review by Disgusted on 9th October, 2012
Add your review Date visited: 2011
I agree with Not Impressed. I regret ever sending my girls to GHS. Academic results is no substitute for a happy childhood, love, support or individuality and self esteem. Avoid avoid avoid. Their attitude towards parents is below poor and the pressure on the girls is unhealthy. Many parents at the school gates moan incessantly about the school but are too scared to speak up in case they face the same attitude, with the name Guildford High appearing on a CV being of higher importance than happy girls and supported and accepted families. If you love your family don't send your girls here.
Review by anon on 23rd August, 2011
Add your review Date visited: June 2011
I have just left GHS having been there from the Junior School. The review below gives a very narrow view of GHS, and a very small minority feel that way. I can only describe my opinions, but I believe many of my year agree GHS is an amazing school.
I can honestly say I had the time of my life and I wasn't 'the best' at anything, but I never felt pushed or upset at the fact I wasn't the best.
GHS is a selective school, but if you are bright enough to be offered a place in most places people cope just fine with it. GHS has an incredible atmosphere and instills a natural determination. I see it in my friends and myself. We all want to do our best and are very self-motivated. I never had to be nagged to revise or work hard when it mattered, i simply did it because I wanted to. GHS has made me ambitious and the atmosphere of sucess and support is amazing.
I can't understand the comments about teachers below, in my time at GHS i have never felt it was too strict but in fact the opposite. I know very few people who have had a detention. Probably in the entire time I was in the senior school I heard of about 5 girls in my year having detentions! Teachers are friendly and approachable, I know friends who have suffered adversity such as death of a parent, their parents divorcing or simply just having a hard time and have had huge support from GHS teachers who are extremely caring. Our head of sixth form knew everyones names within a few weeks and always made an effort to talk to everyone in the common room regularly, she was so on top of issues and efficient. The same goes for many of the other teachers.
My only moan is the Head. She lacks people skills. I hae been at GHS throughout seniors and she still does not know my name, I have only spoken to her once- when I went to go through my university application. She runs the school well and is efficient, however is disliked and has favourties. She is out of touch with teenagers as only had younger children. Each year a few year 11s leave mostly because of their dislike for the head, when we were in Year 11 she began introducing petty rules about what kind of bag we could have and other things which made a lot of girls want to move for more freedom at sixth form colleges. Once in sixth form, the freedom needed is certainly there. You can go off site when you don't have lessons and classes are much smaller and relaxed, but the support is there too both academically and pastorally.
The school has a huge sense of community and I certainly felt honoured to go to GHS and be part of the school. I am very sad to be leaving and honestly believe no school could have given me the education, friendships, ambition and opputunities GHS has. I feel GHS has made me down to earth and I have not lived in so much of a bubble as at other private schools, I know values and morals, I know in life you have to work hard to be able to play hard and to always strive for my best.
Review by Sophie Propes on 1st July, 2011
Add your review Date visited: Since September 2005
I completely disagree with the report above. I have been going to Guildford High School since year 3, ( I am now in year 8), and I really love the school. It is true that there is a slightly competitive atmosphere but that inspires us to aim higher. I am not one of the top girls in my year for sure, I am in the lowest set for maths but the teaching they give me in my set is very good. The bottom sets are much smaller than the other groups so that we can get more attention from the teacher, though most subjects are not put into sets). They want us to aim high so that we can achieve our full potential in life and be pleased with what we have achieved. All the girls in my ear are very happy at Guildford High School and I encourage people to send your daughters there.
Review by anon on 8th June, 2011
Add your review Date visited: 01/11/02
My daughters love and have no probs. All the rubbish about dissappointment is untrue. My daughters come home happy and cheerful. All they do is try to puush children to the next level, giving them a taste of later life.
Review by Not impressed on 15th July, 2010
Add your review Date visited: 15.07.10
As a parent of three daughters, who sent their eldest to GHS, I feel the need to spread to others an honest review of this 'Top School'. Although the school itself is well acknowledged and gets good results, I would not recommend the school to any future pupils. The teachers take discipline to a new level with punishments being set for the slightest errors e.g. homework handed in late once. My daughter's general happiness was extremely low and on at least 10 occasions she came home crying after a tough day. There is a lot of competition among the pupils, and my daughter (although bright for her age) was set in the bottom set for maths and English, therefore lowering her self esteem greatly. My daughter tells me her peers also feel the same way, yet are too afraid to tell their teachers the problems they face as they appear on the exterior to be strict and unapproachable - not what I want my daughter to be faced with every day. As my daughter tells me, every day was a struggle and the weekend felt like a huge relief (when not bombarded with homework which was usually the case). The negative energy omitted by my daughter daily was noticeable which was why we took the wise decision to let her move on to a new school at the end of Year 11 - the best decision made in years. A lot of her classmates also moved and she tells me they are all much happier in their new environment. I am not going to be sending my other daughters to this school with such a pushy environment and will instead enter them into another local school with a more relaxed way of life. If you are looking into GHS as a possible school for your child, I beg you to ask the question: Which is more important, your daughter's happiness or her academic results?
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