JAGS vs Putney High School Post Reply

[SW11 Resident]

Hi

Has anyone had any personal experience of either JAGS and PHS (or perhaps even both!) and could recommend one over the other?

Difficult choice to make...thanks!

[Isabella2022]

No direct experience of JAGs but was in a similar position a few years ago and have a daughter at PH.

For us it was a great decision and she has been really happy and will definitely stay for 6th form. Lovely happy school with great sports and where girls are encouraged to try lots of new things (I have a child at another local secondary which is not quite as encouraging !!) commute from Clapham is so easy with lots of trains and the girls love having Putney on their doorstep. (Jags is slightly in the middle of nowhere) quite a lot of my daughters friends went to Jags and to be honest have had mixed experiences and a number have since left … but that could just be one of those things ! (Maybe a sightly unlucky year group?)

To give you a balanced view … the sporting facilities at Jags are definitely better with girls at PH having to get a bus to get to their main pitches (although this hasn’t stopped them from being national lacrosse champions) They play lacrosse not hockey and am not sure you can row at Jags ? Rowing is very popular at PH with the rowing house just a short walk from school.

Honestly it’s so difficult getting honest reviews here. People will tend to jump in and praise their own school choices and in my experience with kids at different secondaries it can so depend on year and friendship groups !

But for us so far it’s been a great choice and I think Jags would not have been as nurturing and encouraging for my quite shy daughter

Good luck - I would say you have two good options !!

[SW11 Resident]

Thanks so much Isabella

[Vista321]

Hi SW11 Resident

I too have a daughter at PHS, she has been there since the junior school, and we are very happy with it. It is indeed a lovely, happy 'can do' type of place with a huge amount of diverse opportunities, great teaching and a positive, confident culture.  Academically, they go at quite a pace but there are catch up clinics and support if needed. 
Music, sports, art etc are all of exceptional quality and are inclusive in the early years, before the girls tend to specialise in certain areas. There are extension activities such as PIE (Putney Ideas Exchange) plus loads of clubs like robotics, coding, debating, chess, dance, creative areas etc
Isabella2022 is right that a lot can depend on friendship groups and I know of cases where the school has intervened at parent's / girl's requests in terms of moving people across classes, changing who sits where etc and they manage it well and respectfully.

I also have a niece who was at JAGS several years ago and she was also very happy and did very well / really enjoyed school. It seemed on a par with Putney in many ways. She did say that it was quite high octane academically.

In terms of differences between the schools, PHS is part of the GDST, which is a great network but JAGS has links with the other Dulwich schools, including Dulwich College.
JAGS has a swimming pool and does waterpolo etc, PHS does rowing and lacrosse - no hockey. Also does football as a club. PHS is very supportive of elite athletes too, and they have a fair few there (one having moved from another school who did not accommodate them).

As Isabella2022 said, it is a good choice to have and both are excellent schools. Maybe factor in the travelling and location of future friends? Many PHS girls come from Wimbledon, Putney and Barnes - fewer from SW11/ SW12 areas (although we are in SW11 too.) 

Good luck with your choice

 

[SW11 Resident]

Thank you very much Vista321, this is so very helpful.

[purpletortoise]

This is really helpful - thank you. What’s PHS like for girls who aren’t very good at sport? Are they still encouraged and given opportunities or is the elite athlete factor just a bit demoralising for C-team types?

[Vista321]

Putney has many girls who are not into sport at all and get involved in other things instead. The extra curricular offer is huge and sport is by no means the ‘be all and end all’. There are several orchestras and choirs, academics clubs, book club, drama club, engineering, medical society etc.

In year 7 they have teams A-G for netball as so many girls want to play it, and they all get some matches. As the years go by though many tend to drift away to other sports such as lacrosse, cricket & football and of course rowing. Girls can also join non competitive sports sessions.

My daughter says the expectations are quite high and you are ‘pushed to do your best’ which can be a bit stressful but is also rewarding.

I hope this helps

[Vista321]

Putney has many girls who are not into sport at all and get involved in other things instead. The extra curricular offer is huge and sport is by no means the ‘be all and end all’. There are several orchestras and choirs, academics clubs, book club, drama club, engineering, medical society etc.

In year 7 they have teams A-G for netball as so many girls want to play it, and they all get some matches. As the years go by though many tend to drift away to other sports such as lacrosse, cricket & football and of course rowing. Girls can also join non competitive sports sessions.

My daughter says the expectations are quite high and you are ‘pushed to do your best’ which can be a bit stressful but is also rewarding.

I hope this helps

[Mummyof3SW11]

I have a daughter at Putney and friends with kids at JAGS. The obvious difference is the space and facilities- JAGS certainly has more space, whereas Putney is more urban. For us living in SW11, Putney was a good choice commute wise and we just really liked the feel of it. My daughter is very happy there. Teaching is generally great, loads of extra curricular stuff on offer. A few minor annoying things with comms and inconsistencies in rules but nothing major. Headmistress Suzie Longstaff is amazing but sadly she’s leaving at the end of this term. So will be interesting to see how the school changes.

[purpletortoise]

Thanks, both, that’s very helpful indeed, and thank you for taking the time to reply. Good to hear from SW families, also, as another Putney concern has been having friends located primarily in West Ldn. One more question, if I may: do we think JAGS & Putney are on a par in terms of academic pressure and, conversely, pastoral support?