Nonsuch High School for Girls

I left school with good grades and a great work ethic, but at the cost of my well-being, having attended nonsuch from 2012-2017

Such a high performing cohort leads to an incredibly competitive and pressurised environment, which in turn massively impacted the mental health of many students. During my time there, there was a general ambivalence amongst staff towards supporting students, and a lack of interest in individual characters, but rather ensuring each student produced high grades.

I was a very chatty and hyperactive teenager, and I spent a lot of time sat in the hall having been sent out of lessons. I never received any support to manage my concentration and looking back as an adult I feel let down by staff. The pressure on grammar schools to produce high grades meant individuals with different skills sets or ways of seeing the world were punished as disruptive.

In the 5 years I spent at Nonsuch I never had a relationship with a teacher which was close, and never felt secure to confide or trust any of the pastoral care team. For students around me suffering with mental health problems, this lack of support was even more damaging.

As has been mentioned, issues with racism amongst staff and students was prolific and completely mismanaged by the leadership team. The school’s diversity offers an opportunity to celebrate, explore and learn about difference, but again this opportunity was missed due to staff’s focus instead on academic rigour and order.

Leaving nonsuch in year 11 was the best decision I could have made for my education, I was so worn down by the pressure at the school. I attended a mainstream college and got excellent grades, which I’m sure I would not have achieved had I stayed. The focus on maths and science meant creative a levels were under subscribed and poorly taught, and many of my friends who remained at the school actually did worse than many of us who left.

As a treasured ex-member of this prestigious school community, i find the staff to be extraordinarily frustrating. Due to the extensive amount of homework and busy schedule, I simply get to rest and it drives me and my fellow peers insane to be surrounded but such a stressful atmosphere presented by the teachers. There are short notice tests at least one a week, and unreasonable amounts of revision required. I am strongly against the gsce curriculum beginning at 11 years old, and even a-level challenges presented to people in year 7 and 8. While it seems there is a wide range of opportunities available, these are limited and not a lot of them occurring, and access is very difficult. The majority of teachers are appalling and very harsh when grading and most do not teach very well at all. I remember me and most of my class staying up to absolutely disgraceful times for our age doing work and learning topics we were not taught well in class, in the end only getting about 3-4 hours of sleep, sometimes none. I remember this at 12 years old, and teachers may say that this can be avoided by doing it earlier, but children have other commitments and cannot spend their entire youth simply doing schoolwork. They need a life and they cant have one there.

It's a good school academically, however there is a massive mental health problem that is overlooked. Some of the staff is a bit dodgy, however the chemistry department is very good.