Talk Education

Our View

There’s a lovely caring and friendly environment at this inspiring all-girls school in north London. It takes a ‘character education’ approach to learning, with teaching values and virtues beautifully embodied by specially commissioned cartoon woodland characters – Empathy Rabbit, Bravery Mole and Respectfulness Hedgehog among them – alongside the usual classroom subjects. Pastoral care is spot on and, with a seamless transition to Channing Senior, girls are free to enjoy being sponges for knowledge without the pressure of testing.

Where?

Located at the top of a hill in leafy Highgate, the school looks over London from its impressive main building, which was once the Lord Mayor’s residence. It still has the feel of a house – there are beautiful French doors that lead onto a full-width balcony, with a new extension called The Pavilion below, which is used for indoor sport. The school also has a new multi-purpose hall where the girls eat lunch, where assemblies take place and where a myriad of clubs is hosted.

The garden, which stretches far down the street, has been transformed into a decent-sized playground with a wooden climbing frame, a small climbing wall and lots of swings. There’s also a multi-use games area (MUGA), while a new decorated stable block houses a library and the music and drama departments. It’s equidistant between Highgate and Archway Tube stations, both a 10-minute walk away.

Head

An always-open door into her pretty pink office means head Dina Hamalis often has young visitors. Girls are encouraged to come and see her whenever they like, and they’re more than happy to take up the offer, especially when there’s cake. Miss Hamalis believes strongly in listening to her pupils and hearing first-hand how they’re getting on. ‘Pupil voice is a really big thing,’ she tells us. ‘It is their school and environment, and they influence what we do.’ The current Year 6s were starting Reception when Miss Hamalis joined and, just as she does with all the pupils, she has followed their progress closely. On our visit, they were due to come to her office for tea and cake to give her an opportunity to find out how they’re feeling about leaving.

Admissions

The school is selective and oversubscribed, with more than 200 applicants for the 48 reception places each year. Prospective pupils visit for an hour without their parents for group and one-to-one time, giving staff a chance to assess if ‘the girls can thrive here and be the best version of themselves’, says Miss Hamalis. A smaller group is called back a week or so later for another hour, ‘which we make as fun as possible’. Most years are two forms, but there are currently three forms in one year group as so many parents accepted their offers. Part of the reason it’s such a hot ticket is that once a pupil is in, they don’t have to sit entrance exams to the senior school.

Academics and senior school destinations

Channing’s cartoon woodland characters are at the centre of its ‘character education’, which was something Miss Hamalis introduced to embody what and who Channing girls should be. The qualities of bravery, respect, responsibility, perseverance, curiosity, independence, empathy and resilience are embedded in the classroom and beyond, and they have had a ‘positive effect on the standard of learning’, says Miss Hamalis. A few years ago, Year 6 had a competition to write the best story about each woodland character, and the winning entries have been turned into books. Reception classrooms are wonderfully creative, with a café area, role-play area, reading area and a lovely outside space with a sand table, trikes, a playhouse and even a wooden theatre stage.

There are specialist teachers in PE, drama, forest school, music and Spanish. In Year 1, art and D&T is added, and French in Year 3. Philosophy is taught from reception. There’s a balanced approach to technology – it’s used effectively rather than just for the sake of it. By Year 5, pupils are using devices but handwriting is equally important – we saw some beautifully handwritten work about the Great Fire of London displayed on the walls. Forest school is timetabled weekly for reception to Year 4. There’s an outdoor classroom there, trees to climb and a pond for dipping. A resident fox shares the space.

Co-curricular

Sport is a big thing here, and the school brings home silverware in football and netball in particular. There’s also an elite swim squad, which trains at a local pool. On site, the MUGA is the size of four netball courts and the girls also play tennis on it. Years 5 and 6 have water-sports afternoons – they canoe, kayak and paddleboard at a reservoir they travel to by coach.

Drama and music are both on the curriculum. A drama room is used for rehearsing productions, but they are staged at the senior school. Open and audition-only choirs start in Year 3, and pupils can also join the orchestra, string quartet, guitar ensemble, samba band, mariachi band and piano trio. Music lessons include technology on ChromeBooks. Art and D&T are housed in a large room. On our visit, pupils dressed in green overalls were busy with their creations; Year 5 and 6 do woodwork, making fairground rides among other things.

Clubs change termly and are designed to encourage the girls to try something new. There’s no end of choice: cheerleading, brass ensemble, debating, creative writing, science, cooking and swimming. Year 3s have an annual overnight camp in tents in the school grounds, making s’mores and putting on a talent show. Year 4s get to spend the night in a Tudor mansion, while Year 5s go to a PGL Adventure Centre for two nights and Year 6s spend a week on the Isle of Wight.

School community

Weekly wellbeing and pastoral-team meetings ensure those who need extra support are flagged to all staff. From reception, pupils are taught PSHE and the school uses programmes such as Friendology and Kimochis, where hand-sized beanbags with feelings written on them help girls to understand and manage their feelings. Every classroom has a thoughts & worries box and there is a school counsellor.

‘Parents are very invested in the girls’ education,’ Miss Hamalis says. The PA organises socials for parents and pupils alike; this year’s Harry Potter-themed winter fair featured real owls.

And finally….

Channing makes a strong argument for single-sex education. The holistic ethos means pupils learn while having fun and the girls we met were certainly happy and excited to be showing us around. ‘Doing tours reminds us how lucky we are,’ one said. And with the equally excellent senior school to move up to (without having to jump through hoops), it’s definitely one to put on your shortlist if you’re a north London family with daughters.

Our View

A visionary all-girls school full of extremely confident, capable and engaging young women, this north London gem knows just how to create a vibrant learning environment where no one gets left behind and everyone is inspired to embrace the school’s ‘10 per cent braver’ approach to life. Channing is big in size and heart with stellar facilities – there’s a lot to love here.

Where?

The school’s prime position at the top of a hill in Highgate means it has spectacular views of London while being set apart in its own lovely bubble. Walking through the front entrance, you feel like you’re going into a standard London house – but no, like Narnia, there’s a whole world behind that door, with building after building, including a sixth-form centre, sports hall and theatre, plus lots of outdoor areas and an impressive multi-use games area. A large new science and maths building is being built that will see the outside space remodelled to create more seating and green space.

Most pupils live within a four-mile radius and travel to and from school on public transport (which the school encourages). It’s generally a straightforward commute, with Highgate underground just 10 minutes by foot in one direction and Archway the same distance in the other.

Head

Lindsey Hughes took up the headship in 2020 with experience of both all-girls and all-boys schools under her belt. She tells us, ‘This is by far and away the best job in the world.’ During her predecessor’s tenure, pupil numbers have grown by 350, and her ‘10 per cent braver’ ethos has seen positive outcomes both at school and at home. ‘It’s the perfect nudge for high-performing, risk-averse girls to go to the audition or ask the question in class,’ she says. ‘Teenagers don’t want to stand out but want to be different. We give them the confidence to forge their own path.’ The school’s Unitarian values of free thinking, acceptance and inclusivity are foundational, and Mrs Hughes is passionate about pupils having a voice that is heard: ‘We are educating girls to take a place in the world; school is the place for first opinions and crucial social skills.’

Admissions

The school is selective and oversubscribed, and that’s for 100 places in each year, 70 in the sixth form. The main entry point is 11+, with prospective pupils sitting the London 11+ Consortium Assessment in December, followed by an interview in January.

Academics and destinations

There is a maximum of 25 pupils per class in Years 7 to 9, fewer at GCSE, and at A-level class sizes are even smaller – our sixth-form guide’s largest class was nine pupils for English. Academics are strong across the board: economics is currently the most popular A-level, the science department is huge and languages are equally impressive, with Years 7 to 9 learning French, Spanish, German and Latin. Latin and classical civilisation are offered at GCSE and A-level. There’s also a twilight classical Greek course after school in Year 10 and ancient Greek A-level on the timetable when there is demand for it.

All Year 12s start an EPQ and do at least one term – it’s timetabled as part of weekly enrichment lessons (which include salsa, embroidery and yoga). Pupils work with a supervisor, writing a proposal and presenting it in the summer term, and for those who decide not to complete one, there’s a shorter Channing Project to give them a similar experience. Sixth-formers also have the option of taking four A-levels – those gunning for Oxbridge and medicine often do, and the success rate of getting places on competitive courses in top universities is high.

‘All of them go to the place they want to go, to do things they want to do,’ says Mrs Hughes, who tells us pupils go for ‘the whole gamut’ of options: art foundation courses, robotics, marine biology, theatre design, criminology… the list goes on. Some choose to head abroad too; in the past four years, international further-education destinations have included the US, Canada, Australia, Germany and Israel.

Co-curricular

Channing is an arty school, and the art department sits in a labyrinth of rooms on the top floor, all with incredible views over the City of London and Emirates Stadium. It’s inspiring, to say the least. And with a darkroom, textiles studio, ceramics room and kiln, it’s not surprising that many choose art at GCSE. In 2023 all of the pupils who took art for GCSE received a grade 9.

Music is also busy and just as inspiring, with a dedicated team of teachers and visiting music staff who pour themselves into organising choirs, ensembles, orchestras, singing lessons, instrumental lessons and even musical-theatre lessons. Every Friday there’s a Music at Lunchtime concert, and at Christmas pupils perform in a local church. This year, a Royal Academy harpist is joining the orchestra. They also hold jazz evenings, creating a jazz-club vibe in the theatre with the audience sitting at tables to listen to the band.

Every year there are two school plays or musicals, one for Years 7-9 and the other for Years 9-13. There’s a proper theatre with an upstairs space for the orchestra to play, and a lighting rig complete with a booth. Pupils get involved in every aspect of a production, from set and costume design to lighting, make-up and, of course, acting.

The sports hall is big enough to be divided into two, so two lessons can be held simultaneously. They do everything from trampolining and dance to volleyball. There is also a fitness suite, which sixth-formers can use outside lesson time. The multi-use games area outside is used for football, netball and rounders, and pupils walk to nearby Stanhope Road for PE lessons. Sports day is held at Parliament Hill, where the school rents a track.

Staff run clubs, while sixth-formers take charge of societies. There are lots of trips: school musicians recently went to Vienna and Seville, there was a Spanish and history visit to Cuba, and every year there’s a skiing trip.

School community

There’s a real understanding of girls’ wellbeing here. Mrs Hughes encourages pupils to practise self-compassion: ‘Girls are brilliant friends to each other, but they don’t always turn it to themselves. The hope is that they understand they are brilliant and the strengths they have are marvellous.’ A big-siblings programme sees Year 7s paired with a Year 8 buddy, and wellbeing one-to-ones are delivered by sixth-formers.

There’s a lot of fun and energy in the inter-house competitions, with Christmas a particular highlight of the year: classrooms are decorated and judged and pupils take part in a Christmas debate.

Outreach activities are coordinated by a dedicated Director of Social Impact who organises partnerships with local state schools. Sixth-formers run breakfast clubs in some, while Year 9s read in the mornings with partnership schools. Year 10s also give digital support to the local community, fixing their devices over tea and sandwiches.

And finally….

Excellent academics, fantastic pastoral care and a wonderful way of imbuing girls with self-confidence, Channing makes a strong argument for single-sex education. If you’re a north London family with daughters, it’s definitely one to put on your shortlist.