Godolphin & Latymer VS Latymer Upper School

[CrikeyGee]

We have been lucky enough to receive an offer for our daughter from both these schools. She is very excited and pleased but has no idea which to choose.

Can anyone share recent experiences of these schools? Are your kids happy, thriving, well supported? Do you have any concerns? And are the other students down to earth or super rich and other worldly? We are not super rich and never will be so that aspect worries me about switching to the private sector.

Thank you for any advice given.

[Azure]

I can only talk about LU but my DC is happy and getting on really well there. It's great that it's properly co-ed. The school has a very good support department. The cool / urban preconception is not the reality - there is a wide range of children there, from sporty to geeky (or both). The parents I have met are very normal and plenty of children went to a state primary school. There is a strong bursary programme. Yes there is a smattering of actor and media types (as I think is the case in all the schools in the area) but I'm yet to meet or hear of anyone super rich. Good luck with your decision - it's a nice choice to have.

[choselatymer]

I have a DC at Latymer. I agree with everything Azure said.

[avocadosalad]

Another happy LU parent! My DS came from a state school and we worried about how down to earth it would be. Also we were lucky to have other offers too and really agonised about the choice so know exactly how you feel. I have to say we have been really pleased and have never regretted our decision for a minute.

[GreenTrafficLights]

We are deciding between the same two schools. There are a lot of threads with happy LU parents on here yet G&L parents seem entirely absent. My DD is leaning toward G&L and now I'm worried that the parents are quiet because they aren't happy. Does anyone have experience of G&L that they can share?

[Needmoresleep]

DD is 18 to this is a while ago.

She had offers from two good schools. She was in a prep, so what we did was get her to talk to one of her favourite teachers. In her case the teacher confirmed our view that LU was the right place. But this is would not have been the same for all of her peers.

We had two direct pieces of advice before she joined:

1. Expect a difficult first year. LU girls include a number of big characters. You don't need to be a big character, but you need to be able to cope. It takes a while for the quieter ones to find each other, but they do. Especially when setting starts. LU is also very good at dealing with problems. Wherever they start, they seem to mature into nice interesting people. DD was fine. She was always a future sports captain sort of girl, who often got on better with the boys, so had her place.
   

(I remember the mother of one very bright girl whose posh prep urged them to take LU over SPGS. The mother was appalled, didn't the school realise that her DD was always top of the year. I think the prep were right. The DD may have had a rougher time initially at LU, but co-ed and a school that lays less emphasis on your place in the class and more on other achievements, provides a good preparation for real life.)

1. At LU you often have to compete. At G&L you can expect to be nurtured. If you think you might be interested in netball, singing or art, but are not sure, LU can be difficult. LU is great at developing a range of talents, but you need to go along and audition. The warning came from a mother whose daughter, at 11, was not ready to do this, and so felt overlooked. (Though in fairness by sixth form the DD was thriving and had found her talent/interest.) G&L seem to work harder to support the less confident. Expect top maths and science sets to be boy dominated, simply because it is so much harder for boys to get a place. Again being in a minority did not bother DD and she enjoyed being stretched. But difficult perhaps for some girls.
   

This is beyond the obvious girls/co ed, and sixth form IB. Both are reasonably international as IB makes G&L a popular choice for those who may be considering tertiary education outside the UK, whilst co-ed seems more natural for some, especially Europeans.

They are both great schools, but quite different. Very occasionally a girl will transfer from LU to G&L, probably for the reasons above, whilst the occasional girl would transfer into LU from a girls school. At 11+ DD found girl politics quite tricky, so co ed suited her, and I think the same applied to the girls who moved.

[Mulberry10]

Hi - current G&L parent here. Apologies for late arrival!

Really really happy with the school, as are all the parents I've spoken to. The girls are busy, enthusiastic and cheerful. The staff are calm and accessible. They seem to get great results without any overt pressure from the school, which has a really measured approach. My feeling is that they trust the girls to do their best, and work with them to make sure they achieve it. There's always lots going on in terms of sport, clubs, drama etc - and lots of laughter. Almost everyone seems to stay into the sixth form.

In terms of the super rich thing (which was a worry for me too) - yes there are a few who undoubtedly fall into that bracket, but I doubt any more than at any central London private school. It really doesn't seem to have any major impact on the rest of the girls, and I think that's partly because the school itself is so down to earth. Most people I would say are well off, but normal.

Hope that helps - happy to answer any specific questions.

[NL2016]

Dear mulberry, your views are very, helpfipul! we are stressed choosing Between City and Godolphyn, we live in Kensington, any word of advice there? Thanks!

[madmum6000]

Hi - my DD is at G&L and loves it. I think it a slightly more nurturing school than LU, but I don't honestly think you can go wrong with either. Well done to your daughter.

[Mulberry10]

Hi NL2016 - sorry I only just saw your message. Are you still choosing or has your City offer disappeared?

I know far less about City, but I can tell you that lots of G&L girls come from Kensington and Notting Hill. Is there anything in particular you'd like to know?

[NL2016]

Mulberry10: thank you for reaching out, we have accepted Godolphin :), hopefully this works out and the daughter will be happy!

[Mulberry10]

Well done NL - I'm sure your daughter will be very happy!

[Maplegurl]

I’m in position to chose between Lu and GL. How had your experience been ?