Latymer Upper, Godolphin and CLSG

It’s more that I’m wondering why you only post on the LU threads? All the schools were mentioned in the press last year- it’s how they deal with it going forward.

There are drugs in every school in the land- the stories just don’t make the papers! The W London girls schools are no better, possibly worse, I promise you!

@pkim123- you seem to post that link a lot in any thread about LU- have you got any children at the school?

DD is at G&L. She’s very happy there and we’re very happy for her. She came from an unknown school. At 11+, we declined places at a grammar school, CLSG, NLCS and LU (plus other schools), for her to be at G&L.

STEM: While it seems that more girls do STEM elsewhere, I reckon that this is more of a function of individual genuine interest in STEM versus the lack of provision or empowerment by G&L. We’re pleased with the STEM teaching at G&L. DD loves STEM. The sciences are taught separately from Y7, and some of the earth sciences are covered in Geography; Nutrition is covered in Biology and Technology. Teaching is very much evidence-based, with the girls learning from experiments and investigations from Y7. There are a lot of STEM-related clubs, as well as out-of-school opportunities. During the 2nd lockdown, keen girls participated in projects on astronomy and cell biology/genetics/medicine. During the Science week last year, families participated in an engineering project. Maths provision has been superb. Girls are set in Y8, with those in upper sets doing quite a bit of extension work. There’s a Maths clinic for those who need extra help, while the Maths club offers additional enriching experience for girls. There are also Computer Science-based clubs for eager girls.

There are a lot of threads about sports at G&L, so I’ll make this short. Sports normally dominate the Twitter page of G&L (This could actually be evened out by other events. But, you can check G&L life under the Newroom tab in their webpage). Netball and hockey are the main sports and I believe that the teams go from A to F. Girls can also do cricket, rowing, football, tennis, gymnastics, fencing, trampolining, climbing, etc. They also do dance, fitness, korball, etc during PE. DD is not sporty at all, but enjoys attending one of the clubs; there’s definitely a place for non-sporty girls at G&L.

The creative departments are very active. You should listen to the music scholars (reflective of very high attainment) and the Octaves (lovely). With many opportunities that range from choirs, orchestras and ensembles, there is space for the non-scholars at any level to perform and shine. A drama production is compulsory at Y7. Then there’s the lower school production where those interested can join. Further drama opportunities allow students from the lower school to participate. It’s very inclusive.

The head is superb. She’s had years of experience as head elsewhere and as a deputy at Westminster School. She sends an ‘epistle’ every Friday that summarises the busy week they had and provides pertinent information moving forward. Very nice. More importantly, for all the times that we have been invited to the school, she has always been around mingling with and accessible to parents for a chat. The Senior Management Team sends emails that enables parents to engage with the ethos of the school.

G&L supports diversity and sustainability, and promotes social awareness. The school’s Bridge outreach programme continues to thrive. The number of students on bursaries are also increasing.

There are many reasons why we chose G&L over the other schools. I am happy to answer questions, and can give tips on settling, uniforms, etc.

It's hard to compare schools as most of us only have experience of one. My dds are at Latymer, they're very happy and the older one who has done GSCSEs got fabulous results as did all her friends - I'm not sure comparing the schools academically will get you very far, there's not much between them. It's a big school but everyone is taught and given pastoral care in small groups, a huge amount of thought goes into this. i like the hugeness as everyone seems to find their niche. DM me if you have specific questions

Having gone through a very similar choice with a very similar profile of DD we have settled on LU. After speaking to so many people and emailing a number of staff at the school all of whom go back to me very quickly I am so impressed at the level of pastoral care despite the size of LU. The school had real energy about it compared to the GL offer holder tour which honestly felt quite dull, quiet and the lessons, Staff all looked not particularly inspiring but we actually did like the head more than we expected . I Realise that City and G&L are excellent schools regarding academic reputation and lots of people choose them for a number of reasons but the stem subjects at Latymer are really impressive especially for girls they have excellent sport which city is weak at they admit themselves by the nature of location . I wouldn’t let the size be too much of a worry And remember just by the nature of it being much bigger there will be more variation in results however they are all impressive so you really couldn’t go wrong. I do think it comes down to a few practical issues as well so perhaps those will sway you in a direction?