Godolphin and Latymer or Westminster

[ThatWildHam]

11+ results came through yesterday, and DD received offers from Westminster and Godolphin & Latymer

She seems to have her heart set on Westminster, but as it is the first year that they are accepting girls we're unsure about it

Currently confused and deadlocked, so any advice or insights from anyone with experience at either school would be appreciated!

Ah, ok. Totally understand.

I absolutely see the dilemma.

That said: because cohorts can differ pretty strikingly year on year — if one is not entirely in thrall to branding — all offers are not created equal.

Keen to get a close look at the classes our schools are attempting to assemble — when all is said and done, that’s sort of the measure of the thing, no?

Here’s to admitted students day…

With most schools I would agree that comparisons with previous cohorts are often very unhelpful.

However, with the so-called “elite” schools, the consistency of their offering is a selling point; the children are essentially treated as a branded product, and to an unusual degree even in 2026, they are expected to conform to the mould.

Governors and alumni want a recognisably similar product. Their values don’t change even under new leadership, although their priorities might be ordered differently.

The reputation of an “elite” school is always bigger than your child’s individual wellbeing, and children who do not flourish in these environments are victim blamed, undermined and sometimes even excluded by the very institutions paid half a million quid to deliver what their parents think is the best education money can buy.

Remember that you are not choosing a school for an 11 year old. You are choosing a school for a girl who will be heading off to university before you know it. G&L is a lovely school but Westminster is the equivalent of SPGS when it comes to HE provision.

Still rarely post on MN so failed to indicate my reply was to @Secondtimeinarow . I’ve no particular beef with Westminster, rather this particular bracket of elite boys’ schools who are suddenly welcoming girls with open arms, and using persuasive social modelling as well as PR and marketing to deflect from the real reasons for going co-ed, which is financial necessity and the benefit of coeducation on boys.

Westminster isn't "suddenly" welcoming girls. It's had a co-ed Sixth Form since 1967. The expansion of co-ed provision to all year groups has also not been "sudden" - it's been in the planning for a good few years now and long before VAT on fees became a reality, if that is your implication.

I think this is probably true of many elite all-girls schools, not just SPGS, although SPGS felt more socially homogeneous than others. Academically, the girls will get their 9s and A*s wherever they go; the more important question is where they’ll feel happy and balanced during those key teenage years, which really depends on the child.

We moved our DD because we valued a co-ed and more university like environment, particularly for sixth form. She was already doing very well academically, but once she moved she said she felt “free”, and only then realised how claustrophobic all-girls had felt. The school was also more socially diverse, with boys helping dilute the intensity and a broader mix of pupils, including more bursary pupils and international boarders. Catchment is also bigger due to the school being very well connected.

She did find the academic transition challenging at first though, as Westminster offered far less hand-holding and expected much greater independence. In the long run, though, she feels it prepared her extremely well for university, and the move to a top uni was far smoother than the previous one.

So the journey has changed her in many ways. But, again, she would have achieved the same grades wherever she went.

For those whose DDs received Westminster 11+ offers, may I ask whether they applied from schools that finish at Y6? We applied from an academic through-school, and in hindsight I’m wondering whether 13+ might have been the better route for us.

Our daughter’s school finishes in year 6, so 11+ felt like the only practical option

State primary here, finishing at the end in Y6.

That would concern me tbh. I would go for G&L in that case. As, 20 girls is not a big pool to choose from for friendships or for sport. Unless, your dd also likes being friends with boys as well (giving her more options in case she does not connect w the girls or falls out w friends etc) and not so interested in sport.

I have a dd at G&L and she loves it. She went to a coed for primary and I am glad she got to experience coed education, but now she is very happy to be in girls only.

Sorry is this expected acceptances or offers ?

I think that’s the number of girls they are targeting to start in year 7 (presumably the number of offers is slightly higher). Then more girls will join in year 9

I feel like when people say “choose what suits your daughter best” there is an assumption I can see the future🙂
It is difficult to know what school would suit her best since the reality of either school will not be known to us until she has started.

Agreed

Am looking forward to offer holders evening

If it’s really just 20 girls and most of them are girls whose families are already known to the school (sisters of current pupils), stay the hell away.

Boys’ schools that are embracing girls are not doing so for altruistic reasons nor even because it’s what parents particularly want, and a very small and carefully selected intake is not going to give your DD the added social value you think you’re getting. It’s not enough intake to take girls’ sports seriously, doesn’t give them enough girls to choose their girl friends from (crucial at puberty), and senior teaching staff will not be recruited especially for them so will be predominantly male.

The old public schools are under extraordinary pressure as a PP said. Only a handful have chunky endowments. Most are struggling under the weight of historic final salary and DB pensions for long retired teachers, an escalation in maintenance costs for their listed buildings, and rising interest rates on loans for capital improvements as well as the cost of living, VAT, falling birth rate etc etc. Opening up to girls offers them a lifeline without dumbing down the selection quality.

If you already have a son in the school the convenience and ‘better the devil you know’ aspect would be enough to take a punt but if not, no way would I opt for Westminster. If she turns out very bright and ultra-confident at 16 remember you will still have a second bite of the cherry.

It should be your main selection criteria! We’re in an epidemic of school refusals - schools need to be happy places first and foremost. A top quality intake will get 9s and starred A grades anywhere, but you want them to emerge sane and fit for adult life surely?

@MrsMerlin don't know what you mean by this

Most are struggling under the weight of historic final salary and DB pensions for long retired teachers

Westminster teachers are in the state TPS and the school will have paid the necessary annual contributions every year.

@Notanorthener Employer contributions to TPS have nearly doubled in the last decade. Independent schools are trying to move onto DC pensions but in doing so are struggling to recruit.

Assuming that a lot of the other girls are siblings of boys in the school (not sure whether that is the case or not), why would that be a bad thing?

Those girls have a massive head start over yours socially. Many will already be in established friendships, as will their parents, which usually means they will be less inclined to make an effort with you. They will already know lots of in-jokes and gossip about the school and teachers, and that insider knowledge gives them a confidence boost at just the time that your daughter, in a new environment, might be experiencing a dip in hers. It just makes life needlessly harder IMO, but if your daughter has bags of confidence and you have lots of social capital, perhaps you won’t feel on the margins and will enjoy the challenge.

But they aren’t making contributions for teachers who have already retired, that’s the bit of your comment I didn’t understand.

Some schools have switched out of TPS - although GDST tried a few years ago but backed down after teacher strike action. Not aware that W has even tried - are you?

The schools being discussed here are the elite privates who generally pay more than state and have not struggled to recruit. (Elsewhere in the sector may be a different matter.)

Nevertheless overall demand in the sector may be weaker because of VAT/higher fees and an improved state offering, especially in London, so all sensible schools will be looking to maximise their appeal to the broadest range of top candidates. W has an advantage over some schools mentioned here in that they can offer boarding and so attract competitive international students.

What I think is more significant at W is the extension of the offering in earlier years so they will offer a full co-ed from 4-18. This has a lot of appeal to parents and also gets families committed to W very early. Highgate in north London has achieved great success and popularity through that model.

Doesn't sound like much has changed in 40 years

I think Westminster has really gone about the co-ed transition very thoughtfully. They will take 22 girls in year 7 and keep them all in the same form instead of distributing them across the four forms. This is very sensible as it matches class sizes in other schools like SPGS and gives the same opportunities for friendship groups to form. They are also moving the new years 7-8 into a new building freshly designed for both boys and girls so it's not like girls have to fit into a traditional male environment. They already have girls in the 6th form who are very active in sports so they have the template. And many academic elite girls choose to join in the 6th form from SPGS and NLCS and don't have any problem going for their top choice subjects and Oxbridge places, it seems a win win to join earlier and have more years at Westminster.

So the girls are not integrated but just put in a separate class by themselves? That sounds pretty suboptimal - like a separate alien element in what otherwise remains a boys school…