Latymer Upper or Highgate at 11? Anyone really know the difference?

[loveyouradvice]

This is the exciting - and rather tough - choice we have to make for DD.

All advice welcome - from sweeping generalisations to indepth insight.

They both seem to be strong academically and a bit weak on girls' sport (and in having women in senior roles). Highgate more nurturing, Latymer better at drama.

Other thoughts? Especially about the girls' culture? I have an imaginative tomboy and am a little in awe of the short-skirted, sophisticated girls who seem to predominate.

And if anyone wants to PM me, that would be great too.

They're nowhere near each other, so if you want your dd's social life to be manageable and enjoyable chose the one closest to you

Well, some of us live midpoint between the two so doesnt really help! If we want co-ed, these are our options!

We technically live midway between the two, but for us Latymer is by far the better option as the public transport links are so much better. When we looked I immediately dismissed Highgate as just too far and inconvenient, but Latymer was perfectly feasible by both bus and tube. That might not be the case for you/

As a result of that rather prosaic decision, I have no view on Highgate, so can't help you choose. I really liked Latymer, and would readily have chosen it had it been an option for our child.

For what its worth, we know people that have been very happy at both. Also I think it best not to think too much about the sophisticated short skirted girls at any of these schools : at ten or eleven it is unimaginable that your rock-climbing, football playing daughter could ever be one of them. At fourteen your daughter will have found her place - probably in a short skirt, but with her inner tomboy firmly in place too.

Both schools are excellent and achieve very good results. Perhaps it is as simple as whether you like leafy grounds (Highgate) or a more urban feel (Latymer), or whether you are happier in North London or in West London. The location of your child's school can have quite a big effect on where you end up spending a lot of time.

So agree lovethedog - DD seems to feel happier in the urban ... me in the leafy (and definitely more North London)! But it is her life so suspect that's the way we'll go!

I only know one of these schools a little but wanted to agree about not worrying about the sophisticated older girls. Girls and boys mature and change loads, and not predictably.

Choose the school that feels right for your daughter, and you'll have the best chance of her developing the self esteem and understanding to see her through whatever lies ahead.

Rather flippantly I can add that if your skirt is more than a credit card's width above your knee at Latymer you get a detention. I think the Latymer girls look much smarter than those at some of the other girls' schools.

I can't comment on Highgate but my DD started at Latymer this September and we and she are thrilled with it. I think Latymer caters to the individual child and it is a big enough school for them to find their own group. Our daughter is one of the youngest and socially not that sophisticated but she has found her own group of girls and is really happy. She is also not that sporty so that is not one of our concerns but I know there is a big push to improve the amount of after school sport for girls and ensure they are not treated as second class citizens in terms of sport. Hope that helps.

Really great insights - and reassurance as its looking like Latymer - though not yet made final decision. Really apprecaite your feedback