Latymer Upper vs KCS / St Paul's

[windsandandstars]

This is my first post on mumsnet; please be gentle!

DS is in his final year of state primary school and is very fortunate to have an offer from Latymer (11+) and a conditional offer from Kings College School (13+). He has an interview with St Paul's (13+) next week. We live in Hammersmith, and therefore Latymer is much more convenient than Kings. The Latymer offer is also for next year, whereas for Kings or St Pauls (if by luck an offer were forthcoming) he would need to attend a prep school for 2 years and take the common entrance exam first. This seems like undue hardship on DS (as is potentially the daily journey to Wimbledon), when he could accept the place at Latymer (which is, after all, a wonderful school). But is it worth it to go to a top school like Kings or potentially St Paul's? Does the fact I'm even asking this question mean I am putting my own interests above his? Any thoughts appreciated!

As well as asking the school it is worth working out what you are looking for. There is a big difference between success and participation.

Westminster is a good example. It is often dismissed as not being suitable for a sporty boy/girl. Yet it is genuinely good at participation. A huge range of sports, and two full afternoons a week, as well as fixtures on Saturdays. Lots of chances for the boy who would only ever be D, E, or F team to discover a life-long love of fencing, hockey, real tennis, climbing or many other options, and with less competitive school and house teams, lots of opportunity to be selected. However perhaps frustrating for a natural A team player, though in fairness every so often a good eight comes along in rowing or eleven in football and they do well.

For whatever reason at Latymer a lot more emphasis is put on boys sport than girls, and it seems to see itself as a traditonal rugby/rowing school. Quite a lot of boys resist this and opt for football, but probably to the detriment of both sports. Teams are selective and there tend not to be too many of them, so its very possible for kids to slip through the net. The comments about KCS above mirror regular concerns about Latymer. In contrast music, art and drama are great.

At least the Latymer boys get to play football. Yet again at KCS this week's football is cancelled and only 55 out of the over 300 boys across years 11,12 and 13 who are supposed to be playing will get to do so, the others have no sport option and will sit inside a classroom instead. Any boy who's wants to play football should not be sent to KCS.

SAHD - do the Hampton teachers still run the friendly league between the boys themselves?

Cake - yes they do, in L6 there is a friendly football league for boys who aren't playing in a team for whatever reason.
DS is in Y7 and will have played 20+ matches by the end of term - could've been more but Cup runs have been short! KCS next Tues I think!

For year 7s that will be KCJS, I hope the football arrangements are better there otherwise I wouldn't count on actually playing.

Ok well we shall see... A-D teams playing.

FYI I would say they were well organised and it was good that all 4 teams were fairly evenly matched.

Does any one know the number of places available at KCS at the following entry points:

KCS 11+ entry
KcC 13+ entry

Presumably OP's son is happily settled into his next school for a year or two now...

KCS look to take in about 45 at 11+ into the lower school. I believe they then expect to take 30-35 in at 13+.

Rugby at LU... hello ladies, we are a family relocating to London from overseas and both my kids, son and daughter, got LU offers and we accepeted of course. Girl is at Y7 and boy got the occasional place offer. But one concearns we have is about the rugby for the boys. He has never played it before, he is not really a big fan of rough sports, he plays tennis, basketball and football, he loves swimming and he is a great sportsman. He also had an injury some time ago, he broke his front teeth, we had them fixed.

I am a bit worried about rugby, is it a contact rugby, are there many injuries, do you think we can skip it...

He won't be forced to partake in Rugby if He doesn't want to a Latymer as there are many other sports available. So yes He can skip it.