Godolphin & Latymer

[neuroticnicky]

We are thinking of applying to G&L next year as it seems to have excellent results . Although DD is a cheerful outgoing type who enjoys extra curricula activities like sport we are not well off (ie can just about scrape the fees!)and are a bit concerned about G&Ls posh reputation. My understanding is that this is because the IB attracts lots of mega rich foreigners. Does G&L have a good social mix of girls ( and are there any English ones left?!) and are OPs DDs happy there?

Like a lot of West London schools, it has a mix of well to do and less well to do. My DD has a old school friend who is on a bursary and is very happy.Has made some good friends and is flourishing. OK, some girls may go to country homes most weekends and glamorous holiday locations but it doesn't have to be a big deal.The same could be said of my DD's school (Latymer).

I have a DD at Godolphin and I agree with tripleweetabix. We are very far from super rich, and while we are aware that some of the other families are, in practice we have not found it a problem. The school itself has a very down-to-earth ethos which has not changed, so I don't think those issues really feature during the school day. Yes social media means everyone knows who goes where on holiday, and there are definitely some girls who seem to go away every time school breaks up, but I imagine that is probably the same at all the Central London private schools. There are also plenty of girls from families who regard themselves as 'ordinary' (given the fees I think this has to be a relative term for anyone not on a bursary). I guess it depends on what you mean by a good social mix, but it is definitely not an exclusive haven for the international mega rich. It's really a lovely school - and the girls I've met seem fun and not excessively stressed. Hope that helps - happy to answer any other questions.

Thanks very much for both of your comments. One thing we like about G&L is that it seems quite sporty and DD loves being in her school sports teams. However this may be a false impression just because the sports fields are onsite at G&L rather than a coach ride away. Is it fair to say that G&L is better for girls sports than say Latymer?

I have a DD at G&L and agree with comments above - there are some very wealthy families but I would certainly not say they are the norm. It is a fantastic school and my daughter is extremely happy and loves it. I would echo Mulberry10's comment that it is very down to earth and also I think the girls have a lot of fun there - it isn't just an exam factory. My daughter is very sporty (was considered one of the best at her prep school) and is now in the C team so sporting standards are high. Whether they are better than anywhere else, I can't say. Rowing and swimming are obviously more accessible at Latymer as they have a pool/are right on the river.

My DD is not sporty at all so I can only give you an observer's perspective, and I can't compare with Latymer either I'm afraid - but Godolphin certainly seems very sporty to me. Anecdotally I know parents at some schools feel that only the very top DC are ever included in teams, but that does not seem to be the case at Godolphin as far as I can tell. There are netball teams from A-F as well as lots of clubs etc.

Thanks Mulberry. I understand that Godolphin is very popular these days and not easy to get into (possibly due to a very high Sunday Times ranking which is above CLGS etc). Does anyone know whether Godolphin went to waiting list this year or whether more people than anticipated accepted ?

I don't believe it did go to wait-list neuro as other parents commented on how they had received an email before deadline date stating wait list was not needing to be drawn upon. We turned down a offer G&L early on so this is not first hand - but many of the west London schools gave similar responses (e.g. CLSG brought forward their offers deadline to close the allocation off on a first come first served basis). Seems like the balance of offers + % over-offer was calculated well by them resulting in not needing to go to wait-lists...

LEH did draw off their wait-list.

Apologies - know CLSG is not West, but one that some of us in the West did apply to!

Thanks ealingwestmum. It sounds like we will have to prepare DD pretty well for the exam as I have heard tales of girls getting into eg Latymer this year but not G&L suggesting that G&L may be becoming the hardest local school for West London girls to get into after SPGS.

Not sure I would agree with that based on outcomes from those that have sat 11 entrance that I know this time round, though there really is very little between these schools academically. They all do have a different cultural feel though and the numbers applying each year does seem to rise, even if it's down to more DCs applying for multiple schools to increase their odds.

G&L has the added benefit of offering both A level and IB so attract slightly more international applicant, though have still known many to reject in favour of other schools (for what ever their reason).

The exams from our perspective were far more challenging for the non consortium schools, who then selectively interviewed whereas G&L interview all their applicants which is a nice touch.

Do prepare her - timings, format of papers, especially on comprehension (lots of past papers available) but also be mindful that the interview process tries to weed out those who have been over-prepared, hence asking mental maths/english type questions to see if candidates can think on their feet (no matter how left field the answer!).

Very best of luck with it all!

Thanks very much for all your useful advice/tips.

just a note of caution - G&L is more expensive than many other London independents although the fees haven't yet reached the eye-watering levels of SPGS, however if you would only just be able to scrape the fees now, how will you be able to cope after 2 or 3 years of well-above inflation increases? Ds is just about to leave his school - when he started a full fees place was £11,000. For 2015-16 the fees are >£17,000 that's a huge rise in a short space of time and is very typical of the sector ...

basildonbond is absolutely right. It's almost like there's a cartel operating in West London with fee rises in the schools there higher, year after year, than anywhere else in the country. SPGS does indeed remain ahead of the pack with an astonishing 37% hike in 5 years, according to a recent Sunday Times survey.

Prudent middle class professional families, whose income derives from stable salaries paid for work they do, should look elsewhere: these schools are not for us any more.

"Indulge the rich", that's the motto of these schools now. It's such a pity.

Cue unsympathetic posts berating us for being "hopelessly out of touch", not understanding "the market", "the new demographic of West London", globalisation and whatnot and for not being clever enough to choose jobs which furnish "bonuses", "share options" and other exotica with which they always explain "people" generally pay school fees these days...

Agreed. We chose Putney High for my DD as the fees are far more manageable at the GDST schools. There are also fewer extras - they are one of the only indie schools that don't charge for external exams which adds another £500 ish to fees in exam terms.

Granolamuncher/basildonbond - there are so many wealthy foreigners living in West London these days that local private schools have been able to get away with large fee increases without affecting the numbers applying which seem to increase year on year. Indeed it is noticeable at DDs primary school that more and more English middle class parents (including many who were privately educated themselves) are taking the state secondary school option. Another factor putting pressure on fees is that the schools seem keener these days to justify their charitable status by offering more bursaries to poorer pupils (hence higher fees for the rest) although IMO this is often abused and due to the academic requirements there are probably few really poor students actually obtaining bursaries; indeed I know people whose children have got bursaries at well known West London schools despite them being comfortably off and living in £2million plus houses etc. Unfortunately I can only see the fees increasing which is why frankly I am concerned about payment and we will only cough up for private if DD gets into a decent school like G&L but not one of the less academic London private schools. We may look into bursaries but wouldn't be prepared to be economic with the truth to achieve one.

My iPhone screen is cracked, and I thought this thread title was in 'Baby Names'. I was THRILLED.

shambles off disappointedly

neuroticnicky,
I think you ought to know that most schools make sure that bursaries/means tested scholarships do not come out of the fees pot.
I also dislike your suggestion that the parents of many bursary holders were economic with the truth. We weren't.
There is not a single bursary holder in DS school living in a house worth 2 million let alone 2 million plus.
As fees go up, so does the resentment and bitterness towards parents and children in receipt of a bursary from people like you, and many others on Mumsnet. It makes me sad and it's unfair to the children who usually worked very hard to be awarded one and can truly not afford the fees. Bursary and scholarship holders bring a lot to their schools and schools have a lot to win having them, far more than just charity status.

bursarylady if you look e.g. at the SPGS 2014 foundation report on its website you will see that the school states that while 77% of the bursary places come from donations/the bursary fund "23% of the bursary places are funded by the school". I am not sure which school your DS attends and was certainly not accusing all bursary holders of being economic with the truth but the fact remains that I have no idea how some of the people I know managed to qualify. I certainly do not resent bursary holders (indeed I am not rich and may apply for one myself!) but it seems to me that most bursary holders are middle class and the idea that bursary holders provide a "social mix" is IMO a bit of a nonsense. Indeed I know a number of parents whose children have bursaries who were themselves privately educated. Despite the talk about social inclusion the fact remains that the schools focus on the 11plus/entrance exams and truly poor pupils unable to afford tutoring are at a clear disadvantage.

I have checked and G&L says "The income threshold for bursary applications is currently £100,000" so I will definitely apply!

bursarylady I have checked their websites and other schools such as Latymer also admit that their bursaries are funded partly by the school out of fee income and not wholly covered by the bursary fund. It is therefore not true to say "most schools make sure that bursaries/means tested scholarships do not come out of the fees pot".On the contrary it seems clear that this is exactly where part of the bursaries come from.Given their commitment to increasing the number of bursaries I would be surprised if any of the leading schools have a big enough bursary fund not to have to resort to using some fee income for bursaries.

I stand corrected then. Sorry if I sounded touchy, your post came after a string of other posts...