Godolphin & Latymer v LEH

[Calmmumnot]

Please could anyone share their thoughts on either schools. Both are equal distance from where we live so travel not an issue as LEH provide bus service and Godolphin easy to get to. My DD loves both for different reasons.
Please help!

@Calmmumnot Hi Would you mind letting me know if you picked G&L or LEH at the end ? As I now have the same dilemma, and any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks

G&L mum here with daughter in year 7. It has been a great start. She’s really happy and definitely made the right decision to go there over other schools. We didn’t consider LEH because location was too far. G&L goes out of their way to make the transition easy for the girls - mixing the girls and forms and houses. My daughter knew no one when she started and has settled nicely. She’s sporty so it suits her but her closest friend loves the drama department. Good luck. And congrats. Both schools a great choice.

Hi there, I have a DD at LEH and I wouldn’t describe it as a hot house at all! Very little homework 7-9 and an amazing head that definitely does not believe in hot housing. I think it’s a legacy reputation from the old head. Also lots of kids from Kew who have choice also go to LEH. In fact there is talk of a third bus being required. I would add though that if you had a super sporty kid that can be a pain on weekends!

@Livingwiththree Thank you so much for your feed back. The main thing that worried me about G&L is that most of the girls are from Central London. And as she gets older and finds new friends, shes going to want to go on playdates etc to Central London and that frightens me a little, I guess I'm being over protective!
Also because of its location do the girls head home generally after school or go for coffee etc ? Being a more Urban area I guess thats what worries me. Education wise they're bother wonderful schools. And to be fair G&L is much closes to us.

@Callicarpa19 Thank you so much for your feedback. To be honest the hothouse reputation doesn't really bother me. My DD is academic and sporty, however mentally shes still very much a little girl, (lots of her friends have already started showing signs of being interested in boys, wearing makeup etc) We're in Chiswick, so as much as I love LEH, I don't know if I should be making her travel at least 1.5 a day on a coach to get to and from a school, when she can get to G&L in 20 min max.
Its wonderful that she managed to get offers from both schools, however is sooooo hard to choose, I almost wish she'd only got an offer from one :-)

I think if I was in Chiswick I would go for G&L! The traffic over the river is always so horrendous! My DD gets bus from Kew at 7.45/7.50 (and leaves after her sibling at a much closer school who relies on public transport not a door to door service!!!) and home by 4.50/5 (lessons until 4 and long lunch hour for activities) If you find out when coach leaves from Chiswick you can determine how much time she will spend on bus. But if you are in Chiswick you will have transport options to G&L. They are both fab schools but will not be perfect throughout and (if you are indecisive as I am) you might wonder when your DD has inevitable friendship blips, not being on A team etc etc, what if she had gone to the other! So choosing for a practical reason -like its next door -might help! You have a nice dilemma!!!

From Chiswick? You'd need a very good reason to choose LEH over G&L

Why not ask LEH how many of the current yr7 come from your postcode?

PLD11 If you're in Chiswick and like both schools the same then I think it's a no brainer for G&L. Think of extracurricular stuff that requires to come in on weekends or evenings like theatre rehearsals etc. As to being scared of central London playdates yes you are being slightly overprotective 😁 The transport is easier and faster to central London and you will be surprised at how many girls come from West London and even Chiswick itself. We are West London based. We chose LU over Hampton and the hours I have saved for not having to drive a long way to parents evenings and events are too many to count!

Lots of girls live in Chiswick. We’re in W9 so you’re probably closer to the school than we are! There are sports matches and music assembles after school. Yes friends will live all over London but that’s secondary school and the girls don’t choose their friends by postcode! But they make it work. In my opinion the shorter the commute the better.

I work at G&L and can categorically confirm that the majority of students come from west of Kensington, the biggest clump from W4. We also place students in Y7 forms with an eye to postcodes to try to ensure there are groups who are local to each other in each form.

Thank you everyone, you've all been really helpful.

@amidaiwas Thats a really good idea, I'll try that.

@Callicarpa19 - I love the space at LEH, that would be my main reason of travelling there rather than a 5 min journey to G&L

@piecedtogether Yikes! 🤣 Forgot about all the parents evenings etc !!

@BruceFoxton thanks v much for the insight - it all helps - my husband prefers G&L and I am being indecisive.

It's a no brainer in my opinion. I really don't understand why you would subject her to at least 1.5 a day on a coach versus 20 min max when the two schools are brilliant and very little between them.