Latymer Upper-drug issues?

[princessllama]

hi,
does anyone have any helpful info on what the drug situation is at Latymer Upper. i have been hearing from 2 different sources that it is a bit of an issue. we are trying to decide whether to send our dc in September. I love everything i have heard about LU so far-great teaching and pastoral care etc, but the drugs issue has me worried.
i would be grateful for any info

[TalkinPeece]

Needmorsleep
The dog is unusual - PSC do it because their campus is big and they have over 4000 late teen kids roaming around

drugs are as prevalent if not more so in private schools than they are in state schools
it has always been that way

TBH when my kids went up to secondary there were lurid tales of "the cocaine problem" - turned out it was a very narrow clique who could easily be avoided.

Same as it was at my selective private London school several decades ago

[Needmoresleep]

But your posts suggest that drugs on campus were not taken seriously at your DCs school, and that it was very much down to the student whether they failed their exams as a result.

Right or not, and I don't know the detail, this does not seem to be the attitude at Latymer.

Which is presumably one reason why people might choose the school.

[stateschoolparent]

I doubt people will choose the school because of its attitude to drugs as all West London private schools -and particularly those which are , or were originally, boys schools- have been rife with drugs since the sixties. Taking such a firm line as reported in this instance seems to me to backfire on a school in terms of PR as it starts to gain a reputation FOR drugs. Indeed the media also reported drug expulsions at Latymer in 2007 and 2010 and after the latest escapade even my state school DCs were saying they were glad they were not at Latymer with all the drugs..I believe that a softer approach benefits both a school and pupils. Does anyone seriously believe that expelling pupils for smoking cannabis is more likely to stop them taking it than keeping them at school and subjecting them to drug testing and counselling? Or that once expelled they will stop hanging out with their former classmates after school?

[stateschoolparent]

I should have added that the recent reported incident and action taken/guidance issued by Kings College Wimbledon (counselling/drug testing) was in keeping with how I feel a private school should tackle the issue.

[orangeplum]

I understand that they are now filling up the places of those asked to leave so can't be that bad PR. It's got a reputation as a great school so people will want their children to go there.

[stateschoolparent]

orangeplum no one is disputing that its a good school and much in demand -I meant that no one will make a decision to join Latymer based upon whether it adopts a hard or softer attitude to drugs as the same problem exists at all London schools. So why not give the pupils a second chance?

[TalkinPeece]

A school friend of mine was expelled from several famous schools for drug use and dealing (her penchant was cocaine)
but because she had a famous and wealthy daddy, other schools were only too happy to take their cash
so she got her A levels and degree

she's a nun now !

[orangeplum]

Stateschoolparent, I totally agree re the second chance. They were young and stupid and a second chance would seem appropriate. I suppose unless you know the whole story (I don't) it's difficult to fully understand.

[Needmoresleep]

We knew the previous head better than the current one, but certainly in his day I doubt LU would have expelled pupils on the basis of a single incident. We simply don't know whether these pupils had been pushing boundaries for a while, and how many earlier warnings they would have been given. There used to be Headmaster's detention which means sitting in the Headmaster's study on a Saturday morning getting on with something whilst he caught up with his work, with the real advantage that he knew some of the more sparky kids personally and over a longish time period. And none of us will know whether the school have been helping behind the scenes to help some of the group find other schools.

LU, from our observation, is generally good with big characters. Some London girls schools can be very quick to manage out problem pupils, but their friends at LU seemed to survive and thrive. Not because they were allowed to behave as they wanted, but because they had a clear framework of rules and sanctions.

I think TiPs knowledge of academic London school's is out of date. Like Universities, school admissions are governed by the Equalities Act, and the market for buying places is not what it was.

[TalkinPeece]

school admissions are governed by the Equalities Act, and the market for buying places is not what it was.
Oh, of course, silly me, private selective schools are not allowed to select
snigger

[Needmoresleep]

You may snigger, but schools like Universities select on clear (though not necessarily published) criteria. Appeals happen in both state and private school sectors. I am assuming that your school experience predates the 2010 Equalities Act.

[TalkinPeece]

Private schools can let in whoever they like
especially if they are rich or famous
and they always have
and they always will

[RufusDeSelincourt]

One of my colleagues is a relatively recent alumni of Latymer Upper, and assures me that this no doubt fine institution is not immune from the pervasive availability of drugs in the area. Students freely communicate about supply and provision of drugs with one another. Few are foolish enough to get caught. Personally I grew and smoked Mary-Jane to my hearts content when I was a student at the Eton of the North shall we say. We had weekly locker inspections, etc. but to a certain extent it's part of the joy of youth to find ways to break the rules. Read "Boy" by Roald Dahl, and put your woes to rest. Then again in my day no-one was smoking skunk. Why not educate your beloved children about the dangers of skunk and spice and all the rest. They can easily get together and grow their own indica weeds, and then there is less to worry about. I don't smoke or take any drugs myself anymore, other than a little tipple of Umeshu, but really, your best bet is to educate the little tykes and help them cultivate other passions. If you want any more gritty details I don't mind asking my esteemed colleague, who comes across as an exceptionally well-adjusted, intelligent and capable young man, despite whatever drugs London has to offer.

[pkim123]

@princessllama

hi,
does anyone have any helpful info on what the drug situation is at Latymer Upper. i have been hearing from 2 different sources that it is a bit of an issue. we are trying to decide whether to send our dc in September. I love everything i have heard about LU so far-great teaching and pastoral care etc, but the drugs issue has me worried.
i would be grateful for any info

Yes, over the years you are correct, Latymer Upper has repeatedly had drug abuse issues. You can see stories from The Times and BBC over the years. Please be careful.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/latymer-upper-school-forces-out-seven-over-drugs-c29wgvsnl

www.bbc.co.uk/news/10269901

[Saucery]

ZOMBIE THREAD


It’s 4 years ago @pkim123

[HappyBeing]

@pkim123 have you been hacked monthly or something happened that caused you to hate the school this much eg kid didn’t get a place. You single this school, renew threads every once in awhile. No one has this much time on their hands. There are so many other schools with drug related issues or named in “Everyone’s Invited”. You don’t name those other schools. Does make one wonder…. Bitterness does strange things to a person!

[pkim123]

@HappyBeing

@pkim123 have you been hacked monthly or something happened that caused you to hate the school this much eg kid didn’t get a place. You single this school, renew threads every once in awhile. No one has this much time on their hands. There are so many other schools with drug related issues or named in “Everyone’s Invited”. You don’t name those other schools. Does make one wonder…. Bitterness does strange things to a person!

For all the people who say that all schools have "drug related issues" etc., please explain to me why all these other schools are not regularly reported on by the BBC and The Times? Are the BBC and The Times picking on Latymer Upper? Or are they just reporting the facts about the school?

[olafhasmelted]

@pkim123 - I wondered where you’d been- you haven’t rehashed a LU thread for a while- glad you’re back!

[pkim123]

@olafhasmelted

@pkim123 - I wondered where you’d been- you haven’t rehashed a LU thread for a while- glad you’re back!

Nice to see you as well. And I see again you won't answer the question I raised.

[TiraMissSue]

This is off topic, but I went to a state school not far from Latymer in the 90s and we used to hang out with the Latymer kids sometimes because they had good parties - they all had money for drugs and booze and rich parents with big houses .

On a more serious and current note, drugs are everywhere. You’ll always have pockets of teenagers experimenting. How the school deals with it is key.

i work in a good state school, and coming into school under the influence of any substance would be a fixed term exclusion. Taking drugs on the premises = permanent exclusion. I think that’s the only way, providing you have a good drugs education and PHSCE programme and have given the kids some awareness. I would expect that to start in Year 7. Year 9 onwards is far too late.

[pkim123]

@TiraMissSue

This is off topic, but I went to a state school not far from Latymer in the 90s and we used to hang out with the Latymer kids sometimes because they had good parties - they all had money for drugs and booze and rich parents with big houses .

On a more serious and current note, drugs are everywhere. You’ll always have pockets of teenagers experimenting. How the school deals with it is key.

i work in a good state school, and coming into school under the influence of any substance would be a fixed term exclusion. Taking drugs on the premises = permanent exclusion. I think that’s the only way, providing you have a good drugs education and PHSCE programme and have given the kids some awareness. I would expect that to start in Year 7. Year 9 onwards is far too late.

You make a clear observation about Latymer Upper when you say, "I went to a state school not far from Latymer in the 90s and we used to hang out with the Latymer kids sometimes because they had good parties - they all had money for drugs". Thank you for sharing this personal experience.

[MPP]

Help please! I’m looking for a Sixth Form school (not college) which includes BTEC Engineering in the curriculum.
My DS has SEN so needs a more nurturing environment than a College.
We are in London but happy to board in other boroughs.

[olafhasmelted]

@pkim123 - I’m never sure what your question is? You don’t have a child at the school, you don’t want to send a child to the school, I don’t think you’ve looked round it either, yet week after week you revive any thread about the school even when they are years old. Just curious really as to why- don’t understand it.

[pkim123]

@olafhasmelted

@pkim123 - I’m never sure what your question is? You don’t have a child at the school, you don’t want to send a child to the school, I don’t think you’ve looked round it either, yet week after week you revive any thread about the school even when they are years old. Just curious really as to why- don’t understand it.

No worries, I'll ask it again. My question is why is Latymer Upper regularly in the major news outlets for drug problems and other schools are not? Thank you.

[olafhasmelted]

the article you post regularly is from 2018. I have neither the time or the inclination to trawl the internet for stories on other schools.