Latymer Upper or Dulwich College?

[Fenaa]

Latymer Upper or Dulwich College? Which school to choose?

Yeah DC starts out with 6 classes in Y7 but is 10 classes from Y9 and a bit bigger again for 6th form.

Personally I reckon if your ds gets into both schools, then there can only be a very marginal difference in terms of the results he would receive? The difference is simply the ethos of the 2 schools - and very few people will ever have a kid at both so can only describe one?

For me, DC is a school big enough to allow every kind of boy to find his own tribe. Sports from fencing to rowing to badminton to rugby. Something for everyone.

The house system also allows kids to mix with other classes right from joining.

DC is very big on the extra curricular stuff - not just as in out of school clubs but also as in off curriculum weeks where they focus on science or languages or whatever it may be. This becomes evn more marked at 6th form where boys get to choose non examined courses which broaden their horizons in the run up to leaving the school.

DC may not reach the dizzy heights of some in the league tables, but its leavers lists are always varied and impressive.

Hi ChnandlerBong,
Thank you very much for your comment. Very helpful.
Do you have anybody in DC?

yes I do. so an eye witness but not an unbiased one!

@AnotherNewt

LU is very similar in the league tables to Alleyns, the co-ed one of the Foundation schools. Aim off for the presence of girls being the thing that makes the difference to overall school performance - JAGS is always higher than Alleyns, which is always higher than Dulwich College.

But the top sets at Dulwich Collge come out with strings of A*/A, and there's no reason to think a boy would not reach his full academic potential there.

Aside from the big question of co-ed or single sex, you are looking at small,differences between two very good schools. And are in the very lucky position that there is no wrong answer.

So I'd now be looking at convenience/reliability of journey (not just time required) - also whether there's a school coach service for either from where you are, as that's useful if public transport doesn't link up well.

And, crucially, where your boy 'sees' himself

Jags and Alleyns regularly swap places in the league tables @AnotherNewt

OP I really wouldn’t make the decision based on league tables. The difference in performance among these schools is minuscule and is probably just due to fact Latymer has girls.

The focus on league tables drives a culture that incentivises schools to kick out struggling pupils. Neither Latymer nor Dulwich have a reputation for this which I can think speaks positively for both.

If the journey, pastoral care and ethos are really all equal then go for facilities / infrastructure. For me pastoral care and ethos though would be much more important along with the co-Ed versus single sex consideration.

"Other friend mum’s son is happy about LU but she is concerned about GCSE and A level because they don’t push study much for Y7&8."

That is an issue with the mum and not with the school, she'll be one of those types who'd find fault everywhere. The results are there for all to see

OP, which does your DS prefer? Pretty much everything ChnandlerBong says, for example, re sixth form stretching courses is also true of LU and pretty much every school at this level. One journey must be easier/more straightforward than the other. Does he like the idea of all boys, all the way through? I know it's hard this year when visits didn't happen

Hi Fenna, we are in the same dilemma and thought we would be able to decide by the deadline, but still struggling. Having not visited Latymer due to the pandemic makes it particularly difficult. Could I PM you please and possibly speak with you?

@Charlotte2022, it seems you are promoting your own new website that borders on copyright infringement of the long established www.londonpreprep.com, I have reported your post.