Henrietta Barnett, Latymer or Dame Alice Owens

[choosingtherightschool]

We are currently struggling to decide which one is the best for DD.

DD is in a very fortunate position to have passed round 1 of HBS (and we live within 3 miles), and very good chance of getting through to both DAO and Latymer. Music is a massive part of her life, she plays mutli instruments and has already achievement very good grades in them. She also loves sports, enjoys various types, such as running, football, basketball, tennis, table tennis. She’s very competitive and loves challenges.
She is in a mixed primary school, where she gets on with boys and girls equally well. She is not fussy at all and doesn’t mind go to either girl or mix school.
None of these schools are very close to us, all approx. 40-50mins by bus, but DD feels more independent to travel by bus.
We also have a DS who is in year 4 and I always wondered if its better to send them to same school for the closer relationship and easier life, DAO’s sibling rule is obviously very attractive, but we have to choose what’s best for DD for now.
We want to choose an academic school that also provides all round education, and outstanding in music/performing art/sport, most importantly where she will be happy for the next 7 years.
It’s very difficult at the moment that we can’t visit all of these schools properly apart from DAO offers open days. Anyone has recent experience of these schools please kindly provide us with some insight!
Thank you in advance!

They're all great choices!

You should hear today by email from Latymer, if your kid was a music candidate!

Exciting times!

@HoverParent yes we heard the good news.

This is just my personal opinion and I really hope you will get others coming on to give varying views because it's always healthy to have debate and not everyone should feel the same about every school..
But...
We were in the same position as you 8 years ago. My eldest is a girl and has younger siblings but we were adamant that she had to go to the school that was right for her not just an easy route for her siblings.
Having said that, DAO won hands down for both us as parents and for her. She and I both loved the feel of the school so much more than that of the other two.
Our feeling was that Latymer would not have helped build her creativity as much and that HBS was just too much of a hot house.
DD has had a number of friends at HBS and I have many friends with children at Latymer. She has always been glad she didn't go to HBS - she says that her friends always seem so stressed and anxious - obviously this is a snapshot and she knows very few compared to the whole school population. My friends with children at Latymer have been a bit unimpressed by the results their children have achieved - it definitely isn't a hot house but they have felt that their children have been left to coast too much. Again these are only small numbers and I can't comment on the school as a whole.
My eldest has now left DAO and I have two still there. It has, without any doubt, been a fabulous school for all of mine. One is super academic, another is very bright but less bothered by academia, the other needs a bit more support - they are all achieving / have achieved very well and more importantly are all incredibly happy. They have great friends and probably the thing I like best (bearing in mind I work with children and families) is that all my children and all their friends that I know feel free to be themselves and feel unpressured to act/dress/be a certain way. Compared to many of my clients or friends with children elsewhere (not at the other schools you mentioned) this feels a very valuable thing. I'm not saying there are no children with issues (there certainly are some children with significant MH issues / EDs etc) but they feel fewer than in comparable schools. I credit the school with a good deal of this - it feels like a liberal school where is ok to be who you are.
I would say that it is becoming much more diverse over the last 8 years which is a good thing. I think it used to be more white than its areas of intake should have made it.
Two of my children are involved in music there and that has been fabulous - so many opportunities and such high standards. The head of music there has moved from HBS but I've never spoken to her so don't know what she thinks of the difference between the schools. I have less knowledge of sport but the one child who does a lot of that really likes that as well and they seem to do well.
I suspect the reality is that you have a really good dilemma and your child is likely to do well wherever she goes. It's a shame you can't visit the others to get a sense of where she would be happiest but hopefully other parents will comment on here about the things they like about them to help you choose.

@Anydream

This is just my personal opinion and I really hope you will get others coming on to give varying views because it's always healthy to have debate and not everyone should feel the same about every school.. But... We were in the same position as you 8 years ago. My eldest is a girl and has younger siblings but we were adamant that she had to go to the school that was right for her not just an easy route for her siblings. Having said that, DAO won hands down for both us as parents and for her. She and I both loved the feel of the school so much more than that of the other two. Our feeling was that Latymer would not have helped build her creativity as much and that HBS was just too much of a hot house. DD has had a number of friends at HBS and I have many friends with children at Latymer. She has always been glad she didn't go to HBS - she says that her friends always seem so stressed and anxious - obviously this is a snapshot and she knows very few compared to the whole school population. My friends with children at Latymer have been a bit unimpressed by the results their children have achieved - it definitely isn't a hot house but they have felt that their children have been left to coast too much. Again these are only small numbers and I can't comment on the school as a whole. My eldest has now left DAO and I have two still there. It has, without any doubt, been a fabulous school for all of mine. One is super academic, another is very bright but less bothered by academia, the other needs a bit more support - they are all achieving / have achieved very well and more importantly are all incredibly happy. They have great friends and probably the thing I like best (bearing in mind I work with children and families) is that all my children and all their friends that I know feel free to be themselves and feel unpressured to act/dress/be a certain way. Compared to many of my clients or friends with children elsewhere (not at the other schools you mentioned) this feels a very valuable thing. I'm not saying there are no children with issues (there certainly are some children with significant MH issues / EDs etc) but they feel fewer than in comparable schools. I credit the school with a good deal of this - it feels like a liberal school where is ok to be who you are. I would say that it is becoming much more diverse over the last 8 years which is a good thing. I think it used to be more white than its areas of intake should have made it. Two of my children are involved in music there and that has been fabulous - so many opportunities and such high standards. The head of music there has moved from HBS but I've never spoken to her so don't know what she thinks of the difference between the schools. I have less knowledge of sport but the one child who does a lot of that really likes that as well and they seem to do well. I suspect the reality is that you have a really good dilemma and your child is likely to do well wherever she goes. It's a shame you can't visit the others to get a sense of where she would be happiest but hopefully other parents will comment on here about the things they like about them to help you choose.

Doesnt DAO have a racism problem?

One year group had accusations of racism on one occasion that the school has dealt with. My children weren't from that year group and, other than the letters the school has sent out, explaining how they are acting, I don't have any knowledge so can't comment further really. Almost all of 2 of my children's friends are not white and I have asked them (the friends, not my children who are white) how they feel about the school and specifically asked a few of them about the allegations and they were bemused by it all. That's not too say there wasn't an issue for those children who raised it though - just that it's outwith my experience and that of my children/friends.
I would definitely say it doesn't have a widespread racism problem but that obviously any allegations need to be taken seriously and that they were...

DAO for the music. We had a similar choice and went for DAO, for the music and for the sibling policy, no regrets.

No idea if this is true but somebody told me there are way more children from DAO in Saturday conservatoire than from any other school.

DAO is definitely not racist in its intake, or its grading, or the university destinations of its ethnicities. The student population is more mixed than ever. Lots of Indians and Chinese, and high-achieving West African kids as well. Many private schools have less of a mix.

The furore came from how the senior management dealt with a racist incident in a perfunctory manner, and hopefully they have learned from that. And it's good seeing kids stand up for their rights and effect change in a positive manner. Good for them making a big deal of it.

@Anydream Thanks so much for taking your time writing such comprehensive review, it's much appreciated, it's so lovely to hear all your 3 children had/having wonderful time at DAO. I have always had a great impression of them. I heard the unfortunate incident happened earlier this year, but I feel no school is perfectly, I'm more concerned about the tragedy at HBS, and can imagine the high pressure.
I have a feeling that DD might be leaning towards Latymer, as one of her school friend is also applying, his sister is already there and really enjoying it, and the family are very impressed of it's music department too. But my only concern focuses on the safety issues outside the school, worrying about the long walk to/from the bus stop...
Apart from the areas, I think DAO and Latymer are very similar, DAO is surprisingly academic considering it's only partial selective. we are further from DAO. I heard the school buses leave straight after school, which makes me wonder how can she participate in after school clubs. HB is closer but I'm not entirely convinced that single sex education is better... although a friend's 2 daughters both went there and were very happy too.
Would be great to hear more from some Latymer or HBS parents too!

@Moominmammacat

No idea if this is true but somebody told me there are way more children from DAO in Saturday conservatoire than from any other school.

@Moominmammacat That's great to hear. Thank you for your recommendations. DAO must be doing something right to be so popular :-)

Lovely open site too.

Very well done to your dd! A slight hijack if I may - does anyone have any idea when to expect to hear about non-music places at Latymer?

@longestlurkerever

Very well done to your dd! A slight hijack if I may - does anyone have any idea when to expect to hear about non-music places at Latymer?

Thank you, we are also keen to find out about the 1st round results, I heard it could be sometime today.

@choosingtherightschool my DD1 has just started at Latymer and so far so good. I obviously can't claim to be an expert yet but have been impressed so far by how well she's settled in, she didn't know anyone else who was going this year.

I was worried about the journey and it was nearly a deal breaker, but actually she's coping with it fine. There are loads of kids going to and from the bus stop or train station each day so there's always a group. We met a group of kids from our area who are all going and travel in together. I think from some places, parents have arranged private buses too. School also finishes reasonably early, 3:10 most days, 2:30 on Fridays and every other Tuesday, so it gives them plenty of time to do clubs or get home. She is quite tired but I think they all are when they start.
It doesn't feel hot housey at all, quite the opposite. I've no idea of @Anydream's comment about children not getting expected results as we're nowhere close to that yet.
The music seems amazing, they're encouraged to participate and lots on offer.

I feel like we've made the right choice but only time will tell. Good luck to everyone waiting today.

The buses at DAO do go at the end of the day. Lots of students stay on for clubs but then walk en masse to the station to get trains/buses or parents collect them if they can/want to. There aren't any late buses because the school doesn't run the bus services.
@stokey sorry if my comment made it sound as though that was a wider concern about Latymer - I don't think that can be the case as their results are excellent. It was just some of my friends who felt that their children needed to be pushed more to achieve better. I'm sure that that isn't the case for everyone though (and is second hand info!)

No problem @Anydream. It's so early for us but at the moment DD feels like she's being challenged which definitely wasn't the case at her primary.

[quote Stokey]@choosingtherightschool my DD1 has just started at Latymer and so far so good. I obviously can't claim to be an expert yet but have been impressed so far by how well she's settled in, she didn't know anyone else who was going this year.

I was worried about the journey and it was nearly a deal breaker, but actually she's coping with it fine. There are loads of kids going to and from the bus stop or train station each day so there's always a group. We met a group of kids from our area who are all going and travel in together. I think from some places, parents have arranged private buses too. School also finishes reasonably early, 3:10 most days, 2:30 on Fridays and every other Tuesday, so it gives them plenty of time to do clubs or get home. She is quite tired but I think they all are when they start.
It doesn't feel hot housey at all, quite the opposite. I've no idea of @Anydream's comment about children not getting expected results as we're nowhere close to that yet.
The music seems amazing, they're encouraged to participate and lots on offer.

I feel like we've made the right choice but only time will tell. Good luck to everyone waiting today.[/quote]
@Stokey Thanks so much, great to hear the positive things about Latymer, and lovely to know that your DD is settling well there. We heard their pastoral care is excellent.
Thanks for the reassurance about the journey, Latymer is definitely still a stronger contender for us, although still waiting on results and music audition.

@Anydream

The buses at DAO do go at the end of the day. Lots of students stay on for clubs but then walk en masse to the station to get trains/buses or parents collect them if they can/want to. There aren't any late buses because the school doesn't run the bus services. *@stokey* sorry if my comment made it sound as though that was a wider concern about Latymer - I don't think that can be the case as their results are excellent. It was just some of my friends who felt that their children needed to be pushed more to achieve better. I'm sure that that isn't the case for everyone though (and is second hand info!)

@Anydream thank you Re info after school journey options, I suppose as long as many other kids are doing the same, it's not a major concern. I think many of my worries is obviously from the usual anxiety of sending the 1st child to the big school, seemingly overwhelming for kids and parents...

@longestlurkerever
Latymer results are supposed to come by email in the next 2 hours (I heard that it may be end of day Oct 1, to give people the weekend to process it, whether good or bad)!

Oh thank you. Not holding our breath, tbh, and unsure about the distance anyway, but good for the mental load to narrow down the options. Good luck!

I think it all depends where you are based op and realistically the travelling. My kids have several friends that go to all 3 of those schools-the favoured one is definately DAO. Latymer is in quite a rough neighbourhood and there were a few incidents of muggings for phones etc. HBS has the rep of being a hothouse and lack of pastoral and is a pain to get to unless you live in HGS. DAO is the only one with a sibling policy plus it is one of the top rated schools for music and has several bus routes.

Apparently Latymer are having technical issues and won’t be sending out results until Monday.

@nancypineapple

I think it all depends where you are based op and realistically the travelling. My kids have several friends that go to all 3 of those schools-the favoured one is definately DAO. Latymer is in quite a rough neighbourhood and there were a few incidents of muggings for phones etc. HBS has the rep of being a hothouse and lack of pastoral and is a pain to get to unless you live in HGS. DAO is the only one with a sibling policy plus it is one of the top rated schools for music and has several bus routes.

Thank you for your recommendations. We are in Friern Barnet and it’s similar time to travel to all these schools, I’m aware of the issues with Latymer, but their music department seem to be so strong, and so is their pastoral care. We are yet to hear back the results so very anxious and exciting times!

@Mrsfrumble

Apparently Latymer are having technical issues and won’t be sending out results until Monday.

Still not received! Do you know when to expect?

So Latymer results are out since Monday night! Luckily we were up binge watching Squid Game, so we caught it at around midnight! (Anyone else feel like Squid Game is the ultimate metaphor of the Grammar School process!)

OK, so deciphering the results from being non-news is challenging. It is only really news if that was the end of the line. So, out of 2500 applicants, 650 are through to having their English scored, which will then result in a new final ranking of the top 200. So kids have gone from a 1/12 to a 1/3 chance.

For Music, out of 200 applicants, 30 were invited to audition, and an undisclosed number were accepted based on evidence of Grades. I would guess about 10 of the 30 will be accepted (again about 1/3) and 10 places would be based on Grades (not sure what the probability is here, since about 100 kids did provide evidence but no idea how many were G5 and above), but that is purely speculative. I don't know this for a fact.

So either, this was end of the line, and for the rest, wait another two weeks, something like that!