URGENT - Latymer Upper vs Highgate

[RobyG]

Hello!
My dear son got offers at 7+ from Latymer Prep, Highgate and UCS and we need to decide by the end of this week!!
Need to look ahead to senior school and comparing those instead of only comparing the Prep.
All those schools are amazing, but I am particularly torn between Highgate and Latymer Upper.
I love Highgate and their amazing facilities but Latymer is by far closer to where we live (vs. Highgate), as we live in Kensington.
Would urgently like to collect any possible view / comments / experiences on those two schools.
Any (urgent) help appreciated!!

Hopefully you'll get some people with specific experience of those schools but just as a general take, as they're all good then surely proximity is the tie breaker. It makes a huge difference to a kid's quality of life the amount of time spent (wasted) commuting to school, plus the likelihood of having other students/friends living closer by. It seems like a no-brainer to choose Latymer if that's nearest rather than having them trek to Highgate and back every day of their childhood and adolescence, unless you're planning to move much closer if you choose that school. Think about if you got two amazing job offers and one was 10mins away and the other was an hour away, with all the inherent extra hassle of that - transport issues, increased risk of aggro from randoms on the way, forgetting something and having to rush back etc. Seems like a no-brainer but depends on your priorities of course.

Have to agree best to go for the shortest commute when both schools are excellent.

I had to take my young sons on a 1 hour commute by car to school every day for years.

It was grueling and not a lot of fun.

When a new school opened 15 minutes from home we jumped at it and the difference it made in our lives was immeasurable.

Highgate. Better school . Easy to get to from central . Better quality of teaching.

Very happy DS at LU. Don't know anyone at the other 2 schools but I would have thought location is the deal breaker if you can't decide? Do many travel from Kensington to the other schools? Especially for the Preps?

Congrats on the offers! You must be so proud and pleased!

DD at LUS, friends' kids at Highgate. All kids very happy. Assume teaching at Highgate is as excellent as at Latymer, results at both schools are excellent. We live in Kensington and DD has many friends close by, and the commute to school is quick and very social now she travels independently. We didn't apply to Highgate as considered it too far, so clearly we don't share your patience for the long commute to begin with. But I'd also consider where your DS's friends are likely to live - it's not just the daily school commute, but also sports and playdates/days out/evenings out.

I think perhaps one more thing to take into consideration is which of those schools, if any, offer automatic entry to the secondary at 11+. I believe LU (though can't be sure) changed it so that Prep kids still have to do the 11+.

Finally, don't forget that anyone under current Y6 won't do GCSEs at LU (potentially other places by the time your DS is old enough, but for sure at LU now). To me that would be a huge plus but my DD is already in the upper school.

Good luck deciding - academically you can't go wrong with any of these schools. I think LUS is better than Highgate, but poster above thinks opposite. Presumably, then, both schools have happy kids and happy parents!

I would go with proximity. Especially at 7. Think of friend groups, play dates, after school activities... So LU in my opinion.

DN attended Highgate from 7+. Loved the prep. Hated secondary and left at 16 after GCSEs. Won’t go into details, and Covid lockdowns didn’t help, but I think you need to keep an open mind that schools change. Not just between prep and secondary but also over time. The school he joined was known as less academic and more sporty than, say, UCS. The one he left was very much an academic school (and very woke). Schools change a lot from year 3-13. Not least the whole GCSE debate will change things for many schools.
Children change too. Best to stay close to home when they are young. You can always move them at 11+ and you should always assess any through school is still what you want before the leap to secondary.

Id agree that children change throughout their school journey and their current school setting may no longer suit. Highgate is a high-paced school with a strong intake at 11+ and some children who joined at 3+/4+ and 7+ find they can't keep up. It also got progressively more selective and climbed up in GSCE/A level ranking so some children who passed the assessment under different selection criteria a while ago may no longer enjoy it/fit in.

Latymer or any other selective school will be very similar in this regard.

Either way, I'd go with proximity, both are great schools..

I've been on another thread today as a Highgate parent - my kids are having a brilliant time at the school, and we love it...

However, Kensington to Highgate (or Hampstead for UCS) is a big journey I wouldn't want my child to be making every day. To the poster saying Highgate 'easy to get to' from central - you've got about a 45 minute tube journey followed by a 10 minute walk up the hill to the school from the tube station. So really, you are look at a hour's commute each way, twice a day, and that's not even counting how long it takes you to walk to your local tube in West London.

Latymer is easy because kids can jump on multiple buses from Kensington to Hammersmith.

All that said, the 'no GCSES ' thing would put me off with Latymer - but that's another discussion...

Yes, it wasn't so much that they upped the academics (his 7+ cohort still did really well), more that it became the schools focus. That said he did really well in his GCSEs he was just frustrated with the sports offerings (all had to be done outside of school - another thing to consider if you live 1 hour away). I think if Covid hadn't happened he would have jumped earlier. It's right for many but turned out to not be right for him. He lived on the doorstep. I can't imagine his horror if he'd had to travel an 1 hour each way!
I just see people putting their children in through schools and metaphorically putting their feet up "job done" and then paying a lot of money to send their child to the wrong senior school

I would definitely not try to get to Highgate from Kensington every day and night. Highgate do bus routes. We are closer and it’s a hour even for us! Have a look at their bus timetable for reasonably accurate journey times.
Depends where you are in Kensington because the Overground is pretty well linked to UCS. I liked the grounds for UCS. I found LUS a bit more disjointed and a long way from their playing fields. LUS has the rowing right there if that matters. Clearly LUS is coed while UCS only in the 6th form. LUS area is a bit more scruffy while UCS is definitely polished. Just some superficial observations. My DS went through both 11+ processes

For now so young definitely better to go with proximity plus reputation. Then when it really matters (secondary school), you’ll be in a better position to understand LU and whether it’s worth moving to another school or not.

I've had two dc go through Latymer from the prep, which is an absolutely lovely and happy school - one's now left, one is still there. It's a no-brainer imo to go for the closer school. I'm sure Highgate is fab, but Latymer is too and so much easier to get to Kensington. Prep kids don't do 11+ any more - entry to the senior school is automatic. Please DM me if you want specific info

Lots of discussion on this in the Primary Education forum, especially here https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/primary/4997314-highgate-vs-latymer-7?page=2

good luck x

Gosh I wouldn't do Highgate from you at 7. Also, it's got a pretty local intake so they'd likely be the furthest out by a large margin.

Hi @Jonqul do you mind if I DM you re latymer prep?

That’s fine

Have Direct experience of Latymer prep feel free to DM me. Having said that I think proximity to school is a huge factor to consider you would be crazy to drive from Kensington to Highgate every day. Trust me I’ve done that drive and it’s not one I would want to repeat.

Thanks everyone.
We decided for Latymer at the end.
Was very difficult to reject Highgate as I just LOVE that school, the vibe, the facilities etc...
Let's hope to have done the right choice and that my boy will value the proximity over the facilities.
Thanks all for sharing your thought and help me going through the decision.
I am glad to know your kids are happy in Latymer.
Anyone reading this with a little one starting In Latymer Prep in Year 3 this coming September 2024, please reach out to connect :-)