Latymer Upper or Godolphin?

[pinkgaia]

Hello everyone

We got an offer for both Latymer Upper and Godolphin and we're finding hard to decide

Is there anyone here attending these schools who want to give me some insight?

Pro and cons?

Reputation wise (in view of university) which school fo you think is better?

Many thanks 😊

Main difference is (obviously) Co-ed vs single sex and that G&L does IB which you may like. G&L is also smaller.
Also I guess you need to consider LUs GCSE reforms.
In terms of Unis etc I doubt it makes any difference at all.
Quite a few families have DCs at both.

What does your DD think? I'd go to the offer holder events and then decide.

I would study the university destinations data and the latest trends in more detail. Not sure what you will find there, but I think the profiles may be quite different.

Latymer is quite liberal and for the more resilient gregarious child. While overall they have excellent results, they also have a tail of liberal children pursuing less traditional university degrees (or none). While you are ok or not is not the point, the point is more the information and how this reflects on your child or even to understand the differences in student body profiles.

So I would study the tail of destinations for both schools, as a way to look further under the bonnet. Don't look at Oxbridge or Ivy League, look at outliers, and the middle of the pack too.

I would think more about best fit for your DD over next few years as there’s often movement at 6th form.

For Latymer you have now to think of all the way through - it may be easy to move without GCSEs but who knows

it is not, its still possible to move, tons of discussions on this on Mumsnet. also one can ring the school/attend their open days/offer holders day where they will happily explain.

May I know where you get the data/stats from regarding "a number of liberal children in LU and a number of children taking up less traditional degrees/not going into higher education"?

I've got completely different stats on LU graduate destinations and degrees.

I am not having a go at you, but just want to make sure it's not another school-bashing post during the crucial period people are making choices

do you refer to the original post from @Coronateachingagain who shared negative information about the school? or my post where I'm claiming I've only heard positive information about the school.
sorry it wasn't clear from your message.
Ive got different stats from what Coronateaching shared so I just want to understand where did the poster got the info from

If it's any use, I've had DC go through both these schools. In my experience and from what I could see of DC peers at both schools through the years, G&L is a happier school environment than LU. It's calmer and the pastoral care is excellent. At LU, it felt like a campus vibe and a lot of minor bullying / not so nice behaviour went under the radar. at G&L they seem more across this type of thing and the girls just seem more settled and supportive of each other. Of course, there is the odd exception, but socially, its not as fractious as LU. I often wondered why - hard to put your finger on really.

Teaching is excellent in both schools. LU has the pool and sports centre on site, but G&L has netball / hockey pitches on site, meaning they can play everyday if they want. Drama much more inclusive at G&L. Trips are better at LU due to Activities Week every June where they all go off in various week long trips. G&L has a new sixth form centre. Easier to get involved in things at G&L and I feel they celebrate individual achievements more.

LU is not offering GCSEs to this incoming Year 7, which may or may not be appealing. They also do 3 A-levels as standard throughout (which I think is preferable, as it's all unis ask for and better to get three top grades than 4 not so great maybe). At G&L they start with 4, but can drop one in second year (not sure what the point of that is really as no AS qualification anymore). EPQ also pushed in both schools. G&L also offer IB.

Also, I'm not sure what the pp means by 'alternative paths' at LU? They all go to uni, bar a few that may go to drama school or something like that.

Have one at L and one who's left. Friends with dc at G&L - they're both excellent schools, it comes down to a preference for co-ed vs single sex. A handful of girls joined L in the sixth form from G&L who were bullied at G&L or didn't fit in with what they perceived as a mean girls' vibe. A friend with a dd at GL showed me an email from the school that really shocked me in its lack of concern for a big issue, having said that I see another poster thinks L has more issues in that direction, most of it comes down to individual kids who may have had issues at any school. I'd say both schools are very on top of things pastorally, certainly in my experience, I can't fault L for how responsive they've been. You can play netball on site at L and the sports hall and pool are fab. Also don't understand alternative paths, virtually everyone goes on to an excellemt uni - maybe two a year to drama school, one to Sandhurst. In terms of gcses - the W London schools will all drop them soon and if you wanted to move from one to another at sixth form that wouldn't be an issue

@booksgalore123 depends what you mean by "traditional educational path". Like pursuing a very singular fashion degree in Paris - is that traditional? Or not pursuing a degree at all.
Maybe this is influencing the entrance process and as you say, the paths of the new cohorts will be more "traditional".

I am not being negative at all. Hopefully not all of these kids will want to go to Oxbridge (if the parents let them). And yes by alternative as pp said - drama school, Sandhurst, art degrees, fashion degrees, or something else.

No kids doing 11+ by the way!

sounds like you know two very specific examples @Coronateachingagain . That’s so far from the norm to suggest others is simply wrong

Wonder why people get so defensive as no need to defend the turf for such an excellent school. The school is not a fit for all children though. It suits the resilient type that can deal with a bit of freedom and liberalism. I think the entrance process does a good job of reflecting those who won't fit though.
Also not a bad thing if your child wants to study drama, or fashion, those bright and so inclined still have a place there. Tiger parents may not like it, but good to have a mix of people pursuing a variety of careers.

@Coronateachingagain , if you spent a bit of time on the Latymer Upper website going through the leaver destinations and degree subjects for 2023 you would see your opinion is out of date.

@Coronateachingagain I don’t think people are getting defensive particularly, it’s just their baffled at your opinion which doesn’t seem to have any base in reality.

@booksgalore123 apart from disagreeing with me and saying that the school is not that liberal or progressive, I can't find any other relevant or interesting points. (King Alfred? What's the point of comparing a school that is not even an alternative, miles behind academically and miles away in terms of ethos) Maybe you can give more actual insight of your likes and dislikes, pros and cons as you say, instead of just "disagreeing". (So I can also get the chance to relativise any tit bit of day you volunteer 😀)
I stand by what I said before - there is a lot of low noise going on at Latymer which a more resilient child is better suited for. If you choose among these excellent schools with excellent teaching and other opportunities, this may be something to consider.
This school was a boys school not long ago, a lot of water has gone under the bridge, but children are still left to sort it out by themselves a bit more than at other places. And yeah, a more liberal feeling too.

This is not a competition 😅 and I haven't claimed to hold all relevant information either. Obviously the results are excellent. For both schools. So you need to kick the can in a different way and see what you see. But you don't get the point. You are taking yourself too seriously, and you are incapable of holding a conversation that does not go exactly your way on absolutely all fronts.
Hopefully I am wrong!
First year 7 girls cohort was 20 years you said. Means first GCSE exams for all through girls like 13 years ago. Not that I care or relevant, but see, you could look at your same data point in different ways. I am too old to think 13 or 20 years for that matter is a long time ago😀

Also, just counted 204 destinations (if I counted well) vs your roughly 196 places. Gap year perhaps? What about the ones that did not pursue university, are they counted in this list? (Not that I care but again, just an example on how to dig into the data and not take anything face value)

Theres a small cohort who like to - shall we say - say peculiar things on 11+ threads. I’m sure those with questions can tell the difference between people who’ve experience of specific schools and people who clearly don’t. OP or anyone else making up their mind, I’m happy to answer squestiond about LU by DM.

@Coronateachingagain 👏 would you mind elaborating on your comment re there is a lot of low noise going on at Latymer which a more resilient child is better suited for. This is my experience with DC current school and hence I would be keen to avoid putting my child through subliminal bullying from a large cohort of parents and children again. I have been impressed with the positive comments re LU and some other schools hence having an honest alternative view would be great in weighing up our decision for schools. If anyone has any insight or input that would be wholly appreciated

@booksgalore123 thank you. For me it’s important how the school deals with issues and pastoral care. In particular not clicky and bought by parents. Sad truth is bullying exists everywhere however just looking for a school which is open welcoming and friendly for my DC. LU seemed to be a good contender however the last reviews have made me pause a bit. We accepted but I hope I have made the right decision.

Really appreciate the input!

@Shivvyshiv I think I responded to you on another thread. I completely understand why you’re feeling nervous about making a big decision, please don’t be put off by comments from someone who clearly has no firsthand experience of a school and is saying odd, unsubstantiated things.

I agree with comments from other LU parents here. I can only say that I found the school incredibly responsive from the past point of view, any incident - in my case, mainly concerning one DC’s health - has been dealt with in few hours and followed up meticulously. both my DC had or have lovely friends at the school and initiatives like activity week really helped them also make friends with children. They might otherwise not have encountered from different friendship groups. But like others, I have no horse in the race, I’ve just been answering posts about LU on here because I know it’s that week when people are making decisions and are asking for guidance. It’s also wheat where I always see a lot of unsubstantiated rumours and hearsay flying around about all schools, which are never backed up by people whose children actually attend them . I wish you the very best.

@Jonqul 👋 Thank you very much! It is incredibly daunting and a big decision. Mumsnet has certainly helped with the views. I had thought it was an experienced parent making the alternative view however I have read on here the support for LU from parents with DC at the school and it has been really helpful. We accepted our offer and hopefully can look forward to a wonderful educational experience for our DC over the coming years! Thanks again

it's a school for confident and gregarious children, but I think the point she missed is that for quite a few of them, those are traits that develop or emerge during the time they're at the school, as they mature and grow and discover strengths, they don't all start out that way.

I totally second that – both my children started the school quite shy and really flourished.

Yeah as @matrixxx said it has more a campus vibe, children grow up fast and you have to swim. But Admissions are normally good at identifying the type that will fit, so they should be fine in the end. The question is what environment you want them to grow in, and that is a personal decision.