CLSG vs NLCS vs Latymer grammar school

[ayahcip]

We’re so blessed with amazing 11+ offers from the following schools:

• NLCS (with xx% fees reduction scholarship)
• City of London School for Girls (with £xK per annum scholarship)
• Habs Girls (with xx% fees reduction scholarship)
• STAHS (with xx% fees reduction scholarship)

We also very likely will get a place at the Latymer School (grammar school in Edmonton) as DD ranked within Top 40 from the Jan-25 third rank, we live in school catchment and we put Latymer as our top choice on our CAF.

Financially, we should be able to afford private school fees (we have only one child), but those money can also be used elsewhere (e.g. DD's university fees, or retirement funds, etc).

We narrowed our choices down to: NLCS, CLSG, and Latymer.

No preferences in terms of co-ed V single-sex schools, or private V grammar. Commuting time, Latymer is closest (15 mins by bus), CLSG (30 mins by overground train), and NLCS (50 mins by coach).

DC strengths are in maths and sciences subjects, and does okay in language subjects.

DC is quite academic and musical. Not sporty, and quite shy sometimes.

Wondering out of the 3 schools (NLCS, CLSG, and Latymer grammar), which one will provide DD with biggest academic opportunity and support girls confidence? Latymer has been our top choice, but now feeling swayed by NLCS and CLSG offers.

Grateful for your thoughts please 🙏🏻

I'd rather look at where your DD sees herself, what is a better fit socially. City has a more international mix so culturally diverse which I think is good. Girls are very confident so have a think if your shy DD would feel comfortable with that, will it bring her out more - it really does depend on the child and only you will know. NLCS girls are a bit quieter and families are a bit more conservative but not less competitive.

City has a music scholarship with Guildhall so potentially more savings from y9? Which instrument does your DD play and what standard?

Of your schools, I am only familiar with City. I think a 50 minute commute is a lot to ask of an eleven year old.

Hi @FlakyShark thanks for your response, it is very helpful.

DD goes to a small private (all-through) girls school in north London, not a private prep school. This year, due to VAT, it looks like many of DD’s friends who got both grammar and private schools tend to favour grammar over private, so it would be interesting if Latymer’s intake this year will see some increase from DCs who attend private schools at primary level…

We checked NLCS school coach route, and actually it takes 55 mins (our stop is the last stop of that line). If we take a tube and train, it’s almost 1.5hrs each way with multi changes 😣 Normally, if school coach travel of this long, is it realistic for DDs to do homework while in school coach? Sorry for this stupid question, our current school is super local (5 mins walk) so no experience about what kids normally do in school coach 🙈

Hi @Ubertomusic thanks for your response.

Re: cultural / ethnicity mix of student body, we also noticed that when we went to the exams & school interviews. DD is shy and quite introvert, so I hope she learn to be more assertive and firm when surrounded by more vocal DCs…

DD plays the Violin, Viola and Piano. She got ABRSM Grade 8 high distinction when she was in Year 5 (9 years old), and by the time she did 11+ music auditions (i.e. last month) she’s preparing for her ARSM diploma. Viola grade 8 standard (exam will be taken this Spring), and piano around grade 4 (not taken exam yet). Theory grade 5 distinction when in Year 4 (8 years old).

Thanks for your reply, and great point about savings for DC’s housing deposit, etc. DH prefers grammar option due to it being very close to our home, and he thinks co-ed will make DD experience the real world better. I, on the other hand, would like to focus on DD’s academic outcomes and DD’s character building (ie for her to be more confident, and more assertive, as she is now very quiet and shy), so I was swayed by all-girls option 😔

These are good standard, probably even "overqualified" for these schools' music :)

Violas are in high demand everywhere so she stands a good chance to increase her scholarship. Guildhall makes all their junior violins study viola in their first year, but very few sticks to it. Have you enquired about their joint scholarship at City?

@Ubertomusic - speaking of JDs, we have recently applied to Guildhall JD music course, and RCM JD - Violin as our first study for both JDs. We are waiting for Guildhall’s audition date (and RCM’s Round 1 video audition result). Very nervous about the JDs audition (me, more than DD), but at least we will try our best 🙈

My DD was on the coach for one hour since 7yo - it is doable but not ideal of course. Not sure if any of them did homework though 😂 they mostly chat with their friends or stare at their phones 🤦‍♀️ My DD managed to do music theory and some easy tasks, but not every single time.

We now walk 20min to school but somehow she's still tired after school 🤷‍♀️

Every JD wants a good viola! 😂
Violins are much more competitive so JD auditions are less predictable.
Good luck! 🙂

I think if you have excellent nearer options it would be madness to commit to a 55 minute journey each way. Even with friends on the bus, that is 2 hours a day, which is exhausting, and in your case unnecessary.

i have 2 girls at CLSG and both are thriving. lots of excellent science facilities and I think better than some of the boys schools. CLSG has computer science at GCSE and A level but CLS doesn't. And CLSG has an excellent DT department which few schools have.

CLSG also has v strong support for music & a program for outstanding musicians - do ask them about it.

mine also came from a small north-london girls school that runs through to 16. possibly the same one.

Thanks for your response @CruCru . I think if we go for NLCS, we may have to consider moving house to nearer the school (big thing to consider 🙈). We have only one child and we want to provide her best possible educational opportunity we can…

Thanks for your response, @Solasum . Indeed 55 min journey each way is a lot, and I just researched NLCS school coach routes and found the one that the route that comes near our house doesn’t do early & late pick up (just regular pick up and drop off time only) so we will need to consider what to do when DD do after school clubs / activities, if we’re to go with NLCS option… So much to think about 🙈

Glad to hear your DDs enjoy CLSG, do you mind me asking which years they’re in? My DD (now Y6) goes to a small girls school (at Hoppers Road), any chance the same school? :)

Computer Science (CS) is indeed very important, I noticed that Latymer grammar school doesn’t have CS at A level, so I think if DD wants to do CS at A level in the future she needs to do it privately outside school. We also love the fact that CLSG (and NLCS) offer Mandarin (Latymer grammar offers only French, German, Russian and Latin). So much to think about / balance pros/cons 🙈

NLCS is great, but unless you are prepared to move, I wouldn’t consider it. 1-2 hours of extra time every day is a considerable factor to sway it for either CLSG or Latymer.

Are you sure you are not being overly optimistic with your travel time estimate for CLGS from N london?

NLCS has a coach.

Seems like the CLGS travel time would be the same but on a train which would be tougher?

Hi @FlakyShark - thanks for your comment. If we choose CLSG, we will take Great Northern overground train to Moorgate (total 23 mins, no change), then it takes about 10-15 mins to walk from Moorgate station to CLSG. Rainy days may might take a little longer to walk from station to school. Morning train during rush hour will be packed (and DD will need to carry her instrument), so not sure if the 50 mins school coach will be less tiring (or not 😭)?…

One thing I failed to mention, DD may have a very very mild undiagnosed ADD (we are getting an assessment asap). She finds focusing in school lessons hard (although her academic results have no problem, she always got exceeded in all subjects, except PE), so I think we should also consider SEN support too when selecting secondary school. We saw a local GP this morning, who referred us to CAMHS. The GP said generally SEN supports are better in private schools, although she said it doesn’t mean a child (with potential ADD) cannot do well at Latymer… Would reason relating to SEN big enough reason to rule out Latymer grammar option (despite it being the closest school to commute to)… 🙈

School coach is much easier and safer than public transport. We used to live in 40 minutes from CLSG but I hate taking the tube there in the morning, office crowd is rough. There wouldn't be a chance to do anything productive, unlike on the coach.

No experience with the overground to City though, it might be less brutal.

There are lots of ASD children at grammar schools, some of them have co-morbid ADD/ADHD, dyspraxia and other conditions that often go together with ASD. I cannot speak about all grammars but in our experience and that of our friends' super selective grammars are actually good at supporting children with SEN.

At private schools, it depends on the school.

“Latymer has been our top choice”

There you have it, you just got some scholarships from private schools which are flattering. However, from everything you say Latymer is a good and easy choice and you can do JD and your DD will have time to focus on her music. She sounds very talented and of course, she will be offered scholarships.

You can always do private school at Sixth Form for a couple of years when she is older.
If her friends are going to Latymer and it is easy to get there and she needs to practise instruments, that would 100 per cent be my choice.

The length of commute is a huge factor. The long train/coach commutes sound exhausting!

a 40min train ride is actually a lot better than a 40 min coach. 40 mins shouldn’t be that exhausting for a year 7 kid at all

Overground train to Moorgate is pretty empty at the time the girls usually go to CLSG and (from what our DD says) a pretty pleasant commute with lots of her classmates meeting up on the train. The walk to the school only about 10 mins on the covered walkways in the Barbican complex (we find it a maze but they all seemed to get the hang of it within the first week!)

Hi All, we are also holding an offer from CLSG for our DD and are very excited about the opportunity. I have a question to current CLSG parents -- do you know what is the school strategy about planned redevelopment of London Wall West? If it is to go ahead, CLSG will be next to a building site, demolition and all from 2028.

best L

Hi @LoZpy - we did query this with CLSG and they responded as follows (sharing info, hopefully this will also be helpful for you):

Re the planned redevelopment, planning permission has been granted but there is no developer engaged yet and like many such sites it may take several years for the site to be sold for development. The residents also intend to take the planning decision to judicial review which will entail further delay.

If and when the works starts, the bulk of the construction/demolition work will be at a distance from the main school building. Work which has occurred recently in the neighbourhood has not caused disruption and the school has been operating as normal. The particular worksites in question are much further away than for example the development right next to the City Boys’ school over the last 3 years (adjacent to the Millenium Bridge). The Girls’ school is fortunate given the Barbican creates a buffer zone around the school. The City has very strict rules on such work as it is a constant feature of life in the square mile.

^https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/services/environmental-health/noise-pollution/construction-demolition-and-street-works^