Tiffin Girls' School or Godolphin & Latymer

[Asiro]

My daughter was fortunate to receive offers from both Tiffin Girls’ School and Godolphin & Latymer.

Our key consideration is her future prospects for Oxbridge or medical school.

While G&L has higher GCSE and A-Level results, TGS has a significantly higher number of leavers progressing to Oxbridge and medical schools. However, I am unsure whether this is influenced by government policies or other external factors and whether it could change in the future.

My daughter is accustomed to a high-pressure, competitive environment. She has attended both independent and state schools, spending more time in the independent sector, but has adapted well to both settings.

G&L may offer more co-curricular activities, whereas TGS might allow her more time for academic study.

I would greatly appreciate any advice from parents whose daughters have attended these schools.

Thank you.

Hi, I don’t know how to post another thread from MN, but there is a thread called ‘Godolphin & Latymer’ on which some of the points on G&L that you mention are discussed.

Also, if fees aren’t a factor, surely non-private increasingly better if you are targeting Oxbridge? Acceptances from independent schools have significantly dropped in recent years.

I would say it depends where you live and your dd interests. Tiffin was not on our radar as we are out of catchment for Tiffin girls. But our dd is at G&L and loving it. She is very into the sports there and clubs. She takes full advantage on what they have on offer. I would only consider paying the school fees if my dc was into the sports and clubs....otherwise if you are close to Tiffin and if she is not that interested in the extras, I would go with Tiffin.

non-private increasingly better if you are targeting Oxbridge

Is it true for grammar school such as Tiffin though?

I guess it depends on whether Oxbridge feel any pressure, whether from the government or the media, over the headline percentage of students from state schools, without regard for the selective/non-selective breakdown. It's not necessarily a very useful metric, but still often referenced.

If you are interested in Oxbridge or medical I would go Tiffin all the way. Private schools admit it is increasingly difficult to get into Oxbridge and most London privates are pushing US unis or Russell group.

Selective grammar schools are put in exactly the same category as independent schools by Oxford, Cambridge and most other top universities

@WomensRightsRenegade Thank you for your reply. I thought in same way.. However, still leavers destinations to Oxbridge/medicine of grammar schools are much much higher than private school while grammar school's GCSE/A-Level score are lower than the one of private school.. it makes me re-consider..

Have you looked at the total number of students when compared across?

@PreplexJ
For 2024, Tiffin Girls 15 Oxbridge offers out of 170 girls (9%)
G&L 4 out of 103 (4%)
For 2023 Tiffin 21 Oxbridge offers (12%)
G&L 9 out of 103 (9%)

This even though G&L has better A-Level results. Whatever the reason, I think if Oxbridge outcome is OP's priority, Tiffin might be a better choice.

They do say non private if you are after an Oxbridge offer but that only holds true if GCSE grades and A-Level predictions are going to be the same from both....they might not be as she might thrive more in one than the other. Oxbridge will want top grades from wherever she goes.

It's not just about university offers, it's about the whole school experience IMO. Where does she think she'd be happiest? Is one much easier to get to than the other? These would be my considerations when looking at two top schools.

And selective grammars will be in the same category as independent schools. There aren't many of them left, and they are not available in all parts of the country.

Possibly because the calibre is higher because they are more selective in the first place!

https://www.godolphinandlatymer.com/academic/university-destinations/

I saw 5 in 2024 instead of 4?

I'm just not sure how the number can translate to a much, much higher number, as OP stated. The larger intake inevitably leads to a larger variation of A level results, but it doesn't change the chances for the top-range students. From the statistics, I think it is pretty close.

But I agree medical related degrees TGS has significantly more , which demonstrates that the intake demographic plays a part.

As others have said Oxbridge is not the best proxy ... but it is clear that it iis
important for some.
Smaller cohorts are susceptible to more year and year volatility. Notwithstanding that, G&L numbers seems lower than for other privates in the area (for instance WHS had 14 last year, and PHS 12). I wonder whether G&L cohort is more focused on US universities and it is a question of either / or , as both processes are quite time consuming.

yes it is discouraged to apply to both as they are two very different processes. The trend at the moment is to apply to US over UK, if financially viable.

Grammar schools still tick the state school box on admissions so have an advantage over privates. They may or may not require the same grades. I don't know. I think it depends on your postcode, if you have FSM, if your school has a history of sending to Oxbridge. Tiffin boys had 56 offers this year..41 last year. They are getting more and more successful. Tiffin is now prioritising entry for FSM students and those on from lower socio-economic backgrounds. It is in their published admissions. Private school advantages are disappearing rapidly. In the workplace too companies are looking for those from disadvantage backgrounds. Obviously most Tiffin parents don't tick that box but at least they tick the state school box. They are not regarded the same as private school pupils in Oxbridge entry. Oxbridge are also increasingly taking International Students. They pay higher fees and tick another box!

Presumably your daughter is 11 or so? Why are you so specific about wanting Oxbridge or medical school, it's surely far too early for her to know if any of those options will be a good fit for her? At that age I wanted my kids to have a positive school experience and to feel they could explore all the options open to them.

In the end my older daughter did want to do medicine and is now holding two offers for medical school and waiting to hear back from two more, having gone to our local catchment non selective state school and then state sixth form college.

Those two schools are quite far away from each other - don't saddle her with a 60 min commute or whatever. Tiredness will impact learning. I have a DD at TGS and the days are intense

@Violetmouse I agree. Sounds like a lot of pressure for a child to handle.

OP, I'd look at the school that best matches your child's learning style and that can best nurture her social and emotional development.

Tiffin boys sixth form is a large mixed intake, over 200+ students in total and 60+ from external intake. Put that into prospective when it compared the numbers..

Surbiton High, despite lower A level result in general, has mentioned it got 14 oxbridge this year and 12 last year, indicating that this has become an important avenue for some schools to attract specific parents and student.

Strong numbers indeed from SHS, which sometimes gets overlooked.
Worth noting, as you mention in a previous post but of particular relevance in this case, the size of the cohort. Always useful to put numbers in context for ease (and objectivity of comparison).
Of the schools mentioned, my understanding is that Tiffin has the largest cohort, followed by SHS (some 120 or so girls(, Godolphin 104, PHS usually has under 100 girls per year and WHS had 87.
More generally, whilst people have information on offers or acceptances, people do not know how many students actually applied to those institutions. As others have pointed out, US Universities have increased in popularity in recent years (whether that continues is another issue) as have some European Universities (e.g. Bocconi).

Indeed, there is a lot more information beyond headline number, such as cohort size, the number of new joiners from the sixth form, how many actually applied (particularly for less selective schools), the subjects offered, and how many received offers but ultimately failed to meet the conditions.

However, for Oxbridge, the number of applicants offered and accepted, by school, is public information.

Additionally, as you previously mentioned, some schools, especially smaller ones, experience greater year-to-year variability. For example, the headline Oxbridge numbers for PHS and WHS differed significantly between 2022/2023 and 2024, making it impossible to correlate trends from one year to another.

Glad to see that you agree with my points :)

You mention that data on offers and acceptances for Oxbridge being publicly available. As far as I am aware schools sometimes publicise the offers (but not systematically) and, in most cases, publish the destinations. But it is neither comprehensive nor conducive to looking across years. But, it is probably my lack of interest showing - from your comment, there maybe a more comprehensive dataset which I am sure would be really useful to see for those with an active interest in the matter if you could point them in that direction.

Oxbridge universities are part of the state sector and the admission data is fall under the FOI. It wouldn’t take much time for any parent—whether interested or not—to access such information with just a few clicks on the internet. For example :

www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/number_of_applications_offers_an_5