Latymer Upper School Sixth Form

[Superdupersophie]

Hi all,

My DD is considering applying to Latymer Upper School for 2026 sixth form entry. She would be coming from a boarding school and wants a change from her current school because she’s in a relatively small year group with 70 odd students and never really found her tribe. My DD is quite academic and is consistently top of her class and she plays for her school netball and hockey teams.
However, DD constantly complains about the lack of supportive pastoral care she receives and dislikes some of her peers behaviour. I would say DD is quite extroverted and confident but I feel like this school takes away that spark from her and what makes it worse is that’s she’s away from family, that’s why we want her to come back to London for sixth form.

Does anyone know what the academic standard is like at LU?

What is the environment between pupils like?

How many students are in each year group roughly?

How diverse is the school?

Any other relevant information would be useful.
And if anyone knows anything about surrounding schools such as Godolphin and Latymer and St Paul’s Girls please answer.

Thanks all xx

Your post is a bit broad but also strangely ill-informed.

Surely, you know that LU, together with G&L and SPGS are among the top academic schools in England.

The "environment" is a strange concept too. Those are large, London schools. They would be massively different to a small boarding school.
Diversity-wise - again. Not sure which diversity matters to you.

LU would have a larger share of bursary kids. G&L and SPGS - have a large share of Asian students.

Your DD being on top of class in her small school would most likely not put her top in either of these schools - they are full of really smart kids.

As to pastoral care - a small boarding school will have more of it, than a large London day school. So - if it's more pastoral she wants - she should not move to a London school. Same goes for behaviour. Whatever she does not like in her school - will not get better in a day school.

I am not saying those are bad schools by any mean. Just you need to be realistic - those are academically challenging schools. They are large, so are not warm and embracing places that can coddle the kids. And those are schools in central London, full of rich kids, who often behave as you'd expect. So - there is drinking, drugs, partying, etc.

DD is going from boarding to London, small to large schools plus coed or single sex? Is it just brand name schools or a specific ethos she would prefer? Coed or single sex is very different? Travel time to schools check TFL.
STEM or humanities A levels? Check school website to see curriculum and subjects. @Sashya gave very good points to consider.

I have a DC at LU.

To answer some of your questions-

Does anyone know what the academic standard is like at LU? Very high

What is the environment between pupils like? In our DCs experience, very good. They have a big group of friends both boys and girls and they all seem to be supportive of others.

How many students are in each year group roughly? About 170 before sixth form and then about 30-40 join in sixth form.

How diverse is the school? Pretty diverse. Lots of bursary students. Some very rich but not really a big deal.

Pupils definitely join from boarding schools every year and apparently even more are applying this year (prob as a result of VAT).

It is a big busy school but we've found the pastoral side to be good. Obviously it will be a different atmosphere to a small cosy girls boarding school but probably in a good way, especially at sixth from....I completely disagee that the behaviour she doesn't like will be worse- there are just a lot more kids and less cliquey behaviour.

There are some rich kids but they are not all partying it up, doing drink and drugs. maybe a very small group but really not the norm!

I have a daughter at Godolphin
Academic standards are very high
Approx 110 pupils in the lower 6th so not massive by LU standards but bigger than where you are now.
It is renowned for its pastoral care which is excellent. I can vouch for this. Any issues, worries anxieties etc get addressed straight away.
There are a few ‘rich london kids who like to party’ but the vast majority are just really hard working but well balanced & lovely girls. The school recently did a couple of day in life of a sixth former social media posts which will might give you an insight.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDcMgWmIRjr/?igsh=MTgxcHRyM2JoczBkbw==

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DC60U2fIE5p/?igsh=MW82ZWIxd2Zid2FlNg==

Hi! I have heard that latymer upper is a really good school particularly with pastoral services. They are really strict on things like bullying or other harmful things and not to mention latymer upper is quite academic and sporty so for things such as university it's very good.

As a parent of a daughter currently attending Godolphin & Latymer, I feel a duty to offer a candid perspective, especially for those considering the school.
The culture among the current Years 10–12, regrettably, is deeply toxic. A climate of insidious and at times overtly vicious bullying pervades the student body. Girls are openly and regularly nasty to each other within the school and weaponise social media to deride and exclude their peers. In response, a large number of girls self-harm, suffer from eating disorders, and isolate themselves in bathrooms at lunchtime to avoid the ritualised social humiliation practised by a powerful ‘mean girl’ hierarchy.
The pastoral care team, in theory designed to provide support, has in our experience proved either ineffectual or willfully negligent. Reports of bullying are often met with skepticism towards the target rather than urgent inquiry into the behaviour itself. Unless a specific perpetrator is named — a dangerous prospect for many girls who fear escalation — no meaningful action is taken. The result is a culture where cruelty goes unchallenged and vulnerability is punished.
No school is perfect, and adolescence is never easy. But it is impossible to overstate the damage that an environment of indifference to bullying can inflict, not only on individual well-being but on the broader moral character of a community. For us, G&L has tragically failed to live up to its duty of care.
I share this not to sensationalise, but to offer the clear-eyed account I wish I had encountered before enrolling my daughter.