Highgate or Latymer?

Independent Schools as an alternative to Grammar

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azbv
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:24 pm

Highgate or Latymer?

Post by azbv »

Dear all,

I need your advice. My dd has been offered both Highgate and Latymer, the two schools she sat exams for.

We are very unsure on what to do. We can afford the fees (just) and my dd loves Highgate, the location, facilities etc

But in terms of teaching, she is one that does what she is told, but is quite reluctant to do more. Which school would be best at pushing her to reach her full potential? Do you need to be more self-motivated at Latymer given the large class sizes?

Many thanks to Dao who has already given me her advice, would be grateful to have more opinions.

Thanks
fairyelephant
Posts: 588
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:59 am
Location: N London

Re: Highgate or Latymer?

Post by fairyelephant »

What are the journeys like to school and are you really prepared for it to be tight?

I have a DS at Highgate and I think it is fabulous (good at motivating children and working out when to push them and when not to, fantastically well organised with lots of feedback to parents and a real desire to teach children what they think they should know about in each subject, the extra curricular offering is great and cross curricular learning/use of museums in London/ theatres etc all good). Some people put store by Oxbridge entry - they had 25 offers this year, a 75% success rate. However someone ?copella will probably be able to tell you that Latymer does all this too and it's much cheaper. We live v close to Highgate, did not have the option of Latymer and had help with fees, if I was closer to Latymer and had an offer there it would be a hard thing to turn down I'm sure.

Ps you might want to post in the Hertfordshire/North London section to, and see the thread on there by someone with places at Latymer and City.
copella
Posts: 1200
Joined: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:51 pm

Re: Highgate or Latymer?

Post by copella »

I think I heard my name!! The families I know who send their children to Highgate are very happy. So I think it probably comes down to money and what you can afford. Latymer is fairly laid back in the first two years, not too much homework and they end early on Fridays. But as my ds has gone up the years the work is ramped up. The teachers have high expectations and I don't think it matters that the classes are larger, the results are good and most children want to do well, if only to stay on at sixth form with their friends. The drop out to attend other sixth forms is pretty low with by far the majority staying on. My ds can be fairly lazy and glided through years 7-9, now in y10 it is as if a switch has been put on and he works much harder. The trips on offer are great, the music is out of this world and the drama is fantastic. I can't think what more you would want from a school.

Good luck with your decision making. You are in a luck position to be able to chose.
azbv
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Sep 14, 2015 5:24 pm

Re: Highgate or Latymer?

Post by azbv »

Thank you all! Decision time now. Will sleep one more night on it. Thanks again for all the help.
nyr
Posts: 1166
Joined: Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:39 am

Re: Highgate or Latymer?

Post by nyr »

If you're more inclined towards Highgate then don't leave it too late to make a decision or else it might be made for you. They over offer and have been known to run out of places before the official deadline.
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