Godolphin and Latymer

Senior schools in london

Godolphin & Latymer is another exceptionally academic school in West London, with GCSE A*/A grades achievement at 98.2%. An impressive 73% A/A* is at A-Level. The school also offers IB at this level, the students attaining an average of 39.7 points. With these results, it’s no wonder that around a fifth end up going to Oxbridge, in addition to Ivy league Universities.

School information

Based in west London near Hammersmith.

  • Girls school, Day
  • Academic 98.2% A/A*
  • A fifth of leavers go on to Oxbridge
  • Good onsite facilities
  • Students flourish in music and other arts-based subjects
  • Part of the north London Girls Consortium

Students come from a wide range of backgrounds and there isn’t a typical ‘Dolphin’, as they’re often referred to. The school prides itself on creating a friendly atmosphere for its students and encourage the girls to independently develop and explore their own passions and interests. While academically strong, the school is adamant that the girls stay down to earth.

Aside of from the academic subjects and learning, there are twenty-six sports to choose from and excellent facilities. There is the newly opened Hampton Sports and Fitness centre, with a rock-climbing wall, trampolines, cricket nets and more.

There is a great emphasis placed on extracurricular activities, with various clubs and societies occurring throughout the week. With a fully functioning Bishop Centre that could rival professional theatres, students from all years are able to put on productions. Music also remains a key focus for many students, and there are practice rooms for the six hundred weekly individual lessons taking place.

admissions

Admission to the school normally comes at age eleven or into their Sixth Form. As one of the top schools in the country, entry into Godolphin and Latymer is very competitive and successful students are selected based on academic abilities.

Godolphin and Latymer are part of the North London Independent Girls’ Schools’ Consortium, and as such, uses the same assessments as the other schools in the consortium, which has made some changes in recent years.

Due to the consortium’s stance on lengthy exam process at this age, they have decided to shorten and somewhat simplify their testing procedure. There will be a seventy-minute (with a thirty-minute break in between) cognitive ability test, incorporating maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Most questions are multiple choice. There is also a short passage for comprehension but this is nowhere near as long as the previous tests.

With a new assessment system and interview process, the school is looking to discover the potential of each child. Problem solving, critical thinking, creativity and collaboration are among the traits they look for in applicants.

The school does not provide any sample papers for the new assessments. However, there is some familiarisation material to show what type of questions can be expected. The goal here is to stop the practice of overpreparation for the tests. Yet the fact remains that preparation, as long as it is the right kind, is of great benefit to any student and reduces the stress of looming tests. Any good tutor knows the difference between spoon-feeding topics from the syllabus and nurturing an intellectual curiosity. We strive to introduce techniques that will stand them in good stead for this process and beyond.