Year 7 Entry September 2021 (11+) (please note that some circumstances are subject to change in light of government guidance regarding Covid-19)

Are you making any changes to the entrance exam to allow for problems arising from Covid-19? Previously every candidate sitting our 11+ entrance exam would have come to the school in early January to sit papers in English and Maths; following the stark warnings from the government’s scientific advisors and the current Covid-19 guidance and protocols in place, this is no longer feasible. We have taken the decision, along with other independent schools, to move the exam forward to November/December 2020. This enables us to significantly reduce risk and gives candidates an opportunity to sit an exam that we can then use to assess them.

This year, every child applying to Latymer Upper School for entry in September 2021, will be required to take the ISEB Common Pre-Test. This is a respected ​ ​ and widely used online test for children moving from primary or prep schools to selective secondary schools. This decision has been made after extensive consultation across the sector and in agreement with other leading independent schools.

Where candidates are sitting the test in their own school, we have asked schools to enable pupils to sit the test no later than Saturday 5 December, with ​ ​ individual schools having the freedom to choose a date and time that best suits them. After October half term, we will write to you to confirm at which ​ school your child will be sitting the test; please wait until we request this information, you are not required to send anything to us at this stage.

Any candidates unable to sit the test in their own school can come to Latymer Upper School on Wednesday 25 November or Saturday 5 December. ​ ​ Alternatively, you may find it easier for your child to sit the test at another school to which they are applying. No candidates will be disadvantaged by this choice.

To enable us to fully consider every application, we ask that all candidates have sat the assessment no later than Saturday 5 December, irrespective of where ​ ​ they sit it.

How do I prepare my child for the ISEB Common Pre-Test for entry in September 2021? No special preparation is required for the ISEB Common Pre-Tests, which are designed to identify potential as well as attainment. Practice tests are not available, but there is a familiarisation test which demonstrates the look and feel ​ ​ of the tests. Examples and practice questions, where relevant, are provided during the tests so that candidates understand what they have to do. There is also a helpful guide for parents on ISEB’s website: https://www.iseb.co.uk/Parents/What-are-the-Common-Pre-Tests

The tests assess the English and Mathematics content covered in the National Curriculum up to the end of Year 5 as well as verbal and non-verbal reasoning. We will be focusing on the English and Maths results as these are the two subjects that we would normally use to assess candidates. The ISEB English and Maths tests are a shorter and simplified version of our usual entrance exam which we feel will go some way to compensate for the disruption to teaching and learning that children experienced in Year 5 as well as the fact that they will be sitting the tests a few weeks earlier than usual.

Once the exams are taken, what will happen next? We will select successful candidates to interview. It may be that the interviews can be held in person at Latymer in early January 2021, but if not they will be conducted remotely.

We anticipate then being able to send out offers on 11 February 2021. Acceptances are required no later than 5 March 2021.

How many children sit the exam? Last year, around 1300 children sat the entrance exam. We then interviewed 350 children and were able to offer 128 places.

How many children in a year group? Year 7 has 168 children, 40 move up from Latymer Prep and 128 join from primary and prep schools with a fairly even split of private and state schools.

How many children in a class? Each year group has 168 children split into 10 tutor groups of 16-18 children, these are then mixed to create 7 teaching classes of 24.

What is the school uniform like and where do we buy it? The new uniform launched in September 2020, please have a look at the school tour video, our Y7 and Y8 pupils are proudly wearing the new uniform. Our uniform supplier is Stevenson’s who offer both a retail shop in Twickenham and online via their website (www.stevensons.co.uk). ​ ​ How do children from Barnes travel to school now that Bridge is closed? Parents are able to book a space on a private bus service operated by the School’s coach company, Leoline. This bus service is not run by the school but by the coach company.

During the Covid-19 lockdown did you provide remote learning? We were very fortunate that Latymer lessons were remote from the very next day after lockdown, all our students have their own devices and we were already using Google Classroom for homework and some lessons.

Which languages are studied and is there a choice? In Years 7 and 8, children learn , Mandarin and Spanish. For Year 9, there is a choice to drop Latin and students continue with Mandarin and/or Spanish. They also have the opportunity to pick up French or German. All four languages are offered at GCSE. All Latymer students study one modern language for GCSE, but a good number will study two.

My child is bilingual, can they take their GCSE early? When your child joins the School, they should arrange to have a conversation with the Head of Modern Languages. They will discuss the options available for each language. There is not a separate bilingual “stream”. Typically, bilingual students sit the exam in Year 9 or 10.

Are children set for Maths or any other subjects? From Year 8 onwards, Maths is not taught in the usual Latymer teaching groups. Instead we make decisions about a student's Mathematics class after careful consideration of the student's recent progress, their specific strengths and weaknesses, and the learning environment to which we feel they will be best suited. The focus is on what we believe best supports a student's progress now, making no assumptions about their future performance; indeed, a student may well change classes multiple times during the course of their study as we respond to their strengths and weaknesses developing and changing over time. This doesn't necessarily occur at specific points in the year; we tend to respond more flexibly as we notice students who seem to be in the wrong class for them, and the decision is always made after close discussion with their Maths teacher, who will make a judgement based on everything they know about the student as a mathematician and a learner, including how they are in lessons, their classwork, their homework, their performance in class skills checks, their confidence levels, their specific strengths and weaknesses and whether these could be better supported in another class.

We made the decision a couple of years ago to name our Maths classes according only to the teacher’s initials. We very much wish to discourage any discussion or sense of class ranking or sets, as we strongly believe that a focus on class ranks and sets is unhelpful, and rather than students focusing on their performance relative to their peers, we would like them to consider only how they can make the best possible progress themselves. This is one of the reasons why pupils won't often receive a score or grade for any Maths homework or skills checks for much of their time in the School, although they will get plenty of formative feedback to help them identify how to improve their work and their mathematical understanding.

Can children use a laptop or ipad? All pupils are provided with a Chromebook when they join the School in Year 7.

What is the split between boys and girls? Across the School it’s 50/50 - we don’t base our offers on gender and it balances out across the year groups.

My child has special educational needs (eg: dyslexia/dyspraxia/visual impairment). Do you make allowances for the entrance exam? When you register your child, we ask you to select learning support requirements and complete an online form. We will also need sight of a copy of your educational psychologist’s report, EHCP or similar report stating your child’s needs and current working arrangements such as a laptop or extra time for assessments. We will assess the report together with our Academic Mentoring Department and any extra exam arrangements will be confirmed before the exam takes place. If your child joins the School, the Academic Mentoring Department works with pupils as they journey through the School, for more information please refer to the website here. ​ ​ Am I eligible for a bursary? Latymer’s bursary programme provides financial support to bright children who do well ​ in the School’s rigorous entrance exams, regardless of their financial background. Bursary applicants must first meet the same academic requirements for entry to the School as other pupils. 11+ bursaries are means-tested and based on family financial circumstances. They vary in amount from 25% to 100% of fees, you need to apply for a bursary at the time of registration.

We have examples on the website and we are always very happy to speak to you if you have any questions, please contact the Admissions Team. https://www.latymer-upper.org/admissions/bursaries/

How do I prepare my child for an interview? If your child is invited to attend an interview, they will meet with a teacher for a one to one interview. There is no specific preparation required, they should expect a conversation and some general questions.

My child is a good musician, can I apply for a music scholarship? At 11+ entry, candidates should be at Grade 5 on their main instrument. Music scholarships are applied for at the time of registration, if your child is invited for an interview they may also be selected for a scholarship audition with the Director of Music. For more information, please see the website here. ​ ​ What other scholarships do you have? Art, Music, Drama, Sport or Academic? Academic scholarships are offered at 11+. These normally consist of a one-off payment of £1,000 at the time of entry. At the Head’s discretion, a larger financial element may be awarded. No separate application is required for a scholarship and there is no separate scholarship examination or interview. Drama, Art and Sport scholarships are offered at 16+ only.

How do children travel to school? Latymer is situated near Hammersmith and is a two minute walk from Ravenscourt Park tube station on the District Line and lots of buses stop nearby on King Street. We encourage pupils to travel to School using sustainable means - cycling, walking and public transport.

My child can be anxious about new things, how do you help? We have a very thorough induction programme in place to ease the transition from primary to secondary school. Successful candidates are invited to an induction evening in June along with their parents where they get to meet their tutor and other members of their form. We also have an induction afternoon the day before the rest of the school returns in September and a Y7 bonding day at an outdoor activities centre in the first week. This runs alongside a very strong pastoral team consisting of a Head of Division, Head of Year, Assistant Head of Year and form tutors who are very experienced in looking after new students.

What Clubs and activities are offered? The School has a broad range of co-curricular clubs and activities. There is something for everyone - from Dungeons and Dragons, knitting, water polo to Japanese puzzles and much more.

The School is continuing to run this wide-ranging co-curricular programme, including educational day trips and visits following government guidance and with a full risk ​ ​ assessment for each activity. A large number of sports are once again available along with music and socially-distanced drama opportunities.

At the end of Summer Term we usually hold an Activities Week, during which pupils can take part in trips and activities. Most trips are residential and are based all over Europe. As with every other co-curricular activity, this is being kept under constant review and we will follow government guidance in the delivery of these activities.

The School’s Trips and Activities fund is available to help provide grants to any families who would otherwise be unable to take part.

For more information please see the website here. ​ ​ Which sports do children play? In Year 7, boys play rugby, football and cricket, girls play hockey, netball, rounders or cricket. We field A-D teams and usually fixtures take place most weekends (currently due to covid restrictions fixtures are on hold) with training at least one day after school. From Year 9, children can choose for Games lessons. During PE lessons, children have opportunities to play badminton, basketball and many other sports including at least half a term of swimming each year. More details can be found on the website here. ​ Do boys play hockey? We are hoping to introduce a boys hockey club to the co-curricular programme.

Can girls play football? Yes, there are girls football teams as part of the co-curricular programme.

How many girls go on to study science at A Level? In our current Upper Sixth 68 girls take at least one science, that’s 63% of the girls in the year group. 80% of the girls in the year have picked at least one A Level out of the three sciences and Maths (either single Maths or Further Maths). We have 39 girls taking at least two science subjects and 53 girls taking at least two subjects out of the sciences or Maths.

If our child is unsuccessful, can we apply for Year 8, 9 or 10? We have an intake at Year 7 and again at Sixth Form but there is no formal entry point in between. We normally have only one or two occasional places available for Years 8, 9 or 10 in any year. We do not know the availability for the following September until the end of February. You are very welcome to complete an enquiry ​ form for an occasional place and we will be in touch at the end of February/beginning ​ of March. Any children who previously applied for Year 7 entry would normally only be ​ considered for an occasional place if they attended an 11+ interview.

Do children study double or triple science at GCSE? Pupils have a wide choice of GCSEs to study. We say that they must study at least two of the sciences, which would be taken as separate GCSEs, but they can study all three, and in fact the vast majority do choose to do so.

Do most children stay at the school for Sixth Form? The overwhelming majority of students move up from Year 11 to study in the Sixth Form. Every year we also welcome around 30 new students. Our new joiners come from all backgrounds and are a welcome and valued addition to Latymer. For more details please visit the website here. ​ ​ What types of Design Technology are on offer? We teach Product Design (Design Engineering at A Level) which covers a wide range of design skills using a variety of materials, modern technologies and tools with a focus on Design Process rather than the outcome. Traditionally this would have been referred to as Resistant Materials. Although we cover a basic knowledge of Textiles and Graphics we do not offer a Textiles, Graphics or Food focused course at GCSE or A Level. ______

If you have any further questions or would like to discuss your application in more detail, please contact the Admissions Team via email [email protected] ​ or phone 020 8148 4519