How to get into Latymer Upper School

Considering the Latymer Upper School for the next step in your child’s education? Find out all you need to know about the 11 plus admissions process and how we can help your child succeed.

Skip to:

• The admissions process
• 11 plus exam
• The interview
• Find a tutor for Latymer Upper
• Contact us

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Introduction to Latymer

A co-educational independent school in Hammersmith, London, Latymer has been a beacon of education for almost 400 years. Counting among its peers Eton, St Paul’s and Westminster, the school has a reputation of academic achievement which does not look set to change. The school’s stellar reputation is met by the GCSE results achieved. In 2022, 62% of results were at a grade 9, and 95% of all grades awarded were 7-9. 16 pupils achieved all grade 9s in their results. The Sixth Form also has great success, achieving A*/A in 83% of all A level grades in 2022. Students regularly go on to study at universities with global reputations – think Oxbridge and Ivy League. Plus, the school can count household names among its Old Latymerians, including Heston Blumenthal and Alan Rickman.

Easily accessible by public transport, children from all over London travel to attend Latymer. The school prides itself on developing every individual child to their full potential, but whilst still keeping pupils grounded and developing them into well-rounded adults. Tatler has described Latymer as “unpretentious, cosmopolitan community; highly academic; forward-thinking, with a deep-pocketed bursary programme and a fabulous real-world co-ed buzz.” 

Sport takes up a considerable chunk of Latymer life. With their own onsite boathouse, rowing is a popular sport at the school, with Latymer boasting two medal-winning Olympians. The school does have a reputation of favouring boys’ sports over girls’ but this has changed in recent years. However, there is currently no competitive girls’ football or rugby team, so the school may better suit a sporty boy.

Originally established in 1624 as a boys’ school, it only became fully coeducational in the last 20 years and now educates over 1,200 children aged 7-18. Main entry points are 11+ and 16+ – occasional places are rare and the school doesn’t operate a sibling policy. The school’s reputation alongside this means that entry is incredibly competitive and preparation for entry to Latymer needs to be approached strategically as part of a 12 month programme.

Latymer Upper fees

Latymer Upper School is £9,074 per term, payable in advance.

Bursaries are available with the school aiming to provide a quarter of students with a means-tested bursary by 2024. Worth between 25 and 100% of fees, you can apply for a full or partial bursary when you submit your registration form, by checking the appropriate box.

Open days at Latymer Upper School

11+ open days take place in Autumn the year before your child is scheduled to join Year 7. These are available to book in via the school website. They also hold an event for all those who receive offers so you get a chance to see the school and meet the staff once again before making your decision. The Autumn Open Days for entry into Year 7 in 2024 are currently full, however, you can sign up to be put on the waitlist on the school website.

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11 plus admissions process at Latymer

There are 168 11 plus places at Latymer Upper School – 40 children a year move up from the Prep School with the remaining places awarded to children from a mix of other private preps and state primaries. The split between boys and girls is pretty much 50/50.

Registration opens in May of your child’s Year 5 and closes in Autumn of their Year 6. 2024 applications must be submitted by noon 13th of October 2023. Upon completing your application form, a registration fee of £150 is due. Entrance exams are held in December the year before admission, with those who perform well being invited for interview in January.

Offers will be sent via email in mid February and the acceptance deadline is March.

The Latymer 11 plus exam content

Due to be held on the 6th of December 2023, the Latymer Upper 11+ exam will cover:

• English – 2 papers: comprehension (multiple choice, 35 mins) and creative writing (45 mins)
• Maths – 1 paper (60 mins).

These track the Year 6 National Curriculum and so require knowledge beyond what your child is taught when they sit the exam. This is where we can help.

Our tutors are experts in school entrance, with our 11 plus team teaching the whole syllabus. Tailored tuition and one to one attention mean that any gaps in knowledge can be addressed before tackling exam technique and developing confidence so your child can accurately answer questions with the level of speed required.

We also have sample papers available:

• Latymer 11+ sample paper 1
• Latymer 11+ sample paper 2

Use these strategically in the months ahead of the 11 plus exam. Your tutor can advise you when your child may be ready to start exam practice. You can also download our own range of practice papers which have been created to meet the standards of the top independent schools.

How to pass the Latymer Upper 11 plus interview

The prospect of interview day can be quite daunting for children. At Latymer, it is often a busy day with lots of other children and parents milling about which won’t help to alleviate anxiety. Teachers will be looking for bubbly, confident children who can hold their own in a conversation. There will likely be some mental maths questions, a comprehension element and also a discussion around your child’s interests and hobbies. They’ll need to demonstrate how they would flourish at Latymer Upper School. Latymer will be holding their in-person interviews of the 9th of January 2024.

You will naturally want to prepare your child for interview day, but their answers mustn’t come across as rehearsed. This is why we run individual and group sessions preparing children for their 11+ interview. Our workshops help your child develop their answers, think outside the box and present their best self.

Find out more about our popular 11 plus courses.

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How to get an 11 plus scholarship to Latymer

Latymer offers academic and music scholarships at 11 plus.

To be considered for a music scholarship, indicate this when you complete your registration forms. Those interested in a music scholarship are invited to attend an open morning in the October of the year before admission. You need to book a place for this – more details are on the Latymer website. Those who apply for a music scholarship and perform well in the entrance exam are then invited back to the school in January for their audition. Latymer holds auditions the week before entrance interviews.

Due to the competitive admissions process at Latymer, we have found that applying for a music scholarship may strongly support a child’s general application. Regardless of whether your child achieves the scholarship they are aiming for, an application sets them apart from other prospective pupils and alerts the school of their musical talent and outgoing nature.

Every applicant to Latymer Upper is automatically considered for an academic scholarship. These are awarded to applicants based on their performance in the entrance exam and subsequent interview. A scholarship is usually worth a one-off payment of £1,000 but it has been known for more substantial payments to be made for particularly exceptional candidates.

The team here at Mentor are well-versed in prepping children for scholarships to some of London’s most competitive independent schools. Many of our tutors have great success securing scholarships and are experienced with pushing the boundaries of learning for exceptional students. We can help your child to further improve exam technique, for example focusing on speedwork. It is no good being a genius if you can’t complete the exam fast enough to reach those all important scholarship questions.

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Find a tutor

If you’d like an experienced third party to help you stay on track with your preparation, our specialist 11 plus tutors have significant Latymer entrance experience. 

With more than 40 years of experience in tutoring children to gain admission to some of London’s most competitive independent schools, we at Mentor have a wealth of knowledge on how best to prepare your son for the Latymer Upper School admissions process.

Over 80% of our tutors are qualified teachers, so they have an in-depth knowledge of their subject, the syllabus and the most effective teaching methods. Many have been heads of department, head teachers or examiners and all come with a wealth of experience and a great track record of success. All have up-to-date DBS certificates and we obtain two references upon registering a tutor with us. Wherever possible we will match your child with a tutor who has a track record at Latymer themselves.

For some information on our tutors’ unique approach to testing children in preparation for exams, contact our team.

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More information on Latymer Upper School

Address: Latymer Upper School, King Street, Hammersmith, London, W9 9LR

Telephone: 020 8629 2024

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.latymer-upper.org

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Local Authority: Hammersmith and Fulham

School’s Unique Reference Number (URN): 100370

Gender: Co-educational

Age Range: 7-19

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Get in touch

We have many tutors with significant experience in 11 plus entrance to Latymer Upper here at Mentor. Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help your child with the 11+, or for more information on getting into the top London schools.

Other Independent Schools:

If you’re considering Latymer Upper, you might also find information on other Independent Schools interesting, find a list of other schools below:

• Alleyn’s
• Channing
• City of London (Boys)
• City of London (Girls)
• Dulwich College
• Emanuel
• Highgate
• Ibstock Place
• JAGS
• KCS Wimbledon
• Merchant Taylors’
• North London Collegiate School
• Putney High
• Royal Russell
• St Dunstan’s
• St Paul’s (Boys)
• St Paul’s (Girls)
• Streatham & Clapham High
• Sydenham High
• Trinity
• Westminster Upper
• Whitgift
• Wimbledon High