Latymer Upper and Latymer Prep School date back 400 years when founder Edward Latymer donated funds to ‘to clothe and educate eight poore boies’ from Hammersmith. Situated on the banks of the River Thames in West London, it is one of the country’s leading co-educational, independent day schools. Visitors frequently refer to the ‘palpable buzz’ and energy they experience when they come on site and this vitality is one of the many characteristics of Latymer that makes studying and working here so stimulating. Latymer values and respects diversity; it is modern and forward-thinking; it promotes a global outlook and has a community of talented people who combine the highest academic achievement with excellence in the arts and sport.
In 2024, Latymer Upper School was presented with the Judges’ Special Award, by the Independent Schools of the Year, as well as being crowned Tatler’s ‘Best Public School’ 2024. The School was also shortlisted for Education Choices’ Awards for Bursary support and Partnerships.
Latymer Upper School’s long-running bursary scheme also ensures a first-class education to academically able students. We are now in a position to be able to offer 1 in 4 of our Upper School students a bursary – for an average 83% remission on fees.
Candidates for the Prep School are required to sit a 7+ entrance exam and for candidates hoping to join the Upper School, the 11+ examination is usually taken in the December of Year 6. Successful candidates are then invited for interview, which takes place in January.
Entry to the Sixth Form is based on an exam, followed by an interview in November of the year before entry, and conditional offers at GCSE.
Details of Open Days and Entry are on the School’s website.
Tuition fees per term (from Spring and Summer term 2025). Upper School: £10,014; Prep School: £9,120. (Fees include VAT.)
Scholarships. 11+ Entry: Music Scholarships of varying amounts are offered, together with music awards of free tuition on two instruments. Scholarships will only be offered to candidates who are successful in the school’s competitive entrance examination.
16+ Entry: Scholarships for Music, Drama, Art and Sport. Candidates who have satisfied the academic requirements will be invited to an interview and assessment in December of the year preceding entry.
Curriculum. In 2027, a new Middle School curriculum will be introduced and students will study Maths and English GCSE, plus Latymer Upper School designed long and short courses in a range of subjects that include AI, coding, climate change and literature in translation. A full range of academic subjects is also offered at A level. Languages include Spanish, Mandarin, Latin, French, German and Greek (European Work Experience and exchanges are run every year). Science is taught as separate subjects from Year 7. Form sizes in the Prep and Lower School sit at around 22 students. The World Perspectives Course, now UCAS accredited, comprises elements of Geography, History, RS, Politics, Philosophy, and Economics is enjoyed by Years 10 and 11. Year 9 students take our ‘Global Goals’ sustainable development course.
University destinations include, in particular, Oxford and Cambridge, Ivy League, European and Russell Group universities, as well as leading music and art schools throughout the United Kingdom. In 2024, 96% of our Latymer Upper School students secured their first-place university choice.
Pastoral care. The School takes pastoral care very seriously. Each pupil has a tutor, and tutor groups are small, meaning that each pupil can receive individual care and attention. Tutors see their pupils very frequently, monitor their academic progress and help them with day-to-day issues. Form Tutors deliver a coherent PSHE programme which promotes involvement in the community, charity work, and the personal, social and academic development of the Form. Tutors are supported by experienced Heads and Assistant Heads of Year, who have significant pastoral expertise and, along with tutors, are the first port of call for parents’ and pupils’ concerns. Three Heads of Division (Lower School, Middle School and Sixth Form), the Deputy Head (Pastoral), Pupil Welfare Officer and a Safeguarding Officer, both of whom are non-teaching staff with expertise in supporting individuals and families, complete the pastoral team. Additionally, many specialists also support the teaching staff in caring for our pupils, including a team of three counsellors, two registered nurses in the Medical Centre, a Chaplain and the Head of Wellbeing and PSHE.
Much of this is echoed in the Prep, which also has access to the on-site counsellors and nurses. The Prep provides a caring, happy and safe environment, promoting high-quality personal development alongside independent learning. While Form tutors have primary pastoral responsibility – in terms of pupils’ academic and social life at the school – wellbeing is a whole-school responsibility.
The Academic Mentoring Department (AMD) is integral to the academic and pastoral structures at both Latymer Upper and Prep School. With a deep understanding of current thinking on neurodiversity and growth mindset, the AMD team embraces a creative approach to teaching and learning. Using assistive technology – iPads, laptops and a range of software – AMD support enhances the academic work of pupils across the age ranges, providing an education that will enable all our pupils to achieve the highest academic standards, while simultaneously maintaining excellent mental health. There is also a highly effective Prefect and peer mentor system where the more senior students provide advice and a listening ear for our younger pupils, as well as demonstrating leadership across the School community.
Music and Drama. The Performing Arts play a large part in the life of the School. The Latymer Arts Centre houses music practice rooms and a 300-seat theatre in addition to increased facilities for Art. The Latymer Performing Arts Centre houses a 100-seat recital hall, music classrooms, and more practice rooms and a dance/drama studio. The installation of a 5-metre-wide drop screen, laser projector and surround-sound system in the Recital Hall means that at the ‘click of a button’ the Recital Hall transforms into a Cinema. This supports the School’s new courses and competitions in film-making and history of film.
Across Prep and Upper schools there are several orchestras and bands and a number of concerts each term, both in school and in Central London venues. There are a number of major drama productions each year, and opportunities for all pupils to perform in events. The School also has its own recording studios and record label.
A state-of-the-art building houses three floors of science laboratories. The spacious library on the ground floor is popular with all year groups and is overseen by a dynamic and multi-award-winning Librarian.
Sport. In the Upper and Prep Schools, the emphasis is on engagement, inclusion, participation and opportunity at every level with county, regional, national and international success.
Upper School teams enjoy great success in the major sports of rugby, football, hockey, netball, rowing (with extensive use of the River), fencing, cricket and tennis; with other sports such as athletics, basketball, badminton, dance, climbing, swimming and water polo, volleyball, triathlon, pilates and yoga. The School maintains an excellent fixture card for all major sports.
The major sports played at the Prep School are football, rugby, cricket, athletics, hockey and netball, in addition to various PE activities such as basketball, badminton and gymnastics. Each year the whole school participates in the ‘Bandstand Cup’ cross-country race. There is also a thriving swimming club.
The Sports Centre – opened by Sir Steve Redgrave in 2017 – features outstanding facilities including a 6-lane, 25-metre pool with an adjustable floor, a large sports hall, fitness suite, climbing wall and three studios, all providing a full programme of indoor sporting activities and fitness training throughout the year for pupils in both schools.
In addition, the School has netball courts and an on-site Boat House with direct river access and a large pontoon installed in 2021. Our huge Laytmer Upper School Chiswick playing fields, to be in full use by 2025, will be an incredible Sports provision for generations of Latymerians to come.
Sixth Form. In the large co-educational Sixth Form, all students will follow the core curriculum, studying three full A levels from a choice of 24 – the academic requirement that universities expect – with the option to do a fourth A level as an elective course. In addition, we help to prepare students for university study by including a 10-week course on Research Skills and different types and theories of knowledge. All students take Games once a week, undertake at least a term of Service in the Community and complete a series of Life Skills units. Students also have the opportunity to take a number of exciting elective courses, giving breadth to their studies beyond their core subjects. We are especially keen for students to pursue the Extended Project Qualification or the slightly shorter Latymer Research Report, and to take a selection of the non-examined Latymer Designed Courses that are a distinctive, enriching component of our Sixth Form provision.
Extracurricular activities. There is a fantastic choice of around 150 clubs and societies for pupils to enjoy at lunchtime and after school. From chess to dance, aerospace to Japanese puzzles, life-drawing to water polo, each student is encouraged to try new activities, be it for one term or longer – with some going on to become lifelong passions. All pupils are encouraged to join at least two different clubs and societies.
In addition, every pupil in Upper School has the opportunity to have residential experiences and to take part in outdoor pursuits as part of the annual Activities Week. The Prep runs residential courses and an annual overseas trip.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme flourishes with a number of students achieving the Gold Award each year.
Fundraising by a very active Parents’ Gild ensures that nobody is excluded from an activity for financial reasons. The Parents’ Gild is an integral part of the school community, organising a variety of fundraising and social events ensuring opportunities occur frequently to meet with staff socially.
Community partnerships. Community service is an important part of a Latymer education and the School works in partnership with 250 local schools, charities and community organisations to deliver a wide variety of projects both in the UK and abroad. The partnerships with local schools benefit more than 3,000 children each year.
Alumni. Upon graduation, Latymerians join a successful global network of nearly 6,000 alumni. This lifelong relationship with the School provides career opportunities, mentoring, an exclusive alumni networking platform, regular news updates and a popular programme of events. The Alumni team is part of the Foundation Office based within the School.
Charitable status. The Latymer Foundation is a Registered Charity, number 312714. It exists to provide a first-class education to academically able students from all walks of life.
Governors & Staff:
Chairman of Governors: Kieran Murphy
Co-opted Governors:
Zafar Ahmadullah
Gubby Ayida
David Benson
Mark Brewer
Pauline Campbell
Reverend Simon Downham
Lucinda Evans
Chantal Free
Jamie Grant
Robert Lewis
Annamarie Phelps
Alex Plavsic
G David Price
Tracey Scoffield
Ros Sweeting
Charlie Wijeratna
Leanne Wood
Clerk to the Governors: Lucinda Evans
Head: Susan Wijeratna, BA
Senior Deputy Head: Ian Emerson, MA, Bsc (Academic)
Deputy Heads:
Lucy Cole, BSc, MA Ed (Co-curricular and Operations)
Coco Stevenson, MA, Hons (Pastoral)
Hugh Stevens, (Academic Deputy)
Stuart Murphy (Pastoral Deputy)
Assistant Heads:
Sam Adams, BA, MA (Sixth Form)
Charles Ben-Nathan, BA, MBA (Director of Studies)
Rachel Marley, BSc (Middle School)
Yuvraj Nirwal, BSc, MA (Director of Teaching and Learning)
Amy Sellars, BSc (Lower School)
Prep School Principal: Andrea Rutterford, BEd Hons, Dip SpLD
Prep School Deputy Principal: Victoria Penney, BEd
Director of Studies: Charlotte Hurst, BA, MA
Heads of Year:
Year 7: George Tidey, BA
Year 8: Katie Temple, BA
Year 9: Catherine Lewis, BA
Year 10: Lucy Snooks, BA
Year 11: Debbie Kendall, BA
Lower Sixth: Andrew Copeman, BA, MSc
Upper Sixth: Holly Peck, BSc
Heads of Departments:
Academic Mentoring: Nina Devereux, LLB Dip, Level 7 SpLD PATOSS
Art and Design: Leslie Farago, BA
Biology: Elizabeth Hansford, BSc, MSc
Chemistry: Ed Forbes, MChem
Classics: Marcel Lewis, BA
Computing: Aidan Brophy, BSC
Design: Elizabeth Green, BA
Drama: Justin Joseph, BA
Economics: William Wearden, BA
English: Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, MA
Extended Project: Helen Doyme, MSci
Geography: Alex Shackleton, BSc
History: Jonathan White, MA
History of Art: Ruth Taylor-Bell, BA, PGDip
Mathematics: Patrick MacMahon, MA, MSc
Modern Languages: Cameron Palmer, BA, MA
Music: Tony Henwood, MA, ARCO, FRSA
Physical Education and Games: Natalie Maclean, BSc
Physics: Alex Birchmore, MSci
Politics: William Wearden, BA
PSHCE and Wellbeing: Charlotte Jennings, BA
Religion & Philosophy: Elizabeth Dunleavy, BA
World Perspectives: Laura Leicester, BA