Latymer Upper School

Independent School, Secondary

Approach overview

There is no such thing as a typical Latymerian, with Latymer Upper School pupils making a wide range of academic and co-curricular choices. All Latymerians are forward-thinking, curious, academic, rounded and grounded. As well as excellent academic engagement and a big emphasis on co-curricular participation, there is a significant element of responsible citizenship and giving back to the community plays a big part in student life. The School has a considerable outreach programme and programme of bursary provision, and we take great pride in the fact that our entire School community actively engages in fundraising and supporting these initiatives.

Global education is integrated into our curriculum through our Global Goals and World Perspectives courses. In the Global Goals course in Year 9 pupils work in teams to create solutions that address the UN sustainability goals, projects that they can then take further if they wish. Our World Perspectives course in Years 10 & 11 replaces a GCSE and looks at current world issues through the different lenses of our humanities subjects.

We lead the way in re-examining the role of GCSEs in Years 10 & 11 and are replacing them with our own courses, with the exception of English Language and Mathematics. We are excited to be sharing this journey with the support of many like-minded schools and organisations including Big Education and Rethinking Assessment.

Signature practices

A wide range of academic options, especially through our Sixth Form elective programme.
A focus on a rounded experience including through our Latymer Sixth Form Diploma, our Co-Curricular Provision and our student volunteering programme.
A focus on global education through our two bespoke courses of Global Goals in Year 9 and World Perspectives in Years 10&11.
A significant commitment to accessibility and outreach through our extensive partnerships programme as well as our bursary provision and fundraising, And we are now in a position to offer one in four students a bursary, the majority of which are a remission of over 80% of fees.
A commitment to professional development through additional protected non-contact time for teaching colleagues to work on agreed professional development targets.
A commitment to true independence and education reform as evidenced through our work on the Rethinking Assessment Group, The Schools Directed Courses Consortium and our own sector leading Middle School Curriculum Reform.

Why we joined the Next Big 10

Latymer is very excited to be working with like-minded schools on the Rethinking Schools project. We already have very exciting plans for significant change in our school which we hope will ultimately benefit many more pupils than just those that attend Latymer. We hope that by working with other schools we can refine our ideas further but also gain from their expertise in enacting and implementing change.

Su Wijeratna - Head

I am excited to work with a group where change is being explored. It’s refreshing to discover that areas of the curriculum that I have come to see as concrete are being re-examined within this initiative. Working in teams to demystify topics such as AI, assessment and culture within schools, and with an opportunity to implement developments to such areas is hugely rewarding.

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