Latymer’s story dates back 400 years to when founder Edward Latymer donated funds ‘to clothe and educate eight poore boyes’ from Hammersmith. Sited on the banks of the 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.
Latymer Upper School has a proud tradition of widening access through its long-running bursary programme, which provides academically talented students with the opportunity to receive a first-class education. Today, we are delighted to offer bursary support to one in four pupils in the Upper School, with an average fee remission of 86%.
For entry into the Prep School, candidates sit the 7+ entrance exam. Those applying to the Upper School take the 11+ examination in December of Year 6, with successful applicants invited back for interview in January. Pupils moving to Latymer Upper School from Latymer Prep are not required to sit the 11+ entrance exam. Entry to Sixth Form is based on a dedicated entrance exam in November of the year prior to admission, followed by interview. Conditional offers are then made, subject to GCSE results. Further details about admissions and upcoming Open Days can be found on the School’s website.
Tuition fees per term (2026–2027). Upper School: £10,675; Prep School: £9,723 (fees include VAT).
Scholarships. 11+ entry: Music Scholarships of up to 20% fee remission are offered, which in certain cases include free tuition on one or 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 interview and assessment in December of the year preceding entry.
Further details are available from the Director of Admissions and Bursaries (020 8148 4519; admissions@latymer-upper.org).
Curriculum. In 2027, Middle School students will take between eight and ten GCSEs alongside a programme of innovative new courses. Latymer will offer our newly designed Long Courses in Art History (new to the Middle School) and Interdisciplinary Perspectives, a course assessed through Higher Project Qualifications, where students learn about and implement problem classification, systems thinking, system mapping and design thinking in order to create non-linear solutions to complex problems. Year 9 students take our Global Goals sustainable development course. Students on the new Middle School curriculum in Years 10 and 11 are also able to take short courses in a range of 50 subjects including AI, Entrepreneurship, Information Literacy and Sports Psychology; all students will take five courses and have the option to reduce the number of GCSEs they take to accommodate more of these short courses.
A full range of academic subjects is also offered at A level. Languages include Spanish, Mandarin, Latin, French, German and Ancient Greek. Science is taught as separate subjects from Year 7. Class sizes in the Prep and Lower School are around 22 students.
The Prep School offers a broad and ambitious curriculum covering all main subject areas and is taught by specialist teachers. Habits of learning, such as persistence, questioning and posing problems, and listening with understanding and empathy, support building independent, creative and resilient learners, preparing them for a seamless transition into Upper School.
University destinations include leading institutions worldwide, such as Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Imperial and other Russell Group universities, as well as renowned institutions for Music and Art. Many Latymerians complete their higher education overseas, with nearly a fifth of the cohort in recent years enrolling at international universities. This includes highly selective and leading universities in the US, Canada and Europe. Popular international destinations include Bocconi, UChicago, Duke, Dartmouth, Georgetown, IE and UPenn.
Pastoral care. Happy, healthy and well-supported students are at the heart of everything we do. We believe children thrive when they feel known, valued and cared for, and our pastoral provision is designed to ensure every student has the support they need to flourish.
Every student belongs to a small tutor group (around 17), allowing tutors to build strong relationships and provide individual attention and guidance. Tutors meet their tutees daily, celebrating successes, monitoring progress and helping navigate the opportunities and challenges of School life.
Pastoral care is a shared responsibility across the School. Each year group is supported by a dedicated Head of Year and Assistant Head of Year, with further oversight from Heads of Lower School, Middle School and Sixth Form, all led by the Deputy Head (Pastoral). Tutors are often the first point of contact for students and parents, ensuring concerns are addressed promptly and sensitively.
A wide range of specialist staff work together to support students' wellbeing, including counsellors, nurses, healthcare assistants, a Pupil Welfare Officer, a Designated Safeguarding Lead, and a Chaplain and Assistant Chaplain.
Our approach to pastoral care is proactive as well as responsive. Led by the Director of PSHE and Wellbeing, students benefit from a carefully planned PSHE programme that equips them with the knowledge, skills and confidence to navigate modern life. This is complemented by an extensive visiting speakers and events’ programme, ensuring students and parents remain informed about opportunities and challenges facing young people.
We are proud of the strong community that exists across year groups. Through peer mentoring schemes, leadership opportunities and Sixth Form students leading form-time sessions for younger pupils, students build meaningful relationships with peers. These connections foster belonging, confidence and mutual support, helping to create a community in which every child feels seen, valued and encouraged to reach their full potential.
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. PSHE and RSE are taught by specially trained teachers.
The Academic Mentoring Department (AMD) is an integral part of the academic and pastoral provision at Latymer Upper and Prep School. Grounded in current thinking around neurodiversity, inclusion and growth mindset, the AMD team takes an individualised approach, recognising and responding to the different ways in which students learn and thrive. Through tailored support, AMD works alongside students to remove barriers to learning, build confidence and develop independence. AMD works closely with teachers, providing training, guidance and practical strategies to help staff understand and respond effectively to neurodiverse students. By developing inclusive teaching practice across the School, AMD aims to ensure that support is embedded within everyday learning, enabling every student to participate fully and fulfil their potential.
Music and Drama. Performing arts play a large part in the life of the School. The Latymer Arts Centre houses music practice rooms and a 191-seat theatre in addition to increased facilities for Art. The Latymer Performing Arts Centre contains a 100-seat recital hall, Music classrooms and a Dance/Drama studio. The installation of a five-metre drop screen, laser projector and surround-sound system in the Recital Hall enables the space to transform into a cinema. Across the Prep and Upper School there are several orchestras, bands and concerts each term, both in school and at London venues. There are several drama productions each year and opportunities for all pupils to perform. The School also has its own recording studios.
Sport. Latymer emphasises opportunity, participation and excellence in sport, offering pathways for students to compete at county, regional, national and international levels. It has an outstanding fixture programme across its major sports, with notable success in football, hockey, netball, rugby, rowing, fencing, cricket and tennis. Students can also take part in athletics, badminton, basketball, climbing, dance, swimming, water polo, table tennis and yoga, either competitively or recreationally.
At the Prep School, the core sports include football, rugby, cricket, athletics, hockey and netball, alongside PE activities such as basketball, badminton and gymnastics. The annual Bandstand Cup race involves the entire School, and there is also a successful competitive swimming club.
The Sports Centre offers exceptional year-round facilities, including a six-lane, 25-metre swimming pool with an adjustable floor, a spacious sports hall, a fitness suite, a climbing wall and three multipurpose studios.
Additional facilities include dedicated netball courts and an on-site boathouse with direct access to the River Thames. The School also benefits from its impressive 32-acre sports ground in Chiswick, providing world-class facilities for current and future generations of Latymer students.
Additional facilities. 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. The Prep School Librarian is a published author. Prep Music is held in the listed Seahorse Studio.
Sixth Form. In the co-educational Sixth Form, all students follow the core curriculum, the majority studying three A levels from a choice of 25 – the academic requirement that universities expect – with the option to take a fourth. In addition, we help prepare students for university with 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 elective courses, giving breadth to their studies beyond 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 which are a distinctive, enriching component of our Sixth Form provision.
Extracurricular activities. There are roughly 150 clubs and societies for pupils to enjoy at lunchtime and after school. From chess to dance, aerospace to cryptic crosswords, life-drawing to water polo, each student is encouraged to try new activities. For some, these become lifelong passions. All pupils are encouraged to join at least two clubs and societies.
Every Upper School student has a choice of residential experiences and outdoor pursuits throughout the year and as part of the annual Activities Week. The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme flourishes. The Prep runs over 50 clubs a week and has many trips and visits including two residential trips, one being an annual overseas trip to support learning in Spanish.
Our Parents’ Gild is an integral part of the School community and its fundraising ensures no child is excluded from any activity for financial reasons. Volunteers organise social events throughout the year which strengthen bonds with the School and create a supportive social network for parents.
Community partnerships. Community service is an important part of a Latymer education, helping students recognise their wider social responsibilities. The School partners with 250 local schools, charities and community organisations to deliver a variety of projects. These partnerships help over 4,000 young people each year.
Latymer students embody a strong community spirit, volunteering over 5,000 hours of their time annually. This includes approximately 200 Year 12 students who undertake Service in the Community, supporting initiatives in education, sports and tackling homelessness. Volunteers from Years 9–13 help deliver core programmes to primary and secondary students from partner state schools, while the Prep School has partnered with a local primary on the Green Car environmental project. Latymer also works with the West London Partnership, a community of 11 secondary schools which share resources and knowledge. Students support international organisations, such as education partners in Uganda, developing experience as global citizens.
Alumni. Upon graduation, Latymerians join a successful global network of nearly 7,000 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
Governors:
Zafar Ahmadullah
David Benson
Mark Brewer
Pauline Campbell
Chantal Free
Lesley French
Jamie Grant
Laurence Hopkins
Sally Jackson
Robert Lewis
Hadi Moussa
Caroline Ng
Tiffany Winter
Leanne Wood
Clerk to the Governors: Lucinda Evans
Head: Susan Wijeratna, BA
Senior Deputy Head: Ian Emerson, BSc, MA
Deputy Heads:
Lucy Cole, BSc, MA Ed (Co-curricular and Operations)
Hugh Stephens, BSc, MA, MBA (Academic)
Amy Sellars, BSc (Pastoral)
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)
Katie Temple, BA (Lower School)
Heads of Departments:
Academic Mentoring: Nina Devereux, LLB Dip.Level 7 SpLD PATOSS
Art and Design: Leslie Farago, BA
Biology: John-Paul Flavell, BA, MSc
Chemistry: Ed Forbes, MChem
Classics: Marcel Lewis, BA
Computing: Aidan Brophy, BSC
Design: Elizabeth Green, BA
Drama: Kerry Robinson, BA, MA
Economics and Politics: William Wearden, BA
English: Jon Mitropoulos-Monk, MA, MSt
Extended Project: Andrea Barlien, BA
Geography: Alex Shackleton, BSc
Global Education: Matthew Clark, BA, MPhil, PhD
History: Jonathan White, MA
History of Art: Ruth Taylor-Bell, BA, PGDip
Mathematics: James Ramsden, BSc
Modern Languages: Cameron Palmer, BA, MA
Music: Tony Henwood, MA, ARCO, FRSA
Physical Education: Natalie Maclean, BSc, MA
Physics: James Hunt, BSc
PSHE and Wellbeing: Charlotte Jennings, BA
Religion & Philosophy: Elizabeth Dunleavy, BA
Prep Principal: Andrea Rutterford, BEd Hons, DipSLD
Deputy Principal: Victoria Penney, BEd
Director of Studies: Charlotte Hurst, BA, MA
Director of Teaching & Learning: Amy Kinross, BA, MA