Chapters
With admissions right around the corner, parents are scrambling for the best educational opportunities their daughters could have. Their work is made harder by how competitive entry to the best schools is. And this year particularly, as the cost of living climbs to dizzying heights, school fees are one of their biggest concerns. Here's a breakdown of five schools' fees for the 2022 school year:
- Godolphin and Latymer School: £7,918.00 for Autumn term; £8,395.00 for Spring and Summer terms
- Francis Holland School, Regents Park: £7630 per term for years 7 to 13
- The Henrietta Barnett School: no fees; free
- The Lady Eleanor Holles School: £6271 to £7572 per term, depending on the level
- North London Collegiate School: £6283 to £7486 per term, depending on the level
Godolphin and Latymer’s fees appear to be the highest. However, note that they include textbooks, stationary and public examination fees. Furthermore, they afford your daughter off-site school visits for Years 7 through 9, and Personal Accident Insurance.
A portion - £500 of the school's mandatory £2,000 deposit will be held to cover the cost of lost or damaged school property. The balance of which will be returned upon your daughter’s departure from the school. The remaining £1,500 will be put towards her last term of schooling. With that sorted, are you ready to discover more about this and the other fantastic schools?
About Godolphin and Latymer School
Originally a boarding school for boys, Godolphin was founded in 1861 and renamed Godolphin and Latymer when it became an independent day school for girls in 1905. Now “home” to over 750 girls, the school aims to “encourage girls to learn about local, national and global issues. And in so doing . . . become considerate, compassionate and courageous young women who fully expect to take active responsibility for the community and the environment in which they live, as well as for themselves, now and in the future.”
With Godolphin and Latymer leavers landing placements everywhere from Harvard to Edinburgh, this school's reputation is not surprising. Students and student organizations sing its praises; so do the Independent Schools Council, the Headmasters' and Headmistress Conference (HMC) and the Girls' School Association (GSA).
The school installed a new housing system this year, which aims to cultivate a sense of teamwork and competition within and between houses. Godolphin and Latymer organize Open Events in September and October that will allow you and your daughter to tour the school, listen to speeches by the current school Head and students, and ask as many questions as you’d like.
If you are planning on attending the Sixth Form event, please let the Registrar know in advance. While these events are tailored to specific entry levels, girls and parents from all entry levels are welcome to attend. It might thus be a good idea to signal your intent as a serious prospect or a 'just shopping around' exercise.
Registration Policy
Once you've toured the school and spoken with staff members, you'll likely signal your interest by submitting a registration form and the requisite fee. As soon as it's processed, your daughter will be scheduled to sit her entrance exams. The deadline for registration is towards the end of November. Examinations and interviews are generally held the following January.
Each year, a few placements are opened for girls entering the Lower or Middle School. If your daughter would like to apply for one of these positions, please contact the Registrar. Girls applying for Sixth Form 2017 must mail in their registration fee, registration form and examination entry form before the end of October. These prospective students will be invited to sit their interviews and exams the following month.
Godolphin and Latymer School Interviews and Examinations
As part of the North London Independent Girls’ Schools’ Consortium, Godolphin and Latymer follow the same assessment procedures as many other schools in the area. For 11+ entries, your daughter will sit a paper in English and Mathematics, and complete two fifteen-minute interviews. The English portion is broken into two sections; one creative and the other person. The English paper will take an hour and twenty minutes to complete. The Maths portion is one hour and fifteen minutes. It asks that girls show their logic as they solve word- and diagram-based problems.
For the Sixth Form entry, girls may choose to study for Advanced Subsidiary (AS), Advanced Level (A-Level), or International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level. Her exam content and structure will therefore be up to her choices. She will sit exams in subjects of her choosing within those programs.
Lastly, your daughter will complete two fifteen-minute interviews, whether she is entering at 11+ or Sixth Form. The interviews are meant to be an opportunity to get to better know your daughter in a relaxed environment. So don’t stress too much about saying the right thing. To be prepared, they should go in knowing they’ll be talking about their current academic and co-curricular interests. They should focus on trying to enjoy meeting new people and making new friends at Godolphin and Latymer School. Good luck!
Francis Holland School, Regent Park
Francis Holland is an independent day school for girls aged 11-18. It was founded by Reverend Canon Francis Holland in 1878 and has since split into two separate campuses. That split allows for small class sizes and more personalised attention, one of this school's major selling points. Furthermore, in 2009, Francis Holland added new buildings and facilities to this campus. It now includes a theatre for girls interested in exploring the Performing Arts.
Francis Holland Admissions Policy
To begin the registration process, every prospective student must submit a registration form and its attendant fee. Younger girls will sit entrance exams and, those with the best showing will interview a member of the school's senior staff. Sixteen+ students will first meet with the Head of Sixth Form, after which they will sit exams in their chosen A-Level subjects. Francis Holland School's admissions process is streamlined for minimum stress.
The Henrietta Barnett School
The early 20th Century was quite a turning point for women. Not only did they finally gain the right to vote but, increasingly, the right to an education equal to male students. Dame Henrietta Octavia Weston Barnett meant to do her part. She opened this school in 1911 so women and girls wouldn't be perpetually doomed to a life of penury and/or servitude. Her legacy lives on in today's pupils' strong showing. This school consistently appears near the top of government league tables.
Henrietta Barnett School Admissions Policy
This all-girls grammar school for students between the ages of 11-18 cooperates in a coordinated admissions process with the London Borough of Barnet. Thus, you must fill out two separate application forms. One for your local authority and the other for the Henrietta Barnett School. It all sounds like a rather complicated process but if you look at it the way we've outlined it in our companion article, you'll see it's rather easy.
The Lady Eleanor Holles School
This independent day school for girls, lovingly referred to as LEH, accepts pupils between the ages of seven to 18. Lady Eleanor herself insisted this school be opened. Unfortunately, she passed on before her wishes could be accommodated. Still, the school was built, 23 miles outside of London. In 1710, it welcomed its first students. The school moved from their original location but you can see see the commemorative plaque on a Barbican walkway.
Lady Eleanor Holles School Admissions Policy
Prospective students should fill out and return their registration forms, along with two passport-sized photos and their registration fee. Because LOH is so popular, entry is competitive; the school requires any new students to register one year ahead of their enrolment eligibility.
Girls entering at 7+ and 11+ will sit exams in English and Maths. These exams' results will go a long way to deciding your daughter's eligibility for enrolment. The top-graded students will be invited to an interview with a member of the school's staff. For 16+ students, the exam consists of a Data Analysis paper and an additional four papers, one for each A-Level subject she plans to study. As with the younger girls, exam results determine eligibility for enrolment in Lady Eleanor Holles School.
North London Collegiate School
This independent day school for girls was established in 1850 and has been welcoming girls aged four to 18 ever since. But not at the same location; in 1929, the school purchased an expansive estate and moved its facilities there. The school's founder, Frances Buss, was a pioneering educator. She fully intended her girls to have the same education as boys, and in much the same fashion. She is thought to be the first female educator to call herself - and insist her students call her 'Headmistress'.
North London Collegiate School Admissions Policies
Ms Buss' legacy lives on still today, both her stringent educational practices and their superior results. Seven+ students wishing to enter the school will first sit a written exam. Should she score well, she will be invited back to participate in a day of learning wherein her performance will be assessed. By contrast, 13+ and 16+ girls will sit English and Maths exams, with the older students further sitting A-Level subject exams. Their outstanding performance will win them an interview with a member of North London Collegiate School's senior staff.
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
