Latymer Upper School has always strived to be a good neighbour. Our founder Edward Latymer set the tone back in 1624 with his act of philanthropy and a strong social conscience remains part of the School’s DNA.
Latymer Upper School staff and students are committed to fostering strong, mutually beneficial relationships with local organisations, charities, and state schools. Our dedication to community engagement is evident in our Service in the Community programme, where every Lower Sixth student (approximately 200 pupils) actively participates in community service as part of their Latymer Diploma.
In 2022-23, when working with more than 100 local schools and charities, we directly impacted more than 3,000 children by providing resources and experiences they couldn’t access otherwise. Our Social Impact Report highlights the approach we have taken to measure our programmes.
The ISC Schools Together website celebrates and encourages collaborative projects between independent schools, maintained schools, and local communities. Latymer Upper School is proud to be a leading example of such partnerships, boasting one of the largest networks of collaborations in the UK. Our partnerships are designed to create meaningful, sustained, and impactful experiences for both our students and the communities we serve.
Recognising our exceptional contributions to independent-state school partnerships, Latymer Upper School was honoured with the Independent-State School Partnerships Award at the Tes Awards. The judges praised our school for the “astounding array of partnerships” that reflect our commitment to civic duty.
As founding members of the West London Partnership, we work with five state secondary schools and sixth forms and four independent schools. WLP schools collaborate to share projects, resources and expertise, to address educational needs and to enrich learning for everyone. We learn from each other to ensure maximum impact, help to break down barriers and promote social mobility and social cohesion by being inclusive to all levels and abilities.
Core Partnership Programmes
Saturday School has been running for many years and is more popular than ever. Every Saturday in the Spring Term up to 150 children in Year 6 from 30 local primary schools are selected by their head teachers to experience a full morning of fun, challenging activities and lessons taught by Latymer staff.
The testimonials speak for themselves. One head teacher said that Saturday School “has sparked a buzz in some of the lower-ability children which was not there before”, while another said Latymer’s support “is absolutely invaluable in the progress and development of all of our children”.
Primary debating is an exciting project for Year 6 pupils from 12 local primary schools, which runs from November to Easter. Lead by Latymer’s Lower Sixth students, the children meet weekly to learn debating skills, and the project culminates in a Grand Debating Competition to which their teachers and families are invited.
In addition, the Bright Sparks programme, offers English, Maths, Science and confidence building workshops to children in Year 5 from nearby state schools. The children are nominated by their teachers as those having the academic potential required for entry to the Upper School and who would benefit from bursary support.
Maths Challenge runs after school in the Summer Term and sees Y5 and Y6 primary school children partake in exciting Maths activities supported by Y10 students and culminating in a fun and fast paced final session with trophies to win.
STEM Academy runs on Saturdays in the Spring Term and aims to inspire up to 40 local secondary school pupils in Years 7 and 8 in Science, Maths, Art, Design & Technology. The participants learn about computer programming, robotics and the science behind making products.
Service in the Community
Throughout their Lower Sixth year, all students work as volunteers in a huge range of schools and organisations as a regular commitment. The majority of these are set up through the School’s partnership links, but many students seek out their placements independently, according to their own passions. Our aim is to respond to the needs of our community and to offer tangible, sustained help as required.
“Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding.”
Independent Schools Inspectorate
Higher education and careers: Latymer extends regular invitations to an increasing number of maintained senior schools. Partner schools come to Latymer to participate in talks, practice Oxbridge interviews, take part in careers and university admissions information evenings for the UK and overseas, as well as involvement in networking events off-site.
Art, Drama and Music collaborations: The Art department hosts the ‘Big Draw’ when pupils, parents and staff from Latymer and local state partner schools come to Latymer’s art studios for a day of life drawing and invite local A level students to regular life drawing workshops. The Drama department hosts a Play in a Day for Y6 children in the Summer Term and invite primary schools to watch performances in the Edward Latymer Theatre. Music collaborations are frequent and varied with primary school percussion workshops and weekly recitals from our Music Scholars where we invite primary schools to join the audience. All supported by Latymer’s student volunteers.
Tri-borough Music Hub: Latymer continues to host the borough’s music service for over 280 young musicians from surrounding state schools each Saturday throughout the academic year. More than half the children receive their lessons free of charge thanks to scholarships and bursaries. Music teachers from all over London use Latymer premises and equipment to deliver individual and ensemble lessons. Latymer Lower Sixth students volunteer as assistants. Working with Tri-borough Music Hub for 20 years, has been one of our flagship programmes and has enriched the lives of countless children in the local boroughs.
Polish School Ravenscourt Park: Latymer’s King Street site becomes a vibrant hub of Polish culture on Saturdays. Since 2023, we’ve proudly welcomed the Polish School Ravenscourt Park, offering Polish language and culture classes to over 50 children every week. The school caters to students from Reception all the way to GCSE and beyond.