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i have been accepted by both latymer (edmonton) and mossbourne community academy,

which one should i go to? i feel like mossbourne is a little more disciplined and theyre both the same distance away

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Reply 1
Have you been to visit them? Choose the academy you felt you would get on better at - gut instinct is generally a good measure of how well you'll get on with the teaching styles and ethos of the academy.
Original post by sunflowerseed
which one should i go to? i feel like mossbourne is a little more disciplined and theyre both the same distance away


I've just finished doing my ASs at Latymer, so I can't tell you anything about Mossbourne, but if you want any more information on Latymer, just ask :smile: What subjects are you planning on taking?
i want to take biology, chemistry,physics and maths hopefully-i dont know whats the atmosphere like ive heard too many stories on drug abuse and etcv, and that teachers are laid back. despite the school having good results i feel like maybe its the case of clever students and not great teachers, the kids dont seem discipliuned and slightly stuck-up from what ive seen
Original post by tory88
Have you been to visit them? Choose the academy you felt you would get on better at - gut instinct is generally a good measure of how well you'll get on with the teaching styles and ethos of the academy.


i have for both of them, if latymer didnt have its reputation and name i dont think i would have the slightest doubt of going mossbourne but yeah reputation of having latymer and a grammar school on paper does actualy mean something- mossbourne is just a community academy in hackney at the end of the day
While I know nothing about Mossbourne beyond what google can tell me, I can address specific concerns about Latymer.

Firstly, you mention that our teachers are laid back, which is somewhat true, just not in a negative sense. They are certainty not laid back in their teaching, just in terms of discipline, and this is mostly because - in the sixth form at least - there is rarely any need for significant discipline. With regards to the drug issue, this is something that I - as a student - am know exists, but have never experienced. So like, unless my experience is vastly different from everybody else's, it is not something that you would really ever encounter if you don't want to.

The students are of course clever, but if you can get in then you are most likely about average, and so can expect similar results.

I should also mention that we are all lovely people, and in the interests of several friends of mine I am aware that we have student lead societies for all your subjects (ok, I run 2 of them, and the people who run Biology can be somewhat disorganised, but still), which is great, because there are like, lots of people around to help you learn.
Also Mossbourne has a business dress code, Latymer has silly hat days - seriously, this is not a hard decision.
Reply 7
Original post by sunflowerseed
i have for both of them, if latymer didnt have its reputation and name i dont think i would have the slightest doubt of going mossbourne but yeah reputation of having latymer and a grammar school on paper does actualy mean something- mossbourne is just a community academy in hackney at the end of the day


Do you think you would do better at Latymer as a result of it's increased reputation? What attracts you to Mossbourne, or is it more that you've heard bad things about Latymer?
Original post by tysonmaniac

I should also mention that we are all lovely people, and in the interests of several friends of mine I am aware that we have student lead societies for all your subjects (ok, I run 2 of them, and the people who run Biology can be somewhat disorganised, but still), which is great, because there are like, lots of people around to help you learn.


Hey, BioSoc ftw! It's only disorganised when you turn up.

OP: Just go for whichever one you feel suits you best. I go to Latymer too, so I can try to give you a quick summary.
As for drugs, it's - as someone mentioned earlier - a thing that exists, and a thing everyone is aware of, but it's easy to avoid if you want to avoid it. The school Biology Society (which I co-run) has a small venus flytrap as a mascot, which is of course a massive selling point for any educational organisation, and we have silly hat days and cake sales things (another thing I co-organise). As you can see, we also have a lot of extra-curricular stuff too! Teachers are generally pretty relaxed in lessons, and you are expected to do more independent revision and learning than in other schools/colleges - but you get free periods, we have computer rooms and places to work during them, and unlike in other schools you don't need to sit in a specific room in your frees. If you really want to, you can spend all your frees playing cards in the common room, but of course that does mean unless you have a bit of self-discipline, it's pretty easy to fall behind. But to be honest most people who weren't at Latymer for lower school find adapting to the teaching style isn't as hard as they originally thought, though there is an initial culture shock and a handful ultimately decide Latymer isn't really for them. If you feel like you'd learn better somewhere more disciplined then Mossbourne might be best for you.
Original post by tysonmaniac
While I know nothing about Mossbourne beyond what google can tell me, I can address specific concerns about Latymer.

Firstly, you mention that our teachers are laid back, which is somewhat true, just not in a negative sense. They are certainty not laid back in their teaching, just in terms of discipline, and this is mostly because - in the sixth form at least - there is rarely any need for significant discipline. With regards to the drug issue, this is something that I - as a student - am know exists, but have never experienced. So like, unless my experience is vastly different from everybody else's, it is not something that you would really ever encounter if you don't want to.

The students are of course clever, but if you can get in then you are most likely about average, and so can expect similar results.

I should also mention that we are all lovely people, and in the interests of several friends of mine I am aware that we have student lead societies for all your subjects (ok, I run 2 of them, and the people who run Biology can be somewhat disorganised, but still), which is great, because there are like, lots of people around to help you learn.


This biosoc hate is unbelievable. We are relaunching next year and it will be spectacular. (sarcasm much)

Anyway, to address the OP's concerns, I too go to Latymer. I know someone that came to latymer from mossbourne and I'm fairly sure he told me Latymer is better (though tbh I might have him mixed up woth someone else so don't quote me on that xD) We so have something of a drugs problem but from what I've seen the rumours are somewhat over exaggerated. No, we do not take drugs before our exams in order to do well.

Anyway Latymers a pretty good school to go to :smile: I cant say much about mossbourne as all I know about it is its right next to a train line and painted bright blue... good luck on deciding!
do you roughly know how many students get accepted to oxbridge/ucl for medicine. Well I've got 11 gcse grades and all are A*. the problem for me is that if its because the kids are clever, i rather go to a school that shows a massive leap of results from like b's in gcse to an a in as. also in latymer the majority of students are roughly on the same par but with mossbourne its more average grades so i feel like if a student with good grades gets in the teachers and staff would try that student to do their ultimate best to bring the schools reputation up thus providing the student with more facilities-am i wrong to think like that, if i have 4 a's in as, lets say and i come out from mossbourne then itll be like oh thats great results but if i come out of latymer wont it be like oh yeah you know you went latymer so you should do good anyhow-sort of thing.
Original post by sunflowerseed
do you roughly know how many students get accepted to oxbridge/ucl for medicine. Well I've got 11 gcse grades and all are A*. the problem for me is that if its because the kids are clever, i rather go to a school that shows a massive leap of results from like b's in gcse to an a in as. also in latymer the majority of students are roughly on the same par but with mossbourne its more average grades so i feel like if a student with good grades gets in the teachers and staff would try that student to do their ultimate best to bring the schools reputation up thus providing the student with more facilities-am i wrong to think like that, if i have 4 a's in as, lets say and i come out from mossbourne then itll be like oh thats great results but if i come out of latymer wont it be like oh yeah you know you went latymer so you should do good anyhow-sort of thing.


Very roughly, over the last 7 years we have an average of 18 medicine people and ~30 oxbridge (of which ~20 are Cambridge) people per year.

I would argue that the issue in your thinking is that a school may help then average student gain a larger increase in results, but that does not mean they are capable of doing this with high achieving students, simply because they will lack experience. Latymer is used to dealing with clever people, and so has structures in space to support you already. Moreover, while at Mossbourne you would be fairly likely to be the brightest pupil of your year group, the same is (most likely) not true at Latymer. At the very least there will be people at the school better than you at some of your subjects, which is a good thing! Peers who are better than me are one of the most significant contributions to my learning, and are one of the major advantages of grammar (or selective or whatever) schools.

Admittedly, this does mean you may not be treated as quite so special, but I would take an atmosphere and culture of high achievement over head-patting and praise most days (though I totes see the appeal of praise).

Your last comments about expectations is a weird one. I think this only really applies to universities, because employers don't really care/know enough about schools. You may have something of a point, but again, I think you underestimate the value that comes from a school that routinely has high achieving students, and the support it can provide.
Original post by Georgiecat
Hey, BioSoc ftw! It's only disorganised when you turn up.



Original post by bethanyyyy
This biosoc hate is unbelievable. We are relaunching next year and it will be spectacular. (sarcasm much)


Oh please, BioSoc went downhill when you mysteriously stopped bringing the Venus Fly trap along and then all your members realised that they had exams and left.

Also, does everybody from our school just routinely search this site for the word Latymer? (Because that is totally what I do)
Original post by tysonmaniac
Peers who are better than me are one of the most significant contributions to my learning, and are one of the major advantages of grammar (or selective or whatever) schools.


*cough* Stas *cough*


Original post by tysonmaniac
Oh please, BioSoc went downhill when you mysteriously stopped bringing the Venus Fly trap along and then all your members realised that they had exams and left.

Also, does everybody from our school just routinely search this site for the word Latymer? (Because that is totally what I do)


The Venus Flytrap was locked up and we didn't have the key.

No - georgiecat alerted me to your terrible abuse of BioSoc and that is how I got here. I am totally not a Student Room addict.
Original post by tysonmaniac
Oh please, BioSoc went downhill when you mysteriously stopped bringing the Venus Fly trap along and then all your members realised that they had exams and left.

Also, does everybody from our school just routinely search this site for the word Latymer? (Because that is totally what I do)


Are you seriously blaming a pot plant for the downfall of BioSoc? We stopped for exams anyway. And we think the Venus Flytrap is locked in Lab 42.

Maybe...

Original post by sunflowerseed
do you roughly know how many students get accepted to oxbridge/ucl for medicine. Well I've got 11 gcse grades and all are A*. the problem for me is that if its because the kids are clever, i rather go to a school that shows a massive leap of results from like b's in gcse to an a in as. also in latymer the majority of students are roughly on the same par but with mossbourne its more average grades so i feel like if a student with good grades gets in the teachers and staff would try that student to do their ultimate best to bring the schools reputation up thus providing the student with more facilities-am i wrong to think like that, if i have 4 a's in as, lets say and i come out from mossbourne then itll be like oh thats great results but if i come out of latymer wont it be like oh yeah you know you went latymer so you should do good anyhow-sort of thing.


Oh wow, well done on your results!
I applied to Woodhouse for sixth form (as well as internally to Latymer), so I went to the Woodhouse induction day and had sample lessons etc, so I'm going to assume Woodhouse and Mossbourne are similar. It is true that Latymer has a "head start", if you like. Because of that, Latymer will expect you to do a lot of the 'extra' work yourself - Latymer will have more experience with students of your academic aptitude, and so they'll know exactly what you need to do to get an A*, but Mossbourne would probably be hammering the syllabus into you throughout the year, whereas if you go to Latymer it's largely up to you to push yourself to revise it in your free time. If you're struggling, you absolutely can go to see your teacher at lunch (or in one of your free periods, if they're not teaching) but I'd assume that at Mossbourne would have a formal support system in place, whereas beyond year 11 at Latymer, academic support is very informal.
It is also true that at Mossbourne you'd probably be one of the academically brightest in your year, whereas at Latymer, although from your grades you'd probably be somewhere vaguely near the top in terms of academics, around 1/10 of people in my year got all A*s at GCSE. So if you got an A or A* at Mossbourne, you'd be praised etc, whereas at Latymer the first question would be "Well, how high was your UMS?" :tongue: It all depends how you respond to praise, and also how confident you are in yourself - a lot of external applicants have been top of their class for 5 years, and find that suddenly being in an environment where everyone is as academically intelligent as you really impacts their confidence, but then some people thrive on the competition, and do really well at Latymer.
You also make a good point that, at least for uni, getting 4As from Mossbourne would look better than 4As from Latymer. That's not to say that getting 4As from Latymer is a bad thing, but it's somewhat assumed that a Latymer student will do well in exams. But you should try to pick the school that's right for you - not the one that will look better on your UCAS. If you're not going to a school that you like, you're probably not going to succeed as much as you would otherwise.
Original post by sunflowerseed
i want to take biology, chemistry,physics and maths hopefully-i dont know whats the atmosphere like ive heard too many stories on drug abuse and etcv, and that teachers are laid back. despite the school having good results i feel like maybe its the case of clever students and not great teachers, the kids dont seem discipliuned and slightly stuck-up from what ive seen


The departments for all of those subjects are really good.It's true that there are drugs problems, but it's perfectly easy to avoid any situations involving them. The teaching is fairly laid back, and you will have to do more studying on your own than you would at another school, but teachers are always willing to give up lunchtimes or time after school to give you any extra help you need. This teaching style is also helpful in that it is closer to the way things are taught in universities than 'normal' A level teaching. Also, unlike in an non-selective school, teachers try to and know how to stretch you, rather than just teaching you what's on the syllabi for your subjects, so you end up with a better understanding of most topics.

In terms of people being undisciplined and stuck up, that is entirely rumours. The majority of people at Latymer are perfectly lovely and a great bunch of people.

When you said that you would pick Mossbourne if it wasn't for Latymer's good reputation, is that because you didn't actually like Latymer as much when you visited it, or was it based purely on things you'd heard, from other people, about the school?
Original post by tysonmaniac
Oh please, BioSoc went downhill when you mysteriously stopped bringing the Venus Fly trap along and then all your members realised that they had exams and left.

Also, does everybody from our school just routinely search this site for the word Latymer? (Because that is totally what I do)



Physics society ftw!!!!!!

Yep. Well, at least, I do. Does that make me more normal than I thought?
Reply 17
Original post by tysonmaniac
Oh please, BioSoc went downhill when you mysteriously stopped bringing the Venus Fly trap along and then all your members realised that they had exams and left.

Also, does everybody from our school just routinely search this site for the word Latymer? (Because that is totally what I do)


That's not true! One of the teachers was looking after the venus fly trap and we have more members this year!
Reply 18
Original post by sunflowerseed
which one should i go to? i feel like mossbourne is a little more disciplined and theyre both the same distance away


I attend Latymer but i have no idea what Mossbourne is like. At the end of the day if you work hard and make use of the opportunities the school gives you then you will succeed! If you want to go to a school where there's a lot of extra curricular activity then I would go to Latymer but bare in mind I have never heard off Mossbourne before!

Good luck!:smile:
Reply 19
Original post by Georgiecat
Are you seriously blaming a pot plant for the downfall of BioSoc? We stopped for exams anyway. And we think the Venus Flytrap is locked in Lab 42.

Maybe...



Oh wow, well done on your results!
I applied to Woodhouse for sixth form (as well as internally to Latymer), so I went to the Woodhouse induction day and had sample lessons etc, so I'm going to assume Woodhouse and Mossbourne are similar. It is true that Latymer has a "head start", if you like. Because of that, Latymer will expect you to do a lot of the 'extra' work yourself - Latymer will have more experience with students of your academic aptitude, and so they'll know exactly what you need to do to get an A*, but Mossbourne would probably be hammering the syllabus into you throughout the year, whereas if you go to Latymer it's largely up to you to push yourself to revise it in your free time. If you're struggling, you absolutely can go to see your teacher at lunch (or in one of your free periods, if they're not teaching) but I'd assume that at Mossbourne would have a formal support system in place, whereas beyond year 11 at Latymer, academic support is very informal.
It is also true that at Mossbourne you'd probably be one of the academically brightest in your year, whereas at Latymer, although from your grades you'd probably be somewhere vaguely near the top in terms of academics, around 1/10 of people in my year got all A*s at GCSE. So if you got an A or A* at Mossbourne, you'd be praised etc, whereas at Latymer the first question would be "Well, how high was your UMS?" :tongue: It all depends how you respond to praise, and also how confident you are in yourself - a lot of external applicants have been top of their class for 5 years, and find that suddenly being in an environment where everyone is as academically intelligent as you really impacts their confidence, but then some people thrive on the competition, and do really well at Latymer.
You also make a good point that, at least for uni, getting 4As from Mossbourne would look better than 4As from Latymer. That's not to say that getting 4As from Latymer is a bad thing, but it's somewhat assumed that a Latymer student will do well in exams. But you should try to pick the school that's right for you - not the one that will look better on your UCAS. If you're not going to a school that you like, you're probably not going to succeed as much as you would otherwise.


I'd hate to reply to an old thread, yet it seems inevitable right now.
Just read that Science and Maths subjects at Latymer are extremely competitive. This is a problem - I want to study Medicine at Uni, and originally wanted to go Latymer as it is very close to my house (ended up going to a school almost an hour away - never mind that). Anyway, the question is gnawing at me - what are my chances of getting in? Entrance Exam, Grades, etc. I've read it all on the website, don't get me wrong but I wanted a point of view from someone who actually goes there.

Thanks,
J

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