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GrammarMixed

The Latymer School

Founded in 1624 and co-educational since 1910, Latymer Edmonton is one of North London's most sought-after grammar schools — 2,000 applicants, 192 places, and a uniquely demanding two-stage exam that tests both mathematical reasoning and creative writing.
Exam board
GL
Entry
Year 7
Founded
1624
Year 7 places
192
The Latymer School logo

The Latymer School

SMA Difficulty
Advanced
Location: Edmonton, North London
School type: Grammar
Admissions test: GL
Free 11+ Baseline Assessment
LOCATION & GETTING THERE

Where The Latymer School sits — and how to reach it

● Schools● Trains● Buses● School coaches
LOCATION
The Latymer School
Haselbury Road, Edmonton, London, N9 9TN
Other selective schools nearby, closest first — useful if you are considering more than one.
JCoSS (Jewish Community Secondary School)
Barnet, London · 5.7 km away
View guide →
Bancroft's School
Woodford Green, London · 7.2 km away
View guide →
St Michael's Catholic Grammar School
Finchley, London · 7.3 km away
View guide →
Woodford County High School
Woodford Green, London · 7.4 km away
View guide →
Nearest railway and Underground stations, with the lines that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Edmonton Green
1.1 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line; Greater Anglia services
Silver Street
1.5 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line
Bush Hill Park
1.7 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line
Haselbury Road (Stop EC)
0.3 km from the school — routes 616, W8
Great Cambridge Road (N9) (Stop EF)
0.3 km from the school — routes 616, W8
Church St Lower Edmonton (Stop EK)
0.3 km from the school — routes 217, 231, 617
Deansway (N9) (Stop EJ)
0.3 km from the school — routes 217, 231, 616, 617
Bus stops closest to the school, with the routes that serve them. Distances are straight-line from the school.
Edmonton Green
1.1 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line; Greater Anglia services
Silver Street
1.5 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line
Bush Hill Park
1.7 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line
Haselbury Road (Stop EC)
0.3 km from the school — routes 616, W8
Great Cambridge Road (N9) (Stop EF)
0.3 km from the school — routes 616, W8
Church St Lower Edmonton (Stop EK)
0.3 km from the school — routes 217, 231, 617
Deansway (N9) (Stop EJ)
0.3 km from the school — routes 217, 231, 616, 617
Coach services run by the school itself, where they exist.
Edmonton Green
1.1 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line; Greater Anglia services
Silver Street
1.5 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line
Bush Hill Park
1.7 km from the school — London Overground: Weaver line
Haselbury Road (Stop EC)
0.3 km from the school — routes 616, W8
Great Cambridge Road (N9) (Stop EF)
0.3 km from the school — routes 616, W8
Church St Lower Edmonton (Stop EK)
0.3 km from the school — routes 217, 231, 617
Deansway (N9) (Stop EJ)
0.3 km from the school — routes 217, 231, 616, 617
Private coach services are run by local operators — confirm routes and seats directly each September.
ON THIS PAGE
OVERVIEW

How the test is structured

Latymer runs a two-stage paper assessment. The first paper is a 60-minute combined GL Assessment test of Maths (30 minutes, multiple-choice) and Verbal Reasoning (30 minutes, multiple-choice). Only the top 700 scorers from this stage have their English paper marked. The English paper — set by the school itself, not GL — is also 60 minutes: 30 minutes of reading comprehension followed by 30 minutes of creative writing. All three elements are age-standardised; scores are combined for a final ranked result.

With approximately 2,000 applicants competing for 192 Year 7 places, the competition ratio is around 10:1. Registration typically opens in March and closes in June, with exam days in early September and offers on National Offer Day in March.

HISTORY & ETHOS

The school's story

The Latymer School was founded by the will of Edward Latymer (c.1557–1627), a Jacobean official of the Court of Wards, who bequeathed property in Hammersmith to fund clothing and education for eight poor boys of Edmonton. The Reverend John Brooke became the first recorded schoolmaster in 1634 — the earliest mention of a 'scolam grammaticalem' (grammar school) in Edmonton. For the next two and a half centuries the school evolved in fits and starts, before being formally re-established as a selective co-educational grammar school on Haselbury Road in 1910. It is now a voluntary aided school, oversubscribed ten-to-one, drawing pupils from across North and East London.Edward Latymer's founding impulse — stretching the ablest minds regardless of means — sits naturally alongside the Singapore mastery philosophy, which insists that deep mathematical understanding is not a gift of privilege but a product of precise, structured teaching. Latymer rewards both.

Why the maths is genuinely hard

The two-stage filter is the key trap: you must place in the top 700 on GL Maths and VR before your English paper is even opened. Strong Maths alone is not enough — verbal reasoning and bespoke creative writing must both be exam-ready simultaneously.

SMA DIFFICULTY VERDICT

Our honest take on the difficulty

The SMA Verdict

3.5

/5

Advanced

Latymer's hybrid format — GL Maths and VR as a gatekeeping first stage, then the school's own analytical English paper — makes it more nuanced than a straight GL school. The Maths and VR component is standard GL difficulty, but it must be near-flawless to clear the top-700 threshold. The creative writing section then demands a distinct second skillset that pure Maths tutoring cannot address. For a Singapore Maths pupil, the Maths stage should be a strength; the greater risk lies in underestimating the combined verbal load. Overall difficulty sits firmly in the upper tier of London grammar admissions — competitive but not at the extreme outlier level of QE Barnet.

CATCHMENT & TOWNS

Where families come from

Edmonton
Enfield
Tottenham
Wood Green
Walthamstow
Waltham Forest
Stoke Newington
Islington
East Barnet
Chingford
KEY DATES

The 11+ admissions calendar

March 2026Registration opens
June 2026Registration deadline
September 2026Assessment test days
March 2027School allocations (National Offer Day)
FAQ

Parents' most common questions

How does the two-stage exam process work at Latymer?

All candidates sit the 60-minute GL Maths and Verbal Reasoning paper first. Only the top 700 scorers from that stage proceed to have their school-set English paper (comprehension plus creative writing) marked. Final offers are based on the combined standardised score across all three elements.

How competitive is entry to The Latymer School?

Roughly 2,000 pupils apply each year for 192 Year 7 places — a ratio of approximately 10:1, making it one of the most oversubscribed grammar schools in North London.

Is there a catchment area, and does my child need to live locally?

Latymer uses a defined priority area covering much of North and East London (broadly N and E postcodes plus Enfield). Pupils outside the priority area can still apply but are ranked below those within it once the academic threshold is cleared.

Does Singapore Maths help with the Latymer exam?

Significantly. The GL Maths paper rewards the kind of structured, methodical problem-solving that Singapore Maths instils. Clearing the top-700 threshold demands consistent, not just occasional, accuracy in Maths and Verbal Reasoning — exactly what the mastery approach builds over time.

When does registration for Year 7 entry open?

Registration typically opens in March and closes in June of the year before entry. Exam days fall in early September, with school allocations announced on National Offer Day in March.
EXAM PAPERS

Past and sample papers

COMING SOON

We're gathering the sample and familiarisation papers The Latymer School publishes, so you can see the real thing before you prepare. If you'd like them sooner, just ask.

NEARBY SCHOOLS

Other selective schools in the area

JCoSS (Jewish Community Secondary School)
Barnet, London · 5.7 km
View guide →
Bancroft's School
Woodford Green, London · 7.2 km
View guide →
St Michael's Catholic Grammar School
Finchley, London · 7.3 km
View guide →
Woodford County High School
Woodford Green, London · 7.4 km
View guide →

Preparing for The Latymer School?

We teach the reasoning these papers actually reward — not test tricks. Small online groups, qualified teachers, and a Singapore Maths method built on genuine understanding.