The Latymer School

History

17th century - Foundation and key endowments

My will is that my said Feoffees... shall... chuse eight poore boies inhabiting within the said towne of Edmonton... provide for everie of the said eight boies a doublet and a paire of breeches... and that on the left sleeve... a redd crosse of cloth or baies be fastened and worne... the crosse to be the Latymers crosse....Alsoe my desire is that... the said poore boies to be putt to some petty schoole... And that my said Feoffees... for ever contynue this course... unto the end of the world.Edward Latymer (1557–1627), an attorney, by his will dated 16 March 1624 (Old Style, actually 1625 New Style), bequeathed funds for the education and clothing of eight "poore boies" of Edmonton. The will specified that the boys should wear a red cross on their sleeves, the "Latymers crosse". The implementation of Latymer's charity was delayed due to legal challenges to his will, and the Edmonton trustees did not receive their share of the estate until around 1633. Initially, Latymer referred to a "petty schoole".

Reverend John Brooke was licensed as the first schoolmaster on 16 March 1634, and his subscription is the first to mention a scolam grammaticalem (grammar school) in Edmonton. A dispute in 1635 between Brooke, the vicar, and a curate, Thomas Hale (Heale), resulted in a Consistory Court judgment that confirmed Brooke's right to "inioy the school and school-house".

Other significant 17th-century benefactors included John Wild, a wealthy shoemaker, whose will of 1662 provided for the schoolmaster of the "new schoole of Edmonton" and for scholarships to Cambridge. Thomas Style, in 1679, left a substantial rent charge for charitable purposes, including the teaching of twenty poor boys in "grammar and Latin tongue," indicating a desire for a grammar school education. The school was often simply known as "the school at Edmonton" or the "free school". The charities were kept separate, and boys were distinguished as Latymer's boys or Style's boys.

18th century - Consolidation and the Hare/Ware masterships

The 18th century was characterised by the amalgamation of various charitable endowments and the long tenures of schoolmasters from the Hare and Ware families. In 1739, the various educational foundations, including those of Smith, Latymer, Wild, and Style, were amalgamated. This period saw the school operating from a schoolhouse in Church Street, near All Saints Church. The original schoolhouse site was expanded through acquisitions, including land bought with savings from Foundation funds.

The governance of the school often involved the local Vestry. In 1724, a crisis arose over the appointment of a schoolmaster, with Thomas Hare (son of a previous master, Benjamin Hare) wishing to succeed his father. The Vestry initially appointed Thomas Hare as parish clerk to teach the Latymer boys reading, writing, and accounts, while the Rev. John Button was appointed to teach the Style's boys grammar and Latin. By 1727, the vicar, Rev. William Washbourne, was appointed master, with John Whitby as usher.

Zachariah Hare, son of Thomas Hare, became schoolmaster in 1737. During his time, the educational charities were formally amalgamated, and he sold his house and its site (which extended over 1 acre) to the Trustees. This site, near the churchyard, became the established location of the school in Church Street. After Zachariah Hare's death in 1742, James Ware was appointed master to the Latymer, Wild, and Smith's charities by the vicar, Rev. F. Cooke, while Ware himself was selected by the Vestry to teach the Style's boys. His son, a second James Ware, briefly succeeded him in 1771.

19th century - The Adams dynasty, decline, and Dolbé's reforms

The 19th century was dominated by the Adams dynasty of headmasters: John Adams I (appointed 1781), his son John Adams II (master 1800–1828), and his grandson Charles Henry Adams (master 1828–1867). John Adams I was an Enfield man with an interest in astronomy and mathematics, described on his son's tombstone as "Master of Latymer's School in this parish".

In 1811, a new schoolroom was built on land adjacent to the existing schoolhouse in Church Street, funded by a bequest from Mrs. Ann Wyatt. This building, known as the Wyatt schoolroom, bore an inscription noting its purpose to "promote the glory of God, and the good of poor children". At this time, the school was often referred to as the 'Boys' Charity School'. By 1823, the number of boys reached 81, of whom 20 studied Latin.The long tenure of Charles Henry Adams was marked by a significant decline in the school's standards and financial mismanagement. Concerns were raised by the parish in the 1840s, leading to Vestry investigations. In 1847, it was noted that while the headmaster received £130 per annum and lived rent-free, many scholars were not receiving clothing as stipulated by the bequests. The Charity Commissioners conducted inquiries, with reports by John Simons (1858, 1864) and Daniel Robert Fearon (1865, for the Taunton Commission). These reports painted a bleak picture: poor quality education, low attendance, inadequate buildings, and a master (C.H. Adams) described as "untrained and without university degree."

The school was primarily providing elementary education, and the Latymer livery, a blue frock or tunic with a red collar and cross, was still worn. Financial irregularities were also severe; a Vestry committee in 1862 found a sum of £962 unaccounted for by the Trustees. C.H. Adams eventually agreed to repay a deficit from his salary as Master and Collector. He resigned in 1867 following Fearon's damning report for the Taunton Commission.

The resignation of Adams in 1867 marked a significant turning point for Latymer. Under a new scheme drafted by the Trustees, the school's purpose was fundamentally redefined. To lead this change, the Rev. Dr. Charles Vincent Dolbé, a Cambridge graduate, was appointed headmaster on 27 September 1867.

Under Dolbé's leadership, the school was restructured into an "Upper" and "Lower" school, shifting its mission from a charity primarily for "poor boys" to a "Middle Class School" designed to serve the sons of Edmonton's local shopkeepers, civil servants, and professional people. The provision of free clothing, a staple of the old foundation, was abolished in favour of modernising the curriculum.

20th century - Relocation and expansion on Haselbury Road

William Shearer succeeded Dolbé as headmaster in September 1897, aiming to modernise the school's curriculum by balancing traditional subjects with science and commercial preparation. From 1898, plans were developed for a new school building on a fresh site, as the existing Church Street premises were deemed inadequate. However, these plans faced considerable local opposition and protracted delays from the Charity Commissioners, hindering progress.

The continued delays meant the Church Street site remained in "appalling conditions" and an attempt in 1904 to get Governors' approval for adapting the old buildings was unsuccessful. The school entered a period of "drift," failing to gain recognition as a secondary school from the Board of Education. An inspection in December 1907 condemned the school's premises as "tumble-down, squalid, and utterly inadequately equipped," with pupil numbers having fallen to 56. The inspectors deemed the school's situation an "unhappy stage" that needed to end.

A new scheme was eventually agreed, and in 1909 control of the Latymer Foundation was effectively handed to the Middlesex County Council. A new governing body was formed, which included Colonel Henry Ferryman Bowles, a Representative Governor and County Alderman who acted as a primary link between the school and the Council. Despite Shearer’s acceptance of the new conditions, the new governing body decided at a meeting on 26 July 1909 to terminate his appointment and close the school. The motion, proposed by Bowles, cited the school’s £442 bank overdraft and the lack of remaining pupils. Under the terms of the resolution, Shearer was given six months' notice, extending his official tenure until 25 March 1910; however, the school effectively ceased teaching at the end of the 1909 autumn term.

Shearer defended his tenure, highlighting the "squalid and starved conditions" under which the school had operated. The Church Street school ceased to operate, and an envelope addressed to the Headmaster in June 1910 was returned by the postman endorsed 'SCHOOL ABOLISHED'. This marked the end of an era for the old school premises, which was sold for £400, and paved the way for its re-establishment on a new site under different governance.

The new Latymer School, for boys and girls, opened on the nearby Haselbury Road in September 1910, with Richard Ashworth as its first headmaster. Ashworth was a dynamic and inspirational leader who established the ethos and traditions of the new co-educational grammar school. Central to this new identity was the motto Qui Patitur Vincit ('He who endures, conquers'). This replaced the Dolbé focus on merit alone with a new ethos of perseverance and character. Under Ashworth's leadership, the school became the site of a major educational experiment driven by the Middlesex Education Committee. This experiment was twofold: to test the practicability of an "extra large" secondary school, double the size of its contemporaries, and to assess the impact of widening access by increasing the intake of 11+ examination pupils from 5% to over 25% of the local age group.

21st century - Campus expansion and modernisation

Michael Cooper succeeded Hardie as headteacher in September 1999, inheriting this climate of political uncertainty alongside the physical realisation of the Millennium Project. The first phase concluded with the formal opening of the performing arts centre, named the 'Mills Building', on 29 June 2000. The completion of the building provided a dedicated home for the music, drama, and media departments, consolidating these disciplines into a single facility situated away from the main school block. In November 2000, the Jones lecture theatre was converted into new Sixth Form accommodation, while the original Sixth Form area was repurposed as a quiet study area. This development included the physical linking of the two spaces to centralise the Sixth Form management team.

During this period, the school’s technological infrastructure was overhauled to support its status as a reference site for ICT excellence. Between 1999 and 2002, the school refurbished its server rooms, established four dedicated computer suites, and completed a three-phase refurbishment of all twelve science laboratories to integrate digital recording tools and interactive whiteboards. In June 2004, the school launched the "Latymer Integrated Learning Environment" (LILE), a remote-access portal allowing students to reach the school intranet from home. The Davis organ in the Great Hall was also replaced with a new electronic instrument in October 2003 as part of a wider hall refurbishment.

The final phase of the Millennium Project focused on replacing the 1940s-era catering block with a combined sports and dining complex. To secure a nearly £3 million DfES grant for the project, the school launched the "Triple Five" fundraising appeal, which successfully raised over £300,000 through community initiatives such as a 24-hour sports marathon. Cooper retired as headmaster in 2005, having served for six years. Mark Garbett succeeded Cooper as headteacher in 2005 and oversaw the completion of the complex, which was officially opened by HRH The Princess Royal on 18 May 2006. The ceremony, held in the Great Hall before an audience of over 1,000 students and guests, featured the unveiling of a commemorative plaque and a speech by campaign patron George Alagiah. The completion of the facility officially concluded the Millennium Project, providing the campus with modern catering and multi-purpose sporting resources.

In 2007, Latymer was officially awarded Specialist School status in the Arts, bringing in additional government resources specifically targeted at enhancing the Art, Media, and Drama departments. In 2007, Latymer established an international partnership with a school in Tanzania, facilitating teacher and student exchanges to collaborate on cross-cultural curriculum projects.

School site

The Latymer School occupies a large site on Haselbury Road comprising a mix of early 20th-century buildings and later specialist facilities. The campus is arranged around a central group of teaching blocks, with additional buildings for sport, performing arts, and sixth form provision.

The core of the site includes the Small Hall and adjoining rooms, together with the principal South Block, which provide general teaching accommodation. Additional classrooms are located in the North Block and elsewhere across the campus, supporting a broad range of subjects.

The Great Hall is the main assembly and events space, with a stage and seating for over 1,000 people. It is used for assemblies, examinations, concerts, and drama productions, and houses the Davis organ. The hall includes balcony seating and is designed to accommodate large-scale school and community events.

Science and technology facilities are distributed across a number of specialist laboratories and teaching rooms. These include multiple science laboratories as well as dedicated spaces for design and technology subjects, with provision for graphic design, product design, textiles, and food preparation. These facilities support both practical and theoretical aspects of the curriculum.

Creative and performing arts are centred on the Mills Building, a dedicated complex housing facilities for the Music, Drama, and Media Studies departments. Additional provision includes art studios and music rooms located elsewhere on the site. The Seward Studio provides a flexible performance and exhibition space with seating for up to 180, featuring adjustable acoustics, removable seating, and integrated technical control systems.

Sporting provision includes gymnasia, indoor sports facilities, and a large outdoor playing field. A full-size 3G all-weather football pitch with floodlighting and perimeter fencing is located on the school grounds. The Sports and Dining Complex combines indoor sports facilities with a main dining hall and incorporates environmentally conscious design features such as natural lighting and ventilation systems.

Cwm Penmachno

The school operates an outdoor residential and field study centre in North Wales known as Ysgol Latymer (translating from Welsh as "Latymer School"). Located in the village of Cwm Penmachno within Snowdonia National Park.

The facility features two main dormitories sleeping up to 35 people, two separate bunk rooms accommodating up to seven staff members, a communal kitchen, a common lounge area, and a kit utility room.

The development of the centre and the school's outdoor education curriculum was heavily led by staff member Jim Ridge, who served as the Head of Outdoor Education and resident warden of Ysgol Latymer from 1975 until his retirement in 2014.

The centre has a capacity of up to 40 students and hosts Year 7 students on week-long residential trips to help them build relationships within their form groups. During their stay, students participate in outdoor pursuits such as hiking (including ascents of local peaks like Manod Mawr), canoeing, and abseiling at local underground adventure sites. Excursions are also made to regional landmarks such as Conwy, Swallow Falls, Betws-y-Coed, and Mount Snowdon, culminating in a visit to the Zip World adventure park on the final day of the trip.

House System

The Latymer School has a house system in which students are assigned to one of six houses upon entry. The house structure is used throughout school life and plays a role in pastoral care, registration, and extracurricular activities.

The six houses of The Latymer School are named after important figures connected to the school's history or the local area:

Ashworth: Named after Richard Ashworth, Headmaster of the school from 1910 to 1928.

Dolbé: Named after the Rev. Dr. Charles Vincent Dolbé, Headmaster from 1867 to 1897.

Keats: Named after John Keats, the romantic poet who was educated locally in Enfield.

Lamb: Named after Charles Lamb, an English essayist who died in Edmonton.

Latymer: Named after Edward Latymer, the founder of the school.

Wyatt: Named after Ann Wyatt, a benefactor who in 1811 funded the building of a new schoolroom.

From Years 7 to 11, each year group is divided into six Form Groups, aligned with the house system. These groups meet daily for registration and pastoral time. Students in Years 7 and 8 are taught primarily within their Form Groups. From Year 9 onwards, while Form Groups continue for registration and pastoral care, students are taught in mixed groups for some subjects. Form Tutors usually remain with their group from Year 7 through Year 11 and oversee aspects of academic and personal development.

History and Development

The earliest mention of a house system at Latymer is from the Fourth Annual Sports in 1914, when two 'new' houses, Keats and Lamb, entered the lists for the first time. They joined the two original house, Latymer and Wyatt. This four-house structure was established during the headmastership of Richard Ashworth, and inter-house competitions, such as those for the Cornish Cup and Harold Dormer Shield, became a feature of school life. The school's premier house trophy, the Dormer Shield, was originally presented to the school in 1923 by Harold Dormer. It was gifted in memory of his brother, Percy Dormer, who had attended the old Church Street school from 1882 to 1885 and died in 1922. Originally intended for outdoor games, it evolved to become the top annual award for the house scoring the most aggregate points across all sports and cultural competitions.

In 1929, under Headmaster Victor Davis, the system expanded to six houses with the addition of Ashworth and Dolbé. A prefectorial system was introduced at this time, which altered the student leadership dynamic previously held by house captains. Later headmasters continued to refine the system's function. In 1958, Headmaster Dr. Trefor Jones included the formal assignment of staff to houses, regular house meetings, and structured charitable activities associated with each house.

From the 1970s, the house system was more deeply integrated into the school's pastoral framework. Headmaster Edward Kelly established a structure where students were assigned to form groups that corresponded with their house, remaining in these groups for the majority school years. This was further refined by his successor, Geoffrey Mills, who introduced a system of Year Tutors in 1984, which later evolved into the Heads of Year structure.

Activities and Ethos

The house system is fundamental to the student experience at Latymer. It provides:

Inter-House Competitions: A wide range of sporting (netball, football, hockey, tennis) and cultural (music, drama) events are held annually. The Dormer Shield is awarded to the house with the highest point total, and the Jones Cup to the runner-up.

Leadership and Community: Events are typically coordinated by Senior Pupils and overseen by Senior House staff.

Charitable Work: Each house organises fundraising events and community service projects. Students contribute to selecting the causes and planning activities such as the Christmas Bazaar, cake sales, and non-uniform days.

School Song

The school song was written in 1924 by Alice W. Linford, an English teacher at the school, to commemorate the 300th year of the Latymer Foundation. The stanzas were composed specifically for the Foundation’s Tercentenary Dinner, organised by the Old Students' Association and held in the Council Chamber of the Holborn Restaurant, Kingsway, on 31 January 1925.

Presided over by Headmaster Richard Ashworth, the dinner was attended by 130 members and friends, including the oldest living “Old Boy”, Q. W. Quinton, the local Member of Parliament F. A. Broad, and Sir Benjamin Gott. A central feature of the evening was a toast to the “pious and glorious memory” of the Founder, proposed by the Rev. Dr. E. Dale, headmaster of Latymer Upper School, who quoted the couplet that became closely associated with the school: “Latymer's light shall never go out, No matter how the wind may blow it about.” Prior to the composition of the official school song in 1924, Latymer pupils did not have an anthem of their own and instead sang the Harrow School song, "Forty Years On", during morning assemblies.

Although written for the tercentenary celebrations, Linford’s verses were later adapted as the Latymer School Song and set to music by Ronald Cunliffe, the school’s first Music Master. Its first official performance was at the Speech Day Ceremony of 1927.

Composition and style

Cunliffe’s score is composed in G major, a key frequently utilised for community anthems due to its bright tonality and accessible vocal range. Written in common time (4/4), the piece has a stately, march-like character.

The melody is defined by the use of dotted rhythms (eighth notes followed by sixteenths), providing an energetic drive characteristic of early 20th-century British educational music. The verse is largely stepwise and narrative, building toward a more expansive chorus designed for "a thousand strong" unison or harmonic delivery. Archival sheet music indicates a four-part (SATB) vocal arrangement, intended for choral performance supported by a chordal piano accompaniment that doubles the vocal lines.

Ofsted judgement and school ranking

The Latymer School’s most recent Ofsted inspection took place on 15 April 2026 under the leadership of headteacher Joseph Gilford. This evaluation utilised Ofsted's updated reporting framework, which assesses individual categories against standard levels rather than assigning a single, overarching grade (such as "Outstanding" or "Good") to the school as a whole. Under these updated metrics, the school was judged to meet its safeguarding standards and achieved a "Strong standard" (representing practice above the expected level) in the majority of assessed categories, including Achievement, Attendance and behaviour, Inclusion, Leadership and governance, Personal development and wellbeing, and Post-16 provision. The category of Curriculum and teaching was rated at the "Expected standard", with inspectors noting that while pupils learn the curriculum very well, teachers should more consistently embed assessment approaches to check pupil understanding.

Prior to this, the school underwent a full inspection on 24–25 March 2022 under headteacher Maureen Cobbett, receiving an overall effectiveness grade of "Good". During this evaluation, the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were rated "Good", while personal development and sixth-form provision achieved the higher grade of "Outstanding".

Before the 2022 inspection, the school’s performance was reviewed through several targeted assessments. In February 2012, a subject survey judged the overall effectiveness of Information and Communication Technology to be "Outstanding". As a result, the school was designated by Ofsted as a national point of reference for the integration of ICT across the curriculum. In April 2011, an Ofsted interim assessment confirmed that the school had sustained the performance levels from its previous full inspection. That preceding full inspection, conducted on 25 January 2008 under headteacher Mark Garbett, had graded the school's overall effectiveness and its sixth-form provision as "Outstanding" (Grade 1). Earlier, in January 2005, a full inspection under headteacher Michael Cooper rated the school’s overall evaluation as "excellent" (Grade 1) with many outstanding features.

According to the 2025 'Parent Power' rankings published by The Times, the school was ranked 17th in the UK. In 2024, 86% of GCSE examinations achieved A-grades (17th nationwide), while 68% of entries gained A-grades at A-level and 87% obtained A or B grades (21st nationwide).

Leadership

Headteachers

Rev. John Brooke (1634–c.1660s)

Thomas Hare (1662-1666)

Daniel Callis (1666–1667)

John Hare (1667–1679)

Benjamin Hare (1679–1723)

Thomas Hare II & Rev. John Button (1724 – c.1727)[1]

John Whitby (c.1727 – 1737)[2]

Zachariah Hare (1737–1742)

James Ware (1742–1771)[3]

James Ware II (1771–1772)

James Draper (1772–1773)

Samuel Draper (1773–1780)

John Adams (1781–1800)

John Adams II (1800-1828)

Charles Henry Adams (1828–1867)

Rev. Dr. Charles Vincent Dolbé (1867–1897)

William Alexander Campbell Shearer (1897–1909)

Richard Ashworth (1910–1928)

James North (1928–1929) - Acting Headteacher[4]

Victor Samuel England Davis (1929–1957)

Dr. Trefor Jones (1957–1970)

Edward Stanley Kelly (1970–1983)

Geoffrey Thomas Mills (1983-1998)

Chairs of Governors

Rev. Ernest Arthur Blackwell Sanders (1902–1917)

William Delph Cornish (1917–1920)

Rev. Reginald Crosswell Evill (1920–1940)

Edmund Thomas Rhymer JP (1940–1957)

Cllr. Thomas Henry Joyce OBE (1957–1968)

Ald. Ernest Samuel Taylor (1968–1976)

Sarah Gladys Child (1976–1981)

Prof. Huia Masters Pickard (1981–1983)

Margaret Helen Elizabeth Seward CBE (1983–1994)

Ian L. Pilsworth (1994–2015)

Mark R. Sutters (2015–2016)

Harry Richardson (2016) - Interim

Jackie Hardie (2016–2017) - Interim

Stephen David Way (2017–Incumbent)

Notable former pupils

In entertainment

Evelyn Ankers, actress, known as "the Queen of the B movies"

Clare-Hope Ashitey, actress

Eileen Atkins, actress

Bruce Forsyth, entertainer

Tim Pope, director

Leslie Welch, radio and television personality, the Memory Man

Aubrey Woods, actor, best known for performing "The Candy Man" in the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

Vivian Oparah, actress

Jasmine Blackborow, actress

Ritchie Coster, actor

Dex Lee, actor

Joe Shaw, actor and director

Max Bennett, actor

Olivia D’Lima, actress

In politics

Syed Kamall, professor of politics

Albert Meltzer, anarcho-communist writer

Ash Sarkar, British journalist and left-wing political activist

David Walder, Conservative Party politician

In academia

Mark Abrams, social scientist