When I was offered a place in the school, I was overjoyed but I knew that there would be lots of responsibilities also. I was the only person from my primary school so I felt anxious about this new beginning; starting from scratch would be hard without my friends by my side. But now I look back asking why I ever doubted myself. Latymer has a conducive learning environment for making new friends and creating new hobbies.

Starting secondary school was certainly one of the biggest changes in my life; I would have to become more independent. At first this was a struggle, adjusting to different timetables and finding my way around the school. My primary school was a short distance away from my home whereas I currently take public transport (for over an hour) to and from school. But I have now become confident with my surroundings and grown familiar with the school.

There have been many highlights in my time at Latymer so far but a standout moment for me was the debate workshop as we were able to perform own debates: learning skills and having fun along the way! This will surely remain my mind forever.

Before I joined Latymer, I thought that the school would be quite strict and my classwork would be hard. But now that I am part of the Latymer community it is the opposite! Our teachers are nice and our classwork is not hard at all as the teachers always explain in a way that we understand.

The biggest change between primary and secondary school is the change of setting. All around you there are new faces and sometimes I miss primary school.

My most memorable moment at Latymer so far for me was our first concert. We had to memorise three songs and perform to the audience. Some other years also had performances which were spectacular.

Before I joined Latymer, I was a bit of nervous that I wouldn’t fit in because everyone would be really smart and “nerdy”. But the reality was much different. I fitted in perfectly and however smart everyone was, they weren’t nerdy and this made me feel included.

The biggest change for me between primary and secondary is that Latymer is huge. But after a few weeks, I know the school inside out!

My most memorable moment at Latymer is making a song about the Loch Ness monster with my first three friends, Kieran, Hin Yun and Zakariya. It was on the introduction day and it was in “loch ness”!

Before I joined Latymer I was worried about secondary school. I didn’t want to join a new school as I had been going to Hazelwood primary school for almost five years. I also worried about finding a new set of friends and not seeing my old friends so often.

When I went to Latymer, I found there was a lot more freedom and also a lot more responsibility like doing my homework. I find the periods cut up the day and make it seem shorter.

My most memorable time at Latymer was the induction day where I met my form for the first time. I was worried about first impressions but at the end of the day I had already made friends.

Before I joined Latymer, I was kind of nervous because I thought it would be full of people much smarter than me. But after joining, I realised most people were just like me. I expected it to be really hard to make friends but in fact, it was the complete opposite.

For me, the biggest change between primary and secondary school was the constant homework being given all the time. In primary, we would get homework once a week but in secondary, it would be very rare to not to get a single piece of homework in a week. Another big change was the fact we had to move around the school so much. In first few weeks I found going to all my classes really confusing and I get lost all the time. Thankfully, now I’ve gotten the hang of it.

My most memorable time at Latymer was when I saw that I had gotten into the football team. One of my close friends and I had both gotten in the team, so it was fun having someone to talk to mid-game. But the best part by far was leaving lessons early to play football; I felt like a king.

Before I joined Latymer, I thought that it was a really smart school and that I wouldn’t really fit in. Without any of my friends with me, I didn’t think I would like the school much.

My most memorable moment at Latymer so far has probably been when we had the Halloween fair in the Great Hall. It was really fun to see all the different stalls and get my face painted. Also, there were lots of delicious stalls with delicious treats like sweets and cupcakes which I shared with my friends. Not to mention the prizes from winning a minigame. like a pack of lollipops.