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GA Review[edit]

This review is transcluded from Talk:Latymer Upper School/GA2. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: UndercoverClassicist (talk · contribs) 08:57, 5 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]


Back again for round two -- many comments already dealt with in the first edition. I am still very concerned by the sourcing: I have made only quite cursory checks and have yet to do one that is fully satisfactory. Every one is pulling up either WP:TSI issues, where the cited material does not support what it purports to, WP:CLOP issues, where we have closely paraphrased the source material without attribution, or both. The problem here is that sourcing checks can only be a sample: no reviewer will be able to catch everything, so the sourcing checks need to give confidence that the entire article is above reproach. UndercoverClassicist T·C 08:57, 5 July 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Content[edit]

  • It derives from a charity school, part of the same Latymer Foundation, founded in 1624 by the English merchant Edward Latymer: a few things here. The source doesn't say that Latymer founded a school -- he says that he left property to pay for them to attend existing petty schools. More importantly, he didn't actually died until 1627, and the property wasn't put to this purpose until 1628. This material also isn't in the body text, though it does appear in the infobox.
  • the J. S. Mill, Literary and Latymer Societies: decap Societies, as the plural isn't part of the technical term. Suggest bracketing (philosophy) or similar to the JS Mill society, and whatever the Latymer Society does? Before doing so, though, see sourcing below.
  • Being very technical, the wall in the sports centre is a bouldering wall rather than a climbing wall (since it doesn't seem to have the means to attach ropes). Noting in passing that this section is supported by the cited source, but largely by the pictures rather than the text.
  • Latymer Upper School is rated by the Tatler Schools Guide: I think we need to put a date on this: was rated in 2012.
  • This included his motto, Latin: Paulatim ergo certe ("Slowly therefore surely"): I'd advise reworking to avoid the awkward colon (perhaps "his Latin motto, Paulatim ergo certe. The bold is a nice touch but not great for accessibility, as screen-readers can't pick it up. I'd suggest spelling out that it contains the hidden word "latimer".
  • Should John Crace get a mention on the alumni list, as we've quoted him for Hugh Grant?
  • From 2004, fundraising enabled an increasing number of bursaries to be provided, independently of government: I'm not sure I understand what "independently of government" is doing here -- the Assisted Places Scheme died in 1997, so the government wouldn't have had any business providing bursaries to a fee-paying school. We don't say that Oxfam opened a food bank, or Tesco added a new range of cheese, "independently of government".
  • The school's academic results place it among the top schools nationally, and it has historically accepted under 10% of applicants: the latter stat doesn't appear to be in the article, and is unsourced. Even then, we only claim that it relates to a single year, and I don't think we can really stretch that to what has "historically" happened (by that logic, the Labour Party has historically held 411 seats in the Commons).
  • it survives on Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith: from the Historic England page, it's clear that we're missing an important detail: it was rebuilt, probably (though not explicitly stated in the source) in 1994.
  • There were 33 Oxbridge places in 2017...: can we get a more recent figure? A lot has happened in education (and Oxbridge admissions) since then.
  • Dr. Thomas Edwards, who had died c. 1618, was built for the Latymer boys in the churchyard in Fulham.: avoid abbreviations like circa in flowing text: better as "around".

Image review[edit]

Source review[edit]

  • Edward Latymer, a wealthy lawyer and Puritan, who left part of his wealth for the clothing and education of "eight poore boyes" from Hammersmith -- this is almost verbatim from Edward Latymer, a prosperous lawyer, left part of his wealth for the clothing and education of “eight poore boyes” from Hammersmith on the Latymer website.
  • The charity school was replaced in 1755 with a two-storey building, the ground floor for 25 girls, the first floor for 20 boys, later reduced on grounds of cost to 15 girls and 15 boys. The school was expanded in 1819 by adding two further classrooms, serving a total of 50 girls and 80 boys. Demand for the girls' school proved insufficient, and it was merged into the parish school; the boys' school increased to 100 pupils, filling the available space. In 1863, the boys' school moved to a new and larger building, with space for 125 pupils, between King Street East (now Hammersmith Road) and Great Church Lane, a little to the east of Hammersmith Broadway.. This is WP:CLOP from here: By 1755 the existing building had become dilapidated, and it was replaced by one of two storeys to accommodate 25 girls on the ground floor and 20 boys above. The cost, however, proved a serious drain on the income of the charity and the numbers were reduced to 15 boys and 15 girls. In 1819 two rooms were added and the numbers increased to 80 boys and 50 girls, who were educated on the 'National' system. Later the income of the girls' charity decreased and it was absorbed into the St. Paul's parochial school, but the Latymer boys' school flourished, having 100 boys but no room for extension. In 1863 a new building for 125 boys was erected in Great Church Lane (Hammersmith Road).
  • From the same source: The school was extended with five extra classrooms, a workshop, and laboratories in 1901, allowing the total number of pupils to rise to 450 is CLOP of in 1901 accommodation was increased to admit 450 by the addition of five classrooms, laboratories, and a workshop.
  • The Science and Library building, opened in 2010, includes labs for the three sciences and a library with seating for more than 200 pupils which occupies a floor at the base. Van Heyningen and Haward Architects were responsible for constructing these four buildings: very little of this is supported by the cited source, except for the last sentence and the existence of the library.
  • There are a couple of hits on Earwig for this source, which are close to the borderline for WP:CLOP: I don't think it's sufficient to raise a major stink on its own, but some adjustments might be advisable.
  • I am a little dicey about The school offers all students a trip every year in 'Activities Week'. Trips range from outward bound camping, mountain walking, and sailing, to the cultural with visits to Barcelona, Paris, and Venice; local activities have included visiting London art galleries, producing a pantomime, and making a documentary film. being cited to a web page from 2008. That's a long time in education, and these sort of institutions are particularly often re-invented by enthusiastic senior managers. On a separate note, the tone here is on the wrong side of WP:PROMO. Other sourcing issues: the source says that not all events in Activities Week are trips, whereas our text at least implies that they are (we've effectively said that the school offers every pupil an orange at lunchtime because they have oranges next to the cake counter), and this section is closely paraphrased from Over 25 trips go out, ranging from camping and outward bound trips to Devon, the Brecon Beacons, County Mayo to walking in the Swiss Alps, sailing in the Mediterranean, cycling around Britain or surfing in Cornwall. For the less physically inclined there are cultural trips to Paris, Venice and Barcelona. There are also London based activities, ranging from visiting galleries and exhibitions, studying London landmarks to making a documentary in a week and producing and performing a pantomime.
  • Something seems to have gone wrong with the formatting of note 37 (supporting The Latymer Performing Arts Centre, completed in 2009, contains drama studios, rehearsal rooms and a 150-seat recital hall.) The source says that the hall has 100 seats; we say it has 150.
  • There are over 140 clubs and societies at Latymer, including the J. S. Mill, Literary and Latymer Societies: none of this is supported by the cited source.
  • The school's own on-site prep pupils enter the Upper School automatically at the end of Year 6: not supported by the cited source.
  • The playing fields are used for training by the England Rugby Team.: the source only demonstrates that they used them once, in 2020. Our text implies that this is a current and ongoing arrangement.
  • Tuition for 2020 was £21,000 per year, plus other mandatory and optional fees: this is cited to a document for the 2008–2009 academic year.
  • This served until around 1657, when the Latymer Charity School for the parish was founded in the churchyard of St Paul's, Hammersmith: the source does not give it this name.
  • The school has a substantial fund from donations ring-fenced to fund bursaries; in 2017–18 it had a total income of £34.7 million, with a surplus over expenditure of £8.2 million. Of that surplus, £7.9 million was from ring-fenced donations for bursaries; the school added £2.5 million to that to pay for bursaries during that tax year: this is partly sourced to an article from 2013. It's also pretty heavily CLOPped from TES: Latymer Upper School’s accounts also showed that £7.9 million of its £8.2 million surplus came from donations ring-fenced to fund bursaries. It also spent another £2.5m on bursaries in that year
  • In 1945, Latymer became a direct grant grammar school, meaning that it took both state-funded and fee-paying pupils. At the same time, its head joined the Headmasters' Conference.: the source does not say that these two things happened at the same time, only in the same year. Strictly, it only says that he was invited, but I think we can take it as read that he accepted.
  • I am a concerned about "Latymer 400": it is essentially self-published by the school. It's holding a fair deal of weight, particularly about things (such as the original intention of the school's founding, the awards it has won and the internal reaction to going co-ed) that we would not normally be comfortable getting from a non-independent source.