Best secondary state schools in London
Free schools for children aged 11-18
The Henrietta Barnett School
State schools in England can be grammar (selective) or comprehensive (non-selective). For non-selective schools the decisive factor is proximity to schoolI, and for some of them the catchment area is only a few hundred meters from the school. Some state schools are church-affiliated and even though for some of them there is no need to sit exams to be admitted into them, a letter confirming church-attendance will be pre-requisite.
Most of the schools will ask children to sit an entrance exam. Based on the results, grammar schools will determine whether a child will be admitted in, for non-selective schools the exam is required in order to place a child in a performance band based on their academic abilities.
Admittance process to state schools in London isn’t much different from other English towns. Nonetheless, London being the capital city of the UK and the biggest city stands out among them by a huge density of the population living here and consequently by extremely high competition for places in local schools.
The top schools in London are selected based on results of end-of-school exams such as A-level and in some cases IB.
Top secondary schools in London
Bentley Wood High School
Clamp Hill, Stanmore HA7 3JW
Area – the London borough of Harrow
Girls-only school for students aged 11-18 is in Harrow area in London. Every year 210 new girls enter the school for Year 7. Comprehensive school with acceptance based on living in the catchment area
Bexley Grammar School
Danson Lane, Welling DA16 2BL
Tel: 020 8304 8538
Area – the London Borough of Bexley
Co-educational grammar school in London Borough of Bexley. Admittance to school is subject to successful exam results (maths and English). The average point of IB results 2018 was 33.1 and for A level there were 37% of A* grades and 68% of A*/A grades.
Camden School for Girls
Sandall Road London NW5 2DB
Tel: 020 7485 3414
Area – the London Borough of Camden, north London
Comprehensive school for girls 11-18 years old and becoming fully co-educational at sixth form. There are about 1000 children altogether. The school has a special status of music college. Camden School was founded by a suffragist Francis Mary Buss, who also founded a North London Collegiate School. Initially, the school was selective but became fully comprehensive in 1981 году. Even though the admission to school is non-selective, the candidates need to sit the banding test in order to determine which abilities class band they will be placed in Year 7. Girls who demonstrate high aptitude towards music may have a priority. A-level results 2022 – A* – 27%; A* – A – 55%.
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Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
89 Addison Road London W14 8BZ
Tel: 020 7603 8478
Area – Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Catholic school for boys in London area of Holland park. Today there are 950 children and every year 124 new boys start here. There is no entrance exam but the school is church-affiliated so will require the paperwork confirming church-attendance. The school is famous with its choir and instrumental department. A lot of leavers then enter Oxford and Cambridge universities to study music. A level results 2022: 58.5% of grades were A* and A.
Dame Alice Owen’s School
Dugdale Hill Ln, Potters Bar EN6 2DU
Area – Hertfordire, England
Founded in 1613 and initially a boys school, Dame Alice Owen’s is now a fully coeducational school for children aged 11-18. It is a voluntary-aided school and admits children regardless of abilities. 65 children out of 200 are selected, however, based on aptitude and ability with addition of another 10 places for musically gifted children.
Fortismere School
Tetherdown, Muswell Hill, London N10 1NE
Tel: 020 8365 4400
Area – the London borough of Haringey
Comprehensive school for boys and girls in north London. In 2012 Times called the school the best non-selective school in the country. Annually the school admits 243 children in Year 7. A-level results 2022 – A*/A = 51%.
Free London West School
https://wlfssixth.greenhousecms.co.uk
Years 7 to 11 – Palingswick House, 241 King Street, Hammersmith, London, W6 9LP
Telephone: 020 8600 0670
Sixth Form – Franklin House, 2 Bridge Avenue, Hammersmith, London, W6 9JP
Telephone: 020 8600 0670 ext 680
Area – the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
Comprehensive school for children 11-18 years old. A-level results 2022 – 16% were graded A*; 45% were graded A* to A.
Grey Coat Hospital School
St Andrew’s Building, Greycoat Place, London SW1P 2DY
Tel: 020 7969 1998
Area – the London borough of Westminster
Girls-only school for children of 11-18 years old in the very centre of London. The school gives priority to girls from families belonging to Church of England. 15 girls get a place ahead of competition if they showed the best results in the languages aptitude test, the rest of the places are given to those living nearby. A-Level results 2021 – 54% of all grades were A*-A. A-level 2022 – A*/A grades 50.1%.
Henrietta Barnett School
Central Square, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, NW11 7BN
Tel: 020 84588999
Area – the London Borough of Barnet
This grammar school for girls of 11-18 years old for many years is in the top of the league tables delivering results comparable to private schools. The school is exceedingly difficult to get a place at with competition reaching 2000 people for 100 places. In order to get admitted to the school there are two rounds of entrance exams to sit through. The first round is a computer-based test for cognitive abilities. Based on the results of the test only 300 girls are admitted to the second round, which consists of maths and English exams. A-level results 2022 – 59% of grades are A*, 89% of grades are A* or A
Holland Park School
Airlie Gardens, Campden Hill Rd, Kensington, London W8 7AF
020 7908 1000
Area – the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Comprehensive school for boys and girls of 11-18 years old in the prestigious area of Holland park in London. Annually the school admits 240 children in Year 7 (with 2000 applied to get a place). The admittance is based on the catchment area and 20 places are given for successfully passing the Art and Design test. The banding test is in place in order to determine, which abilities band out of four a child can be placed in September. A-level 2022 results – A* grades: 25.6%; A* – A grades: 54.2%.
Ilford County High School
Fremantle Rd, Ilford IG6 2JB
020 8551 6496
Area – the London borough of Redbridge
Selective boys-only school for children aged 11-18. The admission is based on the results of entrance exams.
King’s College London Mathematics School
80 Kennington Road, London, SE11 6NJ
Tel: 020 7848 7346
Area – the London borough of Lambeth
The 6th form coeducational school for children of 16-18 years, situated in Lambeth area of London. The school is new and only opened its doors in 2014. King’s College London Mathematics School cooperates closely with King’s College London University and aims to provide school students with high quality education in maths. The maths school was founded based on the example of a Russian School of Maths and Physics which was opened in Moscow in 1965 by a leading mathematician of the 20th century Andrey Kcholmogorov. King’s College Maths School is a selective school and applying candidates face a huge competition. In 2018 the school recieved around 500 applications for 70 places. In order to be admitted to school a candidate needs to sit entrance examinations. Those who passed the exams successfully are invited for an interview. The school teaches a limited number of subjects – Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Computer Science and Economics. The students sit A-level exams in the end of school and have to write Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). The A-level results 2022 – 86.5% of grades were A*s and 99.6% were A or better.
Lady Margaret School
Address: Parsons Green, London SW6 4UN
Tel: 020 7736 7138
Area – the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
A small girls-only Church of England school, which celebrated its 100th year in 2017. In this London School situated in Parsons Green area altogether study 742 girls at the age of 11-18 years with 175 girls in Sixth Form. Every year over 700 girls apply to be admitted to school. Half of existing 120 places go to the families who regularly go to Church of England, which has to be proved with a letter signed by the church priest. The rest of the places are given those living in the catchment area. The A-level results 2022 – 22% of grades were A*s and 69% were A or better.
Latymer School
Haselbury Road, London, N9 9TN
Tel: 020 88074037
Area – the London Borough of Enfield
A co-educational state school, which shouldn’t be confused with the famous private school with a similar name – Latymer Upper School. The state school was founded in 1624 by Edward Latymer. Today it is a grammar school where children admitted based on the entrance exams results. Every year 192 new students come to Year 7 here. Children who apply for school admission must live in the designated area. The entrance exams include Maths, English and Verbal Reasoning. A levels results 2022 – 35% of grades at A* and 69% at A*/A
London Academy of Excellence
Broadway House, 322 High St, London E15 1AJ
Tel: 020 3301 1480
Area – the London borough of Newham
Sixth form college for boys and girls in London area of Straford admits students on selective basis. A relatively new school (opened in 2012) teaches 460 students. The school works in partnership with prestigious private schools such as Brighton College, Caterham School, Eton College, City of London School, Forest School, Highgate School and University College School. A level results in 2018 – 61% of all grades were A*/A. In order to get admitted a student must have minimum five exams GCSE graded 9-7 (new marking system) or A*-A (old marking system), at least grade 6 for Maths and English and grades 9-7 for subjects that students plan to study for A-levels. A-level results 2022 – 36% of all grades achieved were A*; 72% of all grades achieved were A* or A.
Menorah High School for Girls
105 Brook Road, Dollis Hill, London , NW2 7BZ
Phone: 020 8208 0500
Area – the London borough of Brent
This is a London voluntary-aided school for Jewish girls aged 11-18.
Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre (NCS)
Newham Collegiate Sixth Form Centre, 326 Barking Rd, London, E6 2BB
Tel: 020 3373 5000
Area – the London borough of Newham
The 6th form college opened in 2014 is situdated in East Ham area in east London. NCS specialise in Maths and Sciences. Around 600 boys and girls study here. Admission criteria – at least grade 6 in Maths and English GCSEs, combined 56 points from the best GCSE subjects. A-level results 2022 – 78% of A*/A.
Newstead Wood School
Avebury Rd, Orpington BR6 9SA
Phone: 01689 853626
Area – the London borough of Bromley
Selective school for girls at the age of 11-18 лет and boys at the age of 16-18 лет, situated in a small town Orpington in London area of Bromley. Every year 160 girls start here in Year 7. The admission is based on the exam results. The school also prioritise students living within 9 miles radius from the school building. The 6th form admission is based on predicted GCSE exams. A-level results 2022 – 35% of A*, 65% of A*/A.
Nonsuch High School for Girls, Sutton
Ewell Road, Sutton, SM3 8 AB
Phone: 020 8394 3400
Area – the London borough of Sutton
Grammar school for girls aged 11-18. A-level results 2022 – 35% of A*, 65% of A*/A.
Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet
Queens Rd, Barnet, EN5 4 DQ
Tel: 020 8441 4646
Area – the London borough of Barnet
Grammar schools for boys year after year getting top positions in the league tables based on the excellent performance in A-level subjects. The school admits boys at the age of 11 and the admission is based on the entrance exams results. A-level results 2022 – A* grades amount to 69.9% of all results – up 10.4% on 2021; 92.2% of results are at A*–A.
Sacred Heart Catholic School
Camberwell New Road, London SE5 0RP
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7274 6844
London borough of Southwark
A co-educational Roman Catholic secondary school and a sixth form for children aged 11-18. A*-A results 2022 are 45%.
Sacred Heart High School
212 Hammersmith Rd, Hammersmith, London W6 7DG
020 8748 7600
Area – the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
Catholic school for girls of 11-18 years old situated in London area of Hamersmith. A-level results 2022 – 15% of all results were A*, 47% were A*/A.
St Michael’s RC Grammar School
Nether Street, London, N12 7NJ
Tel: 020 84462256
Area – the London borough of Barnet
Catholic school for girls of 11-18 y o and boys of 16-18 y o. The school is situated in Finchly area in north London. Every year 96 new girls come to here to start in Year 7 and at least 30 boys start in Year 12 in Sixth form. The priority in admission is given to children from catholic families. In order to get admitted families must submit the Certificate of Catholic Practice as well as other documents. Other admission requirements for Year 7 – children, whose parents provided the necessary documents to confirm the catholic status will sit written tests in Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, English and Mathematics. Following the tests all applicants will be ranked in order starting with the highest score. Places will be allocated strictly in accordance with the score. Admission requirements for Sixth form – at least 6 GCSE passes at grade 7 or above including at least a level 7 in English Language and Mathematics; at least a grade 7 at GCSE in the subjects (or those closely related to them) the applicants wish to study at A-Level. A-level results 2022 – 54% exams graded A* and 81% – A*/A grades.
St. Dominic’s Sixth Form College
Mount Park Ave, Harrow HA1 3HX
Area – borough of Harrow of Greater London
Catholic school for boys and girls aged 16-18 (6th form college). The college is situated in Harrow area in London and there are 900 children from catholic families.
St Olave’s and St Saviour’s Grammar School
Goddington Lane, Orpington, Kent, BR6 9SH
Tel: 01689820101
Area – the London borough of Bromley
Grammar school for boys of 11-18 years and girls of 16-18, situated in Orpington town in the London borough of Bromley. Every year the school admits 124 boys to begin in Year 7. Admission is based on the entrance exams in reasoning, maths and English. For sixth form there are 110 places and admission is based on the school own entrance tests as well as GCSEs results. A-level results 2022 – 60% of all results were A*, 87% were A*/A.
Sutton Grammar for Boys
Manor Ln, Sutton, SM1 4AS
Phone: 020 8642 3821
Area – the London borough of Sutton
Grammar school for boys aged 11-18 and girls aged 16-18. The 2022 A-level results are 37% A* and 69% A*/A.
The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School
St. Marys Ln, Upminster, RM14 3HS
Tel: 01708 250500
The London borough of Havering
A-level 2022 – over 50% of all grades were at A/A*.
Ofsted describes the school as “an exceptional school of real excellence”. A co-educational non-selective school for children aged 11-18 that annually provides secondary education to 1300-1400 students. The school was founded in 1536 by Nicholas Gibson.
Tiffin Girls’ School
Richmond Rd, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 5PL
Tel: 020 8546 0773
Area – the London borough of Kingston upon Thames
Grammar school, situated in Kingston-upon-Thames near London. The school admits 180 new girls every year. The successful candidates sit two rounds of entrance exams. The first round is for all candidates who applied to be admitted and includes Maths and English tests. The second round is only for the those who successfully passed the first round. The school gives priority to the girls who successfully passed the exams and who are living in the cathcment and designated area. The exam results for A-level 2022 are 57% A* and 88% A*-A.
Tiffin School
Queen Elizabeth Rd, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 6RL
Tel: 020 8546 4638
Area – the London borough of Kingston upon Thames
Grammar school for boys, situated in Kingston-upon-Thames near London. The school has a special status of a school with the emphasis on modern languages and arts. There are about 1000 boys. Every year the school welcomes 180 new boys for over 1000 applications. The admission is based on the entrance exams in Maths and English.
Twyford Church of England High School
Twyford Cres, London W3 9P
Area – the London borough of Ealing
Co-educational school in Acton area of London. The school belongs to Church of England and admission priority is given to families who bring up their children in the Church of England faith. There are 1400 children at the age of 11-18 and the school specialises in modern languages study and music. Every year the school admits 190 children in Year 7, 150 places of which are given to CfE families, 21 – to families of other denominations and 19 – to children who displayed an aptitude to music studies. A-level results 2022 – 60% of A*/A.
Wallington County Grammar School
Croydon Rd, Wallington SM6 7PH
020 8647 2235
Area – the London borough of Sutton
Boys-only grammar school for children of 11-18 in Sutton area in London. There are 900 children and the school admits girls in sixth form. To be admitted to school children are expected to successfully pass the entrance exams. The exam results for A-level 2022 are 27% A* and 63% A*-A.
Wallington High School for Girls
Woodcote Rd, Wallington, Surrey, Wallington SM6 0PH
020 8647 2380
Area – the London borough of Sutton
All-girls grammar school for children aged 11-18 in Sutton area of London. There are 210 new girls annually and about 2000 apply. Totally 1300 girls study here. The exam results for A-level 2022 are 65% A*-A.
Wembley High Technology College
East Lane, North Wembley, HA0 3NT
020 8385 4800
Area – the Royal borough of Brent, Greater London
Co-educational school for children of 11-18 years old in Brent area of London. 1400 children apply to school every year to start in Year 7 for 210 places. Admission policy is based on catchment area. The exam results for A-level 2022 are 43% A*-A.
Wilson’s School
Mollison Drive, Wallington SM6 9JW
020 8773 2931
Area – the London borough of Sutton
Grammar school for boys in London area of Sutton. There are 1100 boys at the age of from 11-18 лет. Wilson’s is one of the oldest grammar school in England, being founded in 1615. The exam results for A-level 2022 are 59% A* and 88% A*-A.
Woodford County High School For Girls
High Rd, Woodford, Woodford Green IG8 9LA
020 8504 0611
Area – the London borough of Redbridge
Grammar school for girls situated in Redbridge area of London. The school admits annually 180 girls in Year 7. The applicants sit entrance exams in September and in October the results become known. The girls who succefully passed the exams are further selected with priority given to those who live in the cathcment area. The exam results for A-level 2022 are 20% A* and 53% A*-A.
