First of all, it’s important to go and see as many schools as possible. Your child will only know if it feels right once they set foot inside the place, talk to other pupils and meet a few of the teachers. Atmosphere and approach count for a lot. Secondly, do talk to current pupils and their parents: their experiences will give you a good insight into the day-to-day running and reality of a school. And finally, be guided by your child’s interests. Perhaps a good percentage of a school’s girls go on to Oxbridge – but what if the music/art/drama/sports offering is less valued? As ever, it all comes back to individual.
These are the top independent London girls’ schools’ and what to expect at each.
St Paul’s Girls’ School
Ages: 11 – 18 years
Termly Fees: £9,264
St Paul’s Girls’ School in leafy Brook Green is consistently ranked as the top girls’ school in the UK for academic performance. Highly selective, roughly a third of leavers head for Oxbridge, making this a great choice for naturally studious and cerebral pupils (the fact that 99.5 per cent attain grades A* to A at A-Level gives an indication of how rigorous the education is here). But Paulinas, as they are known, are not always to be found with their head in books. There are dance work-outs to try, lectures to attend and movie nights to enjoy too. Everyone needs to cut loose sometimes, after all. The school operates a ‘Big Sister’ programme, a little like the Oxbridge ‘college mum/ dad’ system, fostering a spirit of kindess among the pupils. For children who are keen on drama, the school has its own theatre, while the music department is also strong. Alumnae include the fiercely bright likes of Victoria Coren, Emily Mortimer, Tommi Miers and Blanche McIntyre. Explore the website here.
Godolphin & Latymer
Ages: 11 – 18 years
Termly Fees: £7,918 – £8,395
What do Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Davina McCall, Kate Beckinsale, Lucy Punch, Jemima Rooper and Nigella Lawson all have in common? They each attended the west London-based Godolphin & Latymer school, which is tucked away down a quiet side street in Hammersmith and just so happens to be one of the highest achieving girls’ schools in the capital. Since their day, however, G&L has morphed from an ambitious school typically for the daughters of well-off liberals into a mega school, with a six-acre campus, a vast indoor sports hall, tennis courts and dazzlingly appointed science and music blocks. There is a performing arts centre and an art studio, as well as opportunities for girls to join a huge array of clubs and societies – or, indeed, to start their own. The Sunday Times wrote of it, ‘Parents love Godolphin and Latymer not just for the academic success it brings their daughters, but for the school’s holistic approach to their education in the broadest sense.’ Under the auspices of head teacher, Dr Frances Ramsey, this is an academically selective school that prizes kindness, as well as an outward-looking attitude: the IB is offered alongside A-Levels and, indeed, it should be no surprise that 8 per cent of its leavers go onto Ivy League universities in the States. Explore the website here.
Putney High School For Girls
Ages: 4 – 18 years
Termly Fees: Junior School – £5,968; Senior School – £7,213
Putney High School is a high-achieving yet super friendly and down-to-earth school. Its ethos of ‘modern scholarship’ – taking concepts and making them fun and relevant to the present day – is one that encompasses a huge range of topics, from all the traditional subjects to entrepreneurship to building sustainable futures. It clearly works: 92 per cent of pupils gain A*–A grades at A-level. Mental, as well as environmental, health is prized, as evidenced by the launch of the school’s Breathe programme, which sees not only the outdoor parts of school but also the classrooms filled with plants. Last year, Putney High opened the new Athena Centre for science, music, drama and debating, underlining its onus on building confidence in public speaking and thus nurturing the debaters and politicians of the future. It even has its own podcast. A kind and forward-thinking school. Explore the website here.
North London Collegiate School
Ages: 4 – 18 years
Termly Fees: £6,283 – £7,436
Founded in 1850 in Camden, the North London Collegiate School now resides in Harrow in a gleaming white stucco fronted building. Founder, Frances Mary Buss had a vision to produce independent minded young women and, 173 years later, the school is true to that dream, with the vast majority of pupils leaving to go on to their top choice university. But academic success is only one measure: the school puts a huge focus on extra-curricular interests, with more than 50 clubs to partake in and a huge variety of sports on offer. As one alumnus says, ‘One of the main reasons I loved my time at NLCS was because I was encouraged to value my music and my acting as much as my academic studies because they are such a vital part of who I am.’ Notable alumnae include Anna Wintour, Esther Rantzen, Rachel Weisz and Dorothy Evans. Explore the website here.
City Of London School For Girls
Ages: 11 – 18 years
Termly Fees: £7,298
Right in the heart of the Barbican, City Of London School For Girls is run with great zest by head Jenny Brown. In post since 2019, her onus is on creating an atmosphere of unstuffy academia, delicately treading the fine line between its history (it was founded in 1894) and modernity. As they say, ‘This is best demonstrated by our unique geography, nestled between the brutalist Barbican and looming Roman walls. Ours is an intellectually edgy, unassuming and unpretentious environment, unshackled by tradition, and imbued with a relaxed excellence.’ The focus here is on fostering the spirit of enquiry and fierce independence. It aims to create space for girls to pioneer and, as such, has plans to develop the school to create areas of ‘reflective space’, of ‘academic space’ and of ‘shared space.’ This is a school in which girls are encouraged never to be frightened to try and fail, thus learning by using their own initiative. Coaching, counselling and a tutorial system are just three of the innovative ways in which the school supports its pupils. A trailblazer. Explore the website here.
By Nancy Alsop
April 2023
