Best secondary schools in London 2017 (girls and co-ed)

Wow. Just wow.

and i think the PP have been way more helpful than i was prepared to be until you gave some half decent information. Your response frankly is rude.
Go and get the good schools guide.
Go and get your dd assessed / get input from current school.
Look at the league tables.

No one can help you.

sorry OP you are either researching an article or for a schools guide.

"London" "anywhere" is NOT a location on which to choose a school. Where do you/your dh work?

I don't actually believe you can choose to live ANYWHERE in London. That your dd is clever, sporty, creative, drama, and you think she can get into any school.

Or you are just deluded.

Er, OP you didn't post a 'personality profile' of your daughter, you posted a list of her academic aptitudes. Personality would include whether she was robust, sensitive, quirky, outgoing etc. My youngest is very confident, could probably go anywhere, my elder daughter is extremely highly strung and for me a lower incidence of eating disorders is paramount.

So if it's academic excellence above all others then just look at the league tables - the ones above are a good starting point, plus Henrietta Barnett. Latymer Grammar, despite how hard it is to get into, doesn't have crazily good results because from what I gather they give less homework and are a bit more rounded.

FWIW Alleyns considers itself an arts and drama specialist so might not suit you?

It's all down to priorities. You list academic excellence first so surely that's St Paul's, NLCS, Habs, JAGs and CLSG? No idea which if any of those are hothouses?

Then all the GDST ones - South hampstead, Wimbledon, Putney etc.

Where are the other kids from her current school going? The usual leavers' list might prove a good starting point?

ahem...

You: what is the London school that offers academic excellence, good facilities and good teaching. But doesn't specialise in art or drama and mustn't be a hothouse.

Us: try to understand your needs a little better

You: MN is very tense and not listening to what I need for my DD

Us:

Alleyns, St Paul's, JAGS, Latymer, Henrietta Barnett.

Hi OP

My children are too small for us to be thinking about senior schools yet. However, people round here seem to be very keen on:

Channing
City of London
Forest
Francis Holland
Highgate
JAGS
More House
NLCS
Queen's College
South Hampstead
St Paul's

Some of these are more academic than others.

I agree with Noitsnot, there's really no reason to move for a school. In fact, geography is a really useful discriminating factor. I find open days so gruesome that I was glad that there were so few schools within a reasonable commute for my son (and feel weary that there are more girls' options for my daughter).

All the schools mentioned (and a whole lot of others) will have generally good teaching (with some rubbish teachers inevitably); will push (possibly too hard); will have sports, creative writing etc.

I think you may be making life too complicated for yourself, especially since by that list, your daughter seems to be good at everything so will thrive anywhere.

So would you be moving depending on where your daughter ends up going to school? Personally, if you're happy where you currently live, I'd look at schools that she could reach easily now. The difference between one very good school and another very good school is pretty minimal tbh

OP have you subscribed to the Good Schools Guide?

I found it very helpful when drawing up a shortlist for my dd. Lots of information about each school. You can then ask for feedback on those specific schools on here.

OP I started a very similar thread last year (specifically about schools accessible to SW London), which you might find useful - SW London schools thread.

Yes, I think there is no such thing as s single 'best', or even 'good' when it comes to schools.

Journey to school is important - both in terms of how much time it adds to the day, but also what the journey is like (when carrying backpack, sports grip and a clarinet)

There's little point in listing all the schools that admit girls in N London if you live in the SW. And only once you can describe what features and ethos you - and for secondary age, your DD - would like to see in a school can people give advice/experiences rather than just telling you what's out there.

St Paul's? NLC? The private others I know have been mentioned.

If you want good state grammar, Newstead Woods but you do have to live in the catchment. If you want pretty good state grammars, look at the Bexley grammars. If you want good state secondaries you've got a lot if choice both single sex ( eg Langley Park in Bromley) and co-ed.

What's she good at, where do her inclinations lie?

When I see posts like this it reminds me how education policy makers in London talk about 'choice'. We have a comp down the road and nothing else for miles. Everyone from our town and the surrounding villages go there so it's great for community cohesion. But it comes unstuck when May talks about schools becoming grammars etc (though I think that's stopped now).

Where do you live? It doesn't matter how good a school is if your child has a long and/or difficult daily commute as they're going to be tired and miserable and unable to make the most of all the extra-curricular stuff. Where we live, some of the schools on your list are relatively easy to get to but others would be a nightmare

I went to South Hampstead (on a scholarship) and had a good experience there.

All the central(ish) London private schools and grammars meet your basic spec. The 'output' grades are really a reflection on how selective the school was when that cohort joined. All of them produce strings of starry grades for clever girls.

What sort of ethos do you value most?

What co-curricular stuff would you want?

And, lets face it, how important are bragging rights on the name of the school?

Which facilities matter most? For example state of the art labs and tech, or rolling playing fields? Theatre or boathouse?

And do you want fee paying or are you interested in state Grammars too?

What you also need to bear in mind is, for those three schools for a start, the "11+" is not just one exam - she would have to sit 3 different tests for those schools, for example. So keep in mind how many tests you would be happy for her to sit for.