Private IB schools in and around London

[Apz25]

Hello!
We might be moving to London this summer and I am looking at International IB school for my high schooler going into grade 11 . So far we liked ACS Egham , Marymount international and Southbank. Any feedback on their academics , student diversity and facilities would be very helpful !

All of those are great schools.
ACS egham I know best as im a ACS cobham mum. Egham is much smaller and only does the IB
Have you looked at ACS cobham? Where do you live? You can use transport. In terms of sporting facilities Cobham is the best. Mary mount is only boarding i think?

I’m assuming you’re referring to US grade 11 which is UK year 12?

I’ve heard great things about Marymount (and it’s absolutely not all boarding! A majority are day pupils especially at the younger end) but it’s a very different environment than either ACS school. All girls, Catholic, small, and it does feel more British than ACS (albeit a British international school - it’s very much not fully British either). I’m an American expat and ACS feels far more Americanized. I think the decision between those two will really come down to which of those very different environments your daughter is wanting. I have never looked into Southbank in depth based on the fairly nonspecific impressions I have… it wouldn’t be my choice unless you need a school that’s closer to central London.

However, moving at UK year 12 means I would really consider broadening your look beyond dedicated international schools. If your DD is actually going to be going into UK year 11 that would be a massive difference, but in the UK years 12-13 (so is grades 11-12) are a completely different stage of schooling and it’s extremely common to move schools then. That means schools are bringing in new cohorts (often large ones) and it’s a common time for international students to join. It’s also a time when the traditional uniforms usually go away and students are given more independence and flexibility (requirements to play team sports often go away which can be a barrier for international students before then… your DD won’t have to embrace netball or field hockey), so it all may feel less foreign to her. There are some fantastic schools who offer the IB diploma and will have plenty of international students but aren’t true international schools (I.e. they’ll have had students sit some amount of iGCSEs or GCSEs at the end of year 11 and more students who are British or moved here permanently, and many offer A levels alongside IB so students can choose) so you’ll have more options especially if you’re flexible on where you live and/or your DD is interested in weekly or part-time boarding.

Off the top of my head: Godolphin and Latymer is a sought-after London girls’ day school with strong academics and but perhaps not for a timid girl, Haileybury north of London in Herts will feel very much like what an American kid imagines it would be like going to a British boarding school (even as a day student), Wellington College in Berkshire is a great all-rounder option but will feel like it’s full of the British version of the middle class suburban country-club sect and Charterhouse is similar but I think heavier on the boarding and may not be ideal for a day student trying to find her place socially, Sevenoaks is a super strong academic option with a huge international contingent but it is large and suited for very academically assured, independent students. And I’ll plug Leighton Park in Reading, which is just absolutely wonderful (and doesn’t have Saturday school as some British independents do).

All of these will have some students headed to US colleges but varying level of support/guidance for the particulars - G&L and Sevenoaks will have the most with US universities doing some visits and ACT/SAT prep courses and testing available, but all of them will support US applications and if you and/or your spouse are US-educated (so familiar with the system) and ready to also lend support I wouldn’t make this a primary factor.

I think Whitgift is consistently the highest performing boys school in London for IB.

One of my daughters went here. It is a very competitive entry school. https://www.nlcs.org.uk/sixth-form/ib/

www.nlcs.org.uk/news/ib-results-2024/

As OP has been looking at Marymount I’m assuming they have a daughter.

How academic is she? No point looking at NLCS unless she’s cream of the crop to speak!

Oops!