For an academic child, I would not rule out a school you like on the basis that it is too hard to get into. For example, my DD has a friend who got offers from NLCS, SPGS and Wycombe Abbey but not CLSG, plenty who got into CLSG but not South Hampstead and vice versa. I also heard of people being turned down for Channing but getting into higher rated school.
I would not rule out distance as a consideration, e.g. colleague's daughter is at a super-selective which has children travelling in from a very wide area and she finds it frustrating socially not to have more local friends.
My more academic DD1 sat for 2 top tier, 3 next tier down (that felt about right but was less than 5 tests because of the consortia, but appreciate that there are fewer schools in the consortia now than there used to be)
DD2 sat 1 top tier (DD1's school), 3 next tier and 1 banker.
Of the private girls schools i know I would rank them as follows:
SPGS, NLCS
CLSG, JAGS, LEH, G&L
Various of the Highs (SHHS, Wimbledon, Putney)
CHanning, Francis Holland, Surbiton, Notting Hill, Queens (some here harder than others)
Of the co-eds, I would say Alleyns, Highgate and and LU are the best.
Emmanuel probably more of a banker, but increasingly harder to get in to.