Secondary schools - central London

Nkmama15 · 2025-09-14T08:14:07+00:00

I didn’t grow up in London and went to a lovely girls school out in Hertfordshire. Green surroundings, incredible facilities, easy bus commute and so forth…fast forward 30 years, I’m in central London looking for secondary schools for my daughter. We have several Catholic schools as possibilities due to feeder school route and paperwork needed but I also need a backup as not sure we will get as seem a lottery even with feeder school route etc! There are some CoE schools which are lovely also - St Marylebone, Grey Coats and Lady Margaret’s. Now, is there any point my daughter doing the lang test for Grey Coats ?! Is it really competitive and once there is it really as good and as nice as portrayed? Once in there is the pressure insane ?! What is the opinion on Lady Margaret’s? i liked the Catholic school sacred heart in Hammersmith as an all rounder but I need to a back up!! anywhere else I should consider?!

Camdenish · 14/09/2025 10:59

Would Parliament Hill School for Girls be a possibility? It fits your criteria of being in beautiful surroundings.

AlastheDaffodils · 14/09/2025 11:10

Lady Margaret’s is very good. A friend of mine teaches there and several other friends attended as pupils (obviously a while ago now). Hard to get into so I’m not sure I would use it as your back-up.

Are you set on girls schools? The stats suggest London schools are mostly pretty good atm, but most will obviously be mixed.

Original poster

Nkmama15 · 14/09/2025 14:49

Camdenish · 14/09/2025 10:59

Would Parliament Hill School for Girls be a possibility? It fits your criteria of being in beautiful surroundings.

Yes that would be ideal , we really liked it BUT it’s non religious and therefore the catchment is only based on distance to the school and it’s small! It’s a great school!

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Original poster

Nkmama15 · 14/09/2025 14:52

AlastheDaffodils · 14/09/2025 11:10

Lady Margaret’s is very good. A friend of mine teaches there and several other friends attended as pupils (obviously a while ago now). Hard to get into so I’m not sure I would use it as your back-up.

Are you set on girls schools? The stats suggest London schools are mostly pretty good atm, but most will obviously be mixed.

Going down the single sex as the mixed schools near me are not that nice. Only option for mix near me are Holland Park which I’m not that keen on or All Saint catholic collage and I’m not keen on that either. We also have KAA but I do not like. Other mixed are out of catchment .

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Original poster

Nkmama15 · 14/09/2025 15:09

I have these Catholic schools:
sacred heart - Hammersmith
Ursuline Catholic school -
Gumley house -

also Holland Park , KAA in the area but I do not like them tbh.

others- grey coats, lady Margaret’s, st Marylebone

opinions of any of these would be very much appreciated. I’m visiting all and also have see some of them last year when was scouting the school situation for my daughter.

to add to this , my daughter is very into arts and performance. She also very sporty , very likeable and confident. Her barrier is she’s dyslexic and whilst is very curious learning and will always try and puts in a lot of effort in she does need teachers who are going to help or encourage and inspire different careers etc .

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MummasBaby · 15/09/2025 06:28

@Nkmama15 I’m unsure about the other schools you’ve mentioned apart from KAA since my son might be going there. May I please ask you what did not appeal to you about KAA.

DeftPoet · 15/09/2025 21:02

Nkmama15 · 14/09/2025 14:49

Yes that would be ideal , we really liked it BUT it’s non religious and therefore the catchment is only based on distance to the school and it’s small! It’s a great school!

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Hmm, not sure the catchment is that small? We are almost two miles away and there are quite a few girls from our street there

user149799568 · 16/09/2025 10:37

my daughter is very into arts and performance

I assume you're aware of the Performing Arts Scholarship places at St Marylebone's?

https://stmarylebone.school/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Performing-Arts-Scholarship-Additional-Information-for-Applicants-from-June-2024-Google-Docs-1.pdf

Original poster

Nkmama15 · 16/09/2025 13:44

user149799568 · 16/09/2025 10:37

my daughter is very into arts and performance

I assume you're aware of the Performing Arts Scholarship places at St Marylebone's?

Yep, we visited the special open day in June and have all the information . It’s our only route to apply. We aren’t COE and do not live right next to school. We aren’t too far from the school but Catholic so only can apply performance places .

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Melonjuice · 25/09/2025 16:26

I Must be the only person on this website that did not like grey coat hospital that much
I went to the open day the other day, which was very busy although informative it was very rushed and I found the school to be a bit rundown and although they have excellent results, I’m wondering whether the school really is as non selective as they say it is
The school hasn’t got much open space for sports, and the gym was a bit grotty
I visited another school in Southfields in London ( st cecelias ) which had great facilities was modern and refreshing with excellent exam results although not as good as grey coat . I’ve also heard lots of things that if your daughter is not the studious high achieving type then she may find it difficult at this school although I don’t know personally . I asked the deputy head a question about SEN and her answer was vague and unwelcoming. I’m still unsure whether to put it on my list.

Moss2000 · 25/09/2025 19:05

Melonjuice · 25/09/2025 16:26

I Must be the only person on this website that did not like grey coat hospital that much
I went to the open day the other day, which was very busy although informative it was very rushed and I found the school to be a bit rundown and although they have excellent results, I’m wondering whether the school really is as non selective as they say it is
The school hasn’t got much open space for sports, and the gym was a bit grotty
I visited another school in Southfields in London ( st cecelias ) which had great facilities was modern and refreshing with excellent exam results although not as good as grey coat . I’ve also heard lots of things that if your daughter is not the studious high achieving type then she may find it difficult at this school although I don’t know personally . I asked the deputy head a question about SEN and her answer was vague and unwelcoming. I’m still unsure whether to put it on my list.

I visited Grey Coat Hospital School on September 24, 2025, with high expectations, as my family has attended church for over five years and met all admissions criteria. However, the open day was a deeply disappointing experience that did not align with the positive impression conveyed by the headteacher and deputy headteacher.From the outset, the visit felt chaotic. Despite pre-booking tickets, they were not checked upon arrival, setting a disorganised tone. The two student guides assigned to us were unprepared, unable to answer basic questions, and appeared confused, which was far below the standard of conduct I expected. When I approached a member of the administration team for clarification, she offered an apology but no answers before excusing herself, leaving my concerns unaddressed.My daughter, who accompanied me, felt completely disengaged and unwelcome, which was particularly disheartening. After the visit, I spoke with members of the local community and Youth Club, who strongly advised against considering the school, further reinforcing my concerns about its environment.The lack of discipline, poor organisation, and unprofessional conduct during the visit have led me to conclude that Grey Coat Hospital School is not a suitable environment for my daughter. I have removed it from my list of preferred schools and would caution others to approach with similar caution.

Original poster

Nkmama15 · 25/09/2025 19:10

Melonjuice · 25/09/2025 16:26

I Must be the only person on this website that did not like grey coat hospital that much
I went to the open day the other day, which was very busy although informative it was very rushed and I found the school to be a bit rundown and although they have excellent results, I’m wondering whether the school really is as non selective as they say it is
The school hasn’t got much open space for sports, and the gym was a bit grotty
I visited another school in Southfields in London ( st cecelias ) which had great facilities was modern and refreshing with excellent exam results although not as good as grey coat . I’ve also heard lots of things that if your daughter is not the studious high achieving type then she may find it difficult at this school although I don’t know personally . I asked the deputy head a question about SEN and her answer was vague and unwelcoming. I’m still unsure whether to put it on my list.

Thank you ! This is helpful!

think it’s a legacy school but I’ve heard good and bad things. I think there are better all rounder schools. I wonder if it’s actually a happy school … or if the focus is purely on results …

I like sacred heart catholic in Hammersmith - the facilities were incredible- looks very old from the outside but inside was like Harry Potter (as my daughter said !) and then into a new build which was incredible.

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Melonjuice · 26/09/2025 13:47

Moss2000 · 25/09/2025 19:05

I visited Grey Coat Hospital School on September 24, 2025, with high expectations, as my family has attended church for over five years and met all admissions criteria. However, the open day was a deeply disappointing experience that did not align with the positive impression conveyed by the headteacher and deputy headteacher.From the outset, the visit felt chaotic. Despite pre-booking tickets, they were not checked upon arrival, setting a disorganised tone. The two student guides assigned to us were unprepared, unable to answer basic questions, and appeared confused, which was far below the standard of conduct I expected. When I approached a member of the administration team for clarification, she offered an apology but no answers before excusing herself, leaving my concerns unaddressed.My daughter, who accompanied me, felt completely disengaged and unwelcome, which was particularly disheartening. After the visit, I spoke with members of the local community and Youth Club, who strongly advised against considering the school, further reinforcing my concerns about its environment.The lack of discipline, poor organisation, and unprofessional conduct during the visit have led me to conclude that Grey Coat Hospital School is not a suitable environment for my daughter. I have removed it from my list of preferred schools and would caution others to approach with similar caution.

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I too visited on the 24th of September- it was a bit of a shambles and our group was told off by the art teacher for going into the art room even though our guides are the ones that led us in !

SteelyEyed · 26/09/2025 14:51

Nkmama15 · 16/09/2025 13:44

Yep, we visited the special open day in June and have all the information . It’s our only route to apply. We aren’t COE and do not live right next to school. We aren’t too far from the school but Catholic so only can apply performance places .

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You don't need to be CoE!! One of my DD's friends got offered a place this year for Y7. (not first round mind you, but waitlist came through over the summer, very late). They are practising Catholic an live in the far reaches of Islington.

Don't bother with the Performing Arts scholarship other than for the experience, we turned up on the day and there were literally hundreds there applying for a handful of places, you need to be super super outstanding.

It's all about the banding - you want to be in band B and C, so counterintuitively it works against you if your DD is super bright as they only give a comparatively small number of places to band A.

SteelyEyed · 26/09/2025 14:59

Nkmama15 · 25/09/2025 19:10

Thank you ! This is helpful!

think it’s a legacy school but I’ve heard good and bad things. I think there are better all rounder schools. I wonder if it’s actually a happy school … or if the focus is purely on results …

I like sacred heart catholic in Hammersmith - the facilities were incredible- looks very old from the outside but inside was like Harry Potter (as my daughter said !) and then into a new build which was incredible.

Show quote history

Greycoat still has a lot of prestige, David Cameron sent his DD there and all that... It's about the cohort of girls your DD will be associating with and Greycoat still skews well for that, nice middle class families for the most part. You may or may not want that personally for your DD, but it's the reality.

A lot of open days are diabolical for the single reason that they get Y7's to do the guided tours and they are fucking useless. No idea why they do this, why wouldn't you get older girls who actually know something about the school?

Original poster

Nkmama15 · 26/09/2025 16:31

SteelyEyed · 26/09/2025 14:51

You don't need to be CoE!! One of my DD's friends got offered a place this year for Y7. (not first round mind you, but waitlist came through over the summer, very late). They are practising Catholic an live in the far reaches of Islington.

Don't bother with the Performing Arts scholarship other than for the experience, we turned up on the day and there were literally hundreds there applying for a handful of places, you need to be super super outstanding.

It's all about the banding - you want to be in band B and C, so counterintuitively it works against you if your DD is super bright as they only give a comparatively small number of places to band A.

Edited

Show quote history

We are going to apply either way - even being Catholic . We are doing performance place as she just wants to give ago. But it’s good to hear this information!

did you end up doing Catholic secondary?

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MandJa · 26/09/2025 18:20

We live in Borough and have the same question for our DD. All schools recommended above are too far for us, except Grey Coats, but we are not CoE (we are jewish) - are there any other suggestions for a bright, athletic girl?

nayber · 15/10/2025 20:43

Nkmama15 · 14/09/2025 15:09

I have these Catholic schools:
sacred heart - Hammersmith
Ursuline Catholic school -
Gumley house -

also Holland Park , KAA in the area but I do not like them tbh.

others- grey coats, lady Margaret’s, st Marylebone

opinions of any of these would be very much appreciated. I’m visiting all and also have see some of them last year when was scouting the school situation for my daughter.

to add to this , my daughter is very into arts and performance. She also very sporty , very likeable and confident. Her barrier is she’s dyslexic and whilst is very curious learning and will always try and puts in a lot of effort in she does need teachers who are going to help or encourage and inspire different careers etc .

We are in the same locale. Best primaries in the country, a lot of unimpressive secondaries. We are considering the same schools as you out of the borough -we aren't applying in the borough at all. You haven't mentioned Twyford - is that because it is mixed? I like All Saints actually, the head makes a lot of sense to me, i like his style.

If my daughter was very artsy etc, I'd be making a beeline for St Marylebone. That's your ticket.