What Does The Good Schools Guide offers London parents?

Reviewed schools: Our selection of reviewed schools is a personal one, based on information from our team of London editors, parents and moles - designed especially to help you make the right choice (see below).

Special school reviews: A number of special schools and mainstream schools with good provision for children with a range of special needs are reviewed; these reviews appear on this website.

SEN Survey: Thousands of mainstream and special schools have completed our detailed SEN questionnaire - found on the individual school pages. If you are a subscriber you will also have access to SEN data.

Exam results: Subscribers gain unlimited access to detailed KS2, GCSE and A-level examination results,

University statistics: We provide the ultimate in uni stats - for almost all senior schools - we publish detailed results of which universities and what courses, pupils go on to.

Entry and exit schools: For state secondary schools check which primary schools pupils came from and for state junior schools see which schools pupils move on to.  

Catchment maps - See which areas, children at a school, come from. 

How good Is a school for my child - Even good schools are not necessarily great for all children. Our examination of value-added data helps you pin-point which schools are good for the brightest or the not so able. We also have detailed subject information which indicates the subjects individual schools excel at and those that 'could do better'. 

All these features are available to subscribers. An introductory subscription to The Guide costs £9.99 for one month or £39 (that's just £3.25 a month) if you purchase an annual subscription - a truly small price for great help and advice.

Schools we review in inner and outer London

Almost all of the features above are offered for virtually all London schools, however our reviews are special and limited to those schools we hand-pick, so naturally not all schools will have a review.

We review more than 300 schools including:

• 12 special schools
• 200+ independent mainstream schools, 13 of which take boarders - (very few schools within London have boarding facilities)
• 80+ independent senior schools
• 50+ state secondary schools
• 200+ state junior / independent fee-paying prep schools

And, for those in need of a little 'extra help', we also review a number of London based tutor agencies

Typical Good Schools Guide reviews of London schools

Not sure what is in a Good Schools Guide school review?

Schools are unique and so are our reviews. We don't cover all the same information for all schools but normally we write about the Head, give an insight into entry and exit criteria, detail academic performance, pastoral care (and discipline), sports, drama, music, art, extra-curricula activities - in fact whatever makes the school tick. We describe the background and atmosphere, even write about typical parents and what kind of child the school suits (and who it doesn't and of course include our personal remarks and findings. Schools are asked to check for factual inaccuracies and update factual changes but in all other respects 'The editor's decision is final.' This doesn't always please schools but it delights parents!

The Good Schools Guide - Can you afford not to read it?

Authoritative, sought-after, truthful...

Try before you buy

Click on the links below to read the FULL Good Schools Guide review either online as a  subscriber** to this site or buy The Guide now, from our on-line store.

Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton an independent school for girls aged 7-18.

Deservedly one of the top girls' schools in the country; it is exactly right for confident, bright young things who thrive on hard work. Highly sought after for its academic delivery, celebrating female success..

Rainbow School for children with autism (secondary), London is an independent special school for boys and girls aged 11-17.

At Rainbow there aren't problems - just issues that require solutions, so school focuses their energies on what works best for the child. A fair few hot potatoes thrown its way over the years, and the governments proposals might not do them any favours..

Discover all the inside information including: 

• What the head is really like.
• How to get in - and where pupils go on to when they leave.
• What's really on offer; both in and out of the classroom.
• The facilities, frippery and finery to be found - or not!
• The atmosphere - who will the school REALLY suit?
• The funding you'll need and the financial health of the school.
• Our opinion - what parents think, what we've uncovered...

Online only -

Subscribers to The Good Schools guide can examine:

• School performance data* for KS2, GCSE and A-level
• Value-added data* .Does the school make a difference to all pupils or just some?
• University information*. Details of which universities pupils go on to and what they study.
• And, for English state schools, make sure you make the right move by examining catchment area data and seeing which schools pupils come from and which schools they move on to. 

*We indicate on a school's page here data is available. We do not have data for schools outside of England.

How we help you delve beyond the headline hype

On this site you will find a wealth of information to help you uncover and choose the right school for your child.

We have an extensive search facility - simply enter your criteria to locate potential schools.

Use 'My Schools' to save your short list of schools (you have to be registered to use my schools. If you are registered AND a subscriber you can not only save your preferred schools but analyse and compare them too...

How do I compare my shortlist of schools?

A school may have good results overall but not actually perform well in all subjects or for all children.

You can compare performance at KS2 (English state schools), GCSE and A-level.

Performance between schools varies tremendously, importantly it can even vary within a school. Some schools excel in Chemistyry, yet fall short of the mark in maths. GCSE performance may be superb but A-level fail to make the grade. Subscribers to this website can use our extensive data to find how English state (and senior independent) schools compare overall and in chosen subjects and subject combinations. (The graphs are interactive so hovering over a bubble will reveal the school name. The school represented by the bright yellow bubble - top RHS - in the chart above s a top performer for both of my chosen criteria).

How do I tell if a school is good for a child like mine?  

Red = excellent value added

Yellow = Some value added

Green = Could do better

Blue = Failing to add any value 

To use the charts decide if your child is very clever (look at the four bars labelled 1st), above average (2nd),  a little below average (3rd) or struggling (4th).

The value added charts illustrated are available for English state schools and English independent senior schools at sixth-form.

The school illustrated above is failing children of all abilities (note the tall blue bars) with children in the 3rd and 4th quartiles, those of average or below average ability,  failed the most (the blue and green bars are taller). The very short red and yellow bars are a worry as these indicate the proportions of children that the school positively adds value to. 

The school in the chart above is failing to do well by a lot of children

but especially the least able (the 4th set of bars on the chart)

On the other-hand - the chart below shows a school that is especially successful with the less able. The tall red bar fronting the 4th group/quartile shows very good value added - there is no green or blue bar for this group- fantastic!  All of the least able experience greater success then expected. The most able, in the 1st quartile, don't have quite as much value added (it can be difficult to add value to already very good children)...but importantly, at this school, there is an absence of blue bars which means no child fails to have any value-added. 

The school in the chart below is performing much better - adding lots of value, especially to the least able children

Iif you're a subscriber to the Good Schools Guide (GSG) online** you can use our in-depth data to delve behind superficial league tables, to view charts such as the ones above. To find out how well a school* is likely to do for YOUR child - whatever their ability - even if they have special needs. We even show you which universities pupils go on to and what courses they take. 

** A subscription costs £9.99 for one month or £39 for one year (equivalent to just £3.25 per month). With competition for the best schools hotting-up, there's never been a better time to buy. Can you afford not to?

*We have data for English state and independent schools but not for independent prep schools.

London boroughs

How do I search for London Schools?

Use our 'Find a School' search to locate schools in, or near to, London that meets your criteria. You can search for all schools or just those reviewed by the GSG team.

Don't forget to select the local authorities that are of interest to you. You can even limit your search to include only those schools reviewed by The Good Schools Guide - simply select 'In Good Schools Guide' = 'Yes'.

A GSG School indicates schools reviewed in The Guide. We carry lots of information on all London schools including detailed examination results and performance analysis. However, only schools with the symbol shown have been visited and reviewed by The Good Schools Guide team.

Short of time? Confused? Is finding the ideal school a struggle?

Why not consult the experts at The Good Schools Guide Advice Service. Our trusted consultants are available year round (and at short notice), to give you the individual help and advice your child deserves. Whether searching for a school at home or overseas...

Next steps

We have a whole series of articles and advice to help you every step of the way; whether tentatively embarking on choosing a school, or part way through the school choice process.

For those new to the process:

From Embryo To Eighteen - How To Survive The Education Highway

Mix And Match State and Private Education

Coming Into The British School System From Abroad

Sussing Out An Independent School and Horses For Courses

Choosing A School For A Talented Child

For those visiting schools:

Questions To Ask Staff When Visiting A School

Questions To Ask When Visiting A School - Academic Matters

Questions To Ask When Visiting A School - Financial Factors

Questions To Ask  When Visiting A School - Beyond the Classroom

Visiting A School - Questions For Pupils

School Open Evenings

For those contemplating the admissions process:

Independent School Admissions - Insider Information On Getting In!

Independent School Admissions - It's Not Just Ability To Pay 

SEN Admission To Independent School

State School Admission - How To Secure A Place

Appealing For A School Place

The Catchment Area Cheat

Shop Online from our Bookstore

Galore Park, an independent publisher have a excellent range of books - including study guides, individual subjects plus verbal and non-verbal reasoning.

You can order past papers for exams plus all the Galore Park textbooks from our online bookshop.