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Best secondary schools St Albans
Best secondary schools in Harpenden
Best secondary schools in Radlett
Best secondary schools in Rickmansworth
Parents move heaven and earth (not to mention house) to get into STAGS (St Albans Girls’ School). Results are outstanding, particularly for a non-selective intake, with everyone seeming to get swept along by the culture of learning.
Other well-regarded (all non-selective) schools include Beaumont School (particularly good sixth form) and Sandringham School (great on independent learning and relationships between staff and students). Loreto College is a Catholic secondary girls’ school where teachers know the children well and teach them with creativity.
Best primary schools in St Albans
Best private schools in St Albans
There are three main contenders – all non-selective academically - and yes, parents do get the rulers out when they’re choosing which house to buy or on appeals day. The most oversubscribed – and riding high as one of the top non-selective state schools in the country - is St George’s School Harpenden, which combines a Christian community with top-notch results. Coupled with its heritage feel, posh surroundings, herringbone blazers and lacrosse, you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a private school. But take note, priority is given to regular church-goers. Sir John Lawes School is seen as the most nurturing of the three main options. It also has a fantastic reputation for media and arts, science, sport. Roundwood Park School sits in the middle of the other two academically, and some local parents say it doesn’t quite have the edge on sport or pastorally.
Best primary schools in Harpenden
Best private schools in Harpenden
Parmiter’s School is phenomenally oversubscribed with a long list of semi-selective criteria. In a sea of strong academic schools, it stands out for being dynamic and friendly, with an inclusive vibe and impressive extracurricular.
Watford Grammar School for Boys and Watford Grammar School for Girls are, despite their names, semi-selective. If you have a daughter with a desire to succeed, she’ll flourish, and not just academically. A favourite at sixth form too. The boys’ school is less academic, but still gets results well above the national average and, according to parents, also ticks sporting and musical boxes, as well as ‘turns out real gentlemen’.
Dame Alice Owen’s School soars ahead of the lot academically and this semi-selective school is also known for its music. ‘If you manage to get a place, congratulations, you have won the lottery,’ says our reviewer. Among other popular semi-selective schools are Bushey Meads School and Queen’s School, both in Bushey, while among faith schools, St Michael’s High School is a big hitter.
Best primary schools in Radlett
Best private schools in Radlett
‘Sighs of relief are audible across the valley for those securing their place on National Offers Day by parents who have paid a hefty premium on their house to live in catchment,’ says our reviewer of semi-selective St Clement Danes School, which produces excellent results year after year, as well as excelling in extracurricular. But you’ll need to be on the Chorleywood side of town to get one of the non-selective places.
Grammar school enthusiasts close to the Bucks border in Chorleywood may have a very small chance of Dr Challoner’s High School or Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, while Chesham Grammar School takes more youngsters from the neighbouring (and out of catchment) Herts local authority - but for all of them, it really depends on the year group. These schools are also popular at sixth form, though you’ll likely need a sweep of 9s at GCSE.
In Rickmansworth itself, Rickmansworth School is a popular semi-selective school whose overhaul in languages teaching and pastoral care have reaped benefits in recent years, while Saint Joan of Arc Catholic School is a good faith school.
Best primary schools in Rickmansworth
Best private schools in Rickmansworth
Best nurseries in Rickmansworth
The Herts County Council website outlines SEND education options and admissions.
Garston Manor is a special secondary school for children with learning difficulties and/or speech, language and communication needs. Most of the children from Colnbrook School in Watford move on to this school. The rest of the secondary provision we rate forms part of all-through schools mentioned in the primary school section: Heathlands School and St Luke’s School, both in St Albans, and The Collett School in Hemel Hempstead.
St Michael Catholic High School is a mainstream school with resourced SEN provision. Ditto for Loreto College whose services include a transition programme for those with additional needs, literacy intervention, mentoring, assistive technology and a personal development programme for autistic students.
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Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index
Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.
We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2022 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.
Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons.
At specialist music, dance or performing arts schools, the arts aren't optional extras. They’re intrinsic to the school curriculum. Students are expected to fit in high level training and hours of practice alongside a full academic provision. It's a lot to ask any child to take on, but for those with exceptional performing ability this kind of education can be transformative.