Did you know that 92% of state-funded schools in London have been ranked good or outstanding by the government’s Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted)? All that’s left to do is choose one for your child. But where do you start? Our lists of the top state schools – primary and secondary – in London is as good a place as any.
The top state schools in London
Choosing an area to live, finding your ideal home, deciding which local pub whets your whistle: these are all big decisions when relocating to London. If you have kids, however, there’s one decision that’s even more important: which school you’re going to send them to. Yes, you love your job and can’t wait to call London home; but if your child isn’t happy, the relocation won’t be a success – and choosing the right school is central to this.
Our school days are supposed to be the happiest of our lives, so give your child the best chance of experiencing this for themselves by taking the time to learn about the top state schools in London.
Primary schools (age 4-12 years)
Top state schools in London certainly aren’t in short supply. With so many to choose from, you won’t struggle to find a primary school that scores top marks.
Here’s a list of ten of the very best:
| School | Borough |
| Fox Primary School | Kensington and Chelsea |
| St Joseph’s RC Primary School | Brent |
| Thomas Jones Primary School | Kensington and Chelsea |
| Bousfield Primary School | Kensington and Chelsea |
| The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie | Southwark |
| The London Oratory School | Hammersmith & Fulham |
| St Peter’s Catholic Primary School | Greenwich |
| Sir William Burrough Primary School | Tower Hamlets |
| St John and St James Primary School | Hackney |
| Paxton Primary School | Lambeth |
- Fox Primary School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” primary school in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea works to enable all children to reach their full potential through living its core values of respect, resilience, collaboration, curiosity and inclusion.
https://www.fox.rbkc.sch.uk/ - St Joseph’s RC Primary School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” primary school in Willesden, north London, has a real Catholic community of over 500 girls and boys, 70 staff and a flourishing nursery.
https://www.stjosephsrc.co.uk/ - Thomas Jones Primary School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” primary school in Notting Hill, west London, consistently ranks in the Sunday Times top 250 primary schools and falls within the top 1% of schools nationally.
https://www.thomasjonesschool.org/ - Bousfield Primary School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” primary school in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea balances high academic standards and creativity with well-behaved children, loyal and hardworking staff and governors, and supportive parents.
https://www.bousfieldprimaryschool.co.uk/ - The Cathedral School of St Saviour and St Mary Overie
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” primary school in Southwark, south London, has qualified for two SSAT Educational Outcomes Awards by being in the top 20% of primary schools nationally for its pupils’ high attainment.
https://www.cathedralprimaryschool.com/ - The London Oratory School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” Catholic school for boys aged 7–18 and girls aged 16–18 in West Brompton, west London, opened the Junior House in 1996, offering a specialist music education to boys aged 7-10 with a focus on choral liturgical music. Pupils are selected based on musical aptitude.
https://www.london-oratory.org/ - St Peter’s Catholic Primary School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” primary school in Woolwich, south-east London, strives to provide a safe environment in which children can learn to make reasoned judgements, aspire to do and be their best, organise their time, and develop enquiring minds, self-confidence, initiative, and independence.
https://www.stpeters.greenwich.sch.uk/ - Sir William Burrough Primary School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” primary school in Tower Hamlets, east London, provides rich learning experiences through thematic topics designed to inspire, engage, and delight the children and provoke high levels of enquiry.
https://www.sirwilliamburrough.info/ - St John and St James Primary School
This Ofsted-rated “good” primary school in the London Borough of Hackney, east London, has been awarded several awards for its outstanding contribution to different elements of education: School Games Gold Award, Rights Respecting Gold Award, Eco-Schools Bronze Award, Mayor’s Gold Club Award, Healthy Schools London: Bronze and Silver Award, International School Award, Hackney Spanish Primary Award, and TFL Silver STARS Award.
https://www.johnjames.hackney.sch.uk/ - Paxton Primary School
This primary school in Lambeth, south London, strives for the highest standards by working to maintain a shared ethos of achievement, respectfulness and caring among its children, parents, and staff.
https://www.paxtonprimary.co.uk/
Swat up on the best state primary schools in London by reading the following resources:
Note: there are many ways to rank schools, so different sources may give different rankings.
- https://kidify.co.uk – London’s top-performing primary schools as reported by the Sunday Times.
- https://www.mylondon.news – a list of all primary schools that have received ‘outstanding’ in their latest ofsted report.
Secondary schools (age 12-16 years)
Thankfully, finding the best state schools in London isn’t like finding a needle in a haystack. With so many top state secondary schools to choose from, it’s more a case of being spoilt for choice.
Here’s a list of ten of the very best:
| School | Borough |
| Queen Elizabeth’s School | Barnet |
| Wilson’s School | Sutton |
| Henrietta Barnett School | Barnet |
| Tiffin Girls’ School | Kingston upon Thames |
| St Olave’s and St Saviour’s Grammar School | Bromley |
| Tiffin School | Kingston upon Thames |
| Sutton Grammar for Boys | Sutton |
| Nonsuch High School for Girls | Sutton |
| The Latymer School | Enfield |
| Holland Park School | Kensington and Chelsea |
- Queen Elizabeth’s School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” boys’ grammar school in Barnet, north London, has 449 years’ experience in producing confident, able and responsible young men.
https://www.qebarnet.co.uk/ - Wilson’s School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” boys’ grammar school with academy status in the London Borough of Sutton can proudly claim to be one of the country’s most successful state-funded selective boys’ schools.
https://www.wilsons.school/ - Henrietta Barnett School
This non-denominational grammar school for girls aged 11-18 in the Hampstead Garden Suburb, north London, was ranked the top girls’ state school in the country in The Sunday Times Parent Power magazine 2021.
https://www.hbschool.org.uk/ - Tiffin Girls’ School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” girls’ selective school with academy status in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, has a clear vision: to provide ‘an intellectually stimulating and outward-facing school, enabling students to flourish and contribute to society.
https://www.tiffingirls.org/ - St Olave’s and St Saviour’s Grammar School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” boy’s selective secondary school in Orpington, south London, prides itself on welcoming pupils of all faiths and backgrounds, championing dignity and respect for all.
https://www.saintolaves.net/ - Tiffin School
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” boys’ grammar school in Kingston upon Thames, south-west London, consistently achieves outstanding exam results, with an average over three years of approximately 85% of all GCSE grades at 9-7, and 90% of all A-Level grades at A*-B.
https://www.tiffinschool.co.uk/home.html - Sutton Grammar for Boys
This Ofsted-rated “outstanding” selective state grammar school for boys aged 11-18 in Sutton, south London, not only produces excellent results, it nurtures confident, articulate young people.
https://www.suttongrammar.sutton.sch.uk/ - Nonsuch High School for Girls
This Ofsted-rated “good” girls’ grammar school with academy status in Cheam, south London, aims to empower its pupils and enrich their lives to ensure they aspire to take centre stage in the world.
http://www.nonsuchschool.org/ - The Latymer School
This Ofsted-rated “good” selective mixed grammar school in Edmonton, north London, consistently achieves top GCSE and A Level exam results that place it in the top 10% of co-educational schools nationally.
https://www.latymer.co.uk/ - Holland Park School
This coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status in Holland Park, west London, is one of the capital’s very first comprehensive schools. Since 1958, it has been helping pupils to thrive as individuals whilst contributing to communal aspirations: a balance of the person and the institution.
https://www.hollandparkschool.co.uk/
Swat up on the best state secondary schools in London by reading the following resources:
Note: there are many ways to rank schools, so different sources may give different rankings.
- https://www.mylondon.news– provides a list of the top secondary schools in London based on exam results, with London schools making up the first 5 of the top 10 schools in the UK!
- Government school-performance data service – provides performance tables for all schools in England, enabling you to make comparisons.
