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Schools in London

Roman wall remnants, Georgian squares, Victorian railway viaducts, and glass towers rising above Canary Wharf define the layered built form of London, capital of England and a settlement founded by the Romans as Londinium nearly two thousand years ago. From the Thames estuary in the east to the Chiltern fringe in the northwest, the city spreads across 1,572 square kilometres of southeast England, now comprising thirty-two boroughs and the historic City of London. Around 8.9 million people call Greater London home.

The Underground's Central and Northern lines are two of eleven Tube routes threading the metropolis, linking neighbourhoods that vary enormously in character and in the intensity of competition for school places. Westminster and Camden anchor the inner-London catchment race, drawing families who treat admission zone boundaries as carefully as property searches. Wandsworth and Richmond upon Thames are widely regarded as London's most school-competitive postcodes for state catchments, while Barnet draws equally motivated families across the north.

  • 1980

    Primary

    schools

  • 549

    Secondary

    schools

  • 138

    All-through

    schools

  • 60

    Post-16

    colleges

  • 277

    Special

    schools

  • 115

    Other

    schools

of which674sixth forms·18grammar·701faith·74nursery schools3193 total

Area Performance

London schools rank in the top 35% of England

Across 2941 primary, secondary and sixth-form schools, state and independent. The average Find My School Inspection Score is 7.99/10, +0.55 vs England.

Find My School Inspection Band

31% Elite

Distribution across all London schools

EliteExcellentGoodDevelopingRebuilding

London vs England distribution

National Rank

Top 35%

Across all ranked London schools

Top 31%Primaryavg #4,611 of 14,821
Top 37%Secondaryavg #1,405 of 3,803
Top 43%Sixth formavg #1,093 of 2,523

Top 3 Primary Schools

2026

London

  1. 1Southfield Primary School
  2. 2Barnes Primary School
  3. 3Yardley Primary School
View full primary rankings

Top 3 Secondary Schools

2026

London

  1. 1St Paul's Girls' School
  2. 2North London Collegiate School
  3. 3The Godolphin and Latymer School
View full secondary rankings

Top 3 Sixth Forms

2026

London

  1. 1King's College London Maths School
  2. 2St Paul's Girls' School
  3. 3North London Collegiate School
View full sixth form rankings

Local directory

School profiles in London

Browse 3106 local profile links across primary schools, secondary schools, sixth forms and other schools. Each profile brings together admissions context, performance data, inspection history and school details in one place.

4,884 nurseries in London

Primary schools

2,115 local matches

Rankings

Secondary schools

686 local matches

Rankings

Sixth forms

588 local matches

Rankings

Other schools

392 local matches

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Explore schools in all London boroughs

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