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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.

  • 2246

    Primary

    schools

  • 228

    Secondary

    schools

  • 99

    All-through

    schools

  • 47

    Post-16

    colleges

  • 236

    Special

    schools

  • 71

    Other

    schools

of which368sixth forms·5grammar·714faith·62nurseries2989 total

Area Performance

London schools rank in the top 34% of England

Across 1765 primary, secondary and sixth-form schools, state and independent. The average Find My School Inspection Score is 8.05/10, +0.61 vs England.

Find My School Inspection Band

30% Elite

Distribution across all London schools

EliteExcellentGoodDevelopingRebuilding

London vs England distribution

National Rank

Top 34%

Across all ranked London schools

Top 31%Primaryavg #4,593 of 14,978
Top 36%Secondaryavg #1,397 of 3,862
Top 42%Sixth formavg #1,076 of 2,555

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

Local directory

School profiles in London

Browse 2560 local profile links across primary schools, secondary schools and sixth forms. Each profile brings together admissions context, performance data, inspection history and school details in one place.

Primary schools

1,987 local matches

Rankings

Secondary schools

649 local matches

Rankings

Sixth forms

563 local matches

Rankings
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Explore schools in all London boroughs

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