Shiras Devorah High School Review 2026: Small Independent Girls School in Golders Green

A small roll and a focused community feel shape day to day life here, with the school registered for girls aged 11 to 18 and operating as an independent day setting in Barnet. Recent inspection evidence points to a calm climate for learning, with exemplary behaviour and clear classroom routines supporting lessons. At the same time, leadership work remains in progress, particularly around ensuring that curriculum planning is consistently sequenced across all subjects and that relationships, sex and health education (RSE) and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) meet the full set of requirements.

Families considering this school are usually weighing two things at once, a tight knit environment and strong behaviour, alongside the practical reality that published information is limited in places, including admissions timelines and fees, which are described in official documents as voluntary and variable rather than a standard published tariff.

The prevailing tone described in the latest full inspection is one of a caring community where pupils feel safe and are comfortable approaching staff when they have worries. A small cohort can make that easier to deliver in practice, pupils are more visible, and staff can spot patterns quickly. Behaviour is a standout feature, with pupils attentive in lessons and settled routines that reduce low level disruption, which matters disproportionately in smaller schools where the learning climate can change quickly if consistency slips.

The school’s public record also shows a long inspection history for an institution that has been under active scrutiny since pre registration in 2018. That context matters for parents reading beyond the headline grade, because it indicates a school that has had to demonstrate progress against specific requirements over time, rather than simply maintain a settled status quo.

Leadership is currently associated with Mrs Sara Craimer, who is named as headteacher in both the latest standard inspection and recent additional inspection documentation. Earlier official paperwork also shows leadership structures evolving over time, including earlier references to co headteacher arrangements. A specific appointment date for the current headteacher is not consistently published in accessible official sources, so families who care about leadership tenure should ask directly for the timeline and the current senior team structure.

For parents who want a single comparative anchor, the school is ranked 2696th in England and 28th in Barnet for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

On the headline attainment measures available, the school’s Attainment 8 score is 43.1. The English Baccalaureate average point score is 4.46, and the percentage achieving grades 5 or above across the Ebacc is recorded as 0. These figures should be read alongside the school’s small cohort context, where year to year variation can be material and subject entry patterns can change the shape of headline indicators.

A level performance data is not available in the same way here, and inspection documentation indicates that, although the school is registered through to 18, it has not been providing sixth form education to students over 16. In practical terms, families should treat this as an 11 to 16 school for planning purposes unless the school can confirm a current post 16 offer and a timetable for delivery.

Parents comparing Barnet options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page and the Comparison Tool to view these outcomes alongside other schools in the borough, with the advantage of consistent methodology across the dataset.

The strongest evidence based picture is a school where some subjects have been carefully structured, with clear identification of the knowledge and skills pupils are expected to learn, particularly in areas such as English and mathematics. The practical implication for pupils is that learning builds step by step when curriculum sequencing is explicit, and teachers can check for gaps early enough to prevent misconceptions becoming embedded.

Where the curriculum is less consistently planned across subjects, the risk is uneven experience between departments. That can show up as pupils lacking the prior knowledge needed to access new content, and staff needing more targeted support, particularly when teaching outside their subject specialism. For families, the key question to ask is how the school is standardising curriculum planning across all subjects and how it ensures that staff development keeps pace with curriculum changes.

The school’s approach to special educational needs and disabilities is described as having systems to identify need on entry and provide support such as pre teaching and one to one help outside the classroom where required. In a small setting, good identification and targeted support can be a meaningful differentiator, because there is less room for pupils to be overlooked.

Published destination data is limited, and the available official destination fields are not populated with percentages. What can be said from inspection evidence is that leaders frame the secular curriculum around preparation for the next stage, with pupils completing a mix of GCSE and vocational qualifications.

Because sixth form provision is not currently evidenced as operating on roll, post 16 planning is likely to involve external pathways. For many families, that means identifying suitable sixth form colleges or school sixth forms well before Year 11, then mapping subject requirements back to GCSE choices. A good question for the school is how it supports applications and guidance for post 16 transition, including advice on course combinations and any interview or enrolment processes at receiving institutions.

Unlike many state schools, there is no local authority coordinated admissions dataset publicly presented for this school in accessible sources, and third party summaries are not reliable enough to use for dates. The school’s own website presence is minimal at present, which means families should assume that admissions is managed directly by the school and should be clarified via enquiry.

For 2026 entry planning, parents should take a practical approach:

• Start with an early conversation about Year 7 places and the year groups the school is actively recruiting for.

• Ask for the current admissions policy, including any assessment steps, documentation required, and whether there is an interview.

• Request the school’s internal timeline for applications, offers, and acceptance, since published deadlines are not readily available.

If you are comparing options that do have distance based allocation, the FindMySchool Map Search is still useful for sense checking travel time and practical daily logistics, even when formal catchment rules are not the deciding factor.

The most consistent positive thread is pupil safety and calm behaviour. Pupils are described as feeling safe, with trusted staff available, and bullying characterised as rare. In day to day terms, that typically means fewer low grade worries accumulating into bigger problems, and more lesson time protected for teaching.

Attendance oversight is also described as systematic, with checks on absence. In small schools, attendance patterns can be seen quickly, which can help with early intervention when a pupil is struggling.

The main wellbeing related area families should ask about is how PSHE and RSE are delivered in a way that meets requirements while remaining appropriate to the community the school serves. This is both a compliance point and a practical point, because pupils need clear, age appropriate guidance for modern life, including respectful relationships and protected characteristics.

Publicly available detail on clubs and societies is limited, so it is important not to assume a large menu of optional activities. Instead, the clearest evidence of wider experience comes through structured programmes and educational visits described in inspection documentation.

One anchor is the PSHE programme and citizenship teaching, which is used to build teamwork and leadership skills and to introduce pupils to wider themes such as fundamental British values in a general sense. The implication for pupils is that personal development is intended to be taught, not left to chance, although families should ask for the current content plan and how it is evaluated for completeness.

A second anchor is educational visits and reward linked trips. Examples referenced include visits such as the Science Museum, as well as trips used as rewards within the school’s merits system, including a beach visit and a boat trip on the Thames. This matters because, for pupils who do not have a large co curricular framework, well chosen trips can be a key mechanism for broadening horizons and building shared experiences across a small year group.

A practical admissions question is whether these experiences are routine and timetabled, or occasional and dependent on staffing and funding, and what the school’s expectations are around parental contributions for trips and transport.

As an independent school, families should expect costs to extend beyond the state sector baseline, including uniform and trips. However, the most relevant point here is that official documentation describes fees as voluntary and variable rather than stating a published annual or termly tariff, and public reporting in 2025 suggests the school has discussed moving away from formal fees in response to financial pressures.

In practice, that means parents should ask very specifically:

• What contribution is requested for 2025 to 26, and whether it is per term or per year

• Whether any remissions or support arrangements exist, and how they are assessed

• What is included, and what attracts additional charges (for example, trips, exam entries, or transport)

If the school offers bursaries or scholarships, these are not clearly published in accessible sources, so families should request the current policy in writing.

The school is in the Golders Green area of Barnet, with local public transport centred on the Northern line and bus routes along Finchley Road. Golders Green Underground Station is a practical reference point for many commutes, and third party direction sources commonly describe it as about a ten minute walk to addresses on Finchley Road in this area.

School day start and finish times, and any breakfast or after school provision, are not clearly published on the current school website presence, so parents should request these details directly, especially if wraparound care or supervision outside core hours is important.

• Inspection trajectory and remaining gaps. The most recent standard inspection judged the school Requires improvement overall and stated that not all independent school standards are consistently met, with curriculum sequencing and PSHE and RSE coverage highlighted as areas requiring improvement. Families should ask what has changed since September 2024 and how leaders are evidencing sustained compliance.

• Limited published admissions information. With few publicly available admissions dates or processes, families need to be proactive in requesting the policy, timelines, and any assessment steps in writing, particularly for 2026 entry planning.

• Post 16 planning. Although registered to 18, inspection documentation indicates the school has not been operating sixth form provision for students over 16. Parents of younger pupils should plan on the basis of an 11 to 16 pathway unless the school confirms otherwise.

• Cost clarity. Fees are described as voluntary and variable in official documents, so families should clarify the requested contribution and what it covers before committing.

This is a small independent girls school where behaviour and a calm learning environment are clear strengths, and where pupils report feeling safe and supported. It will suit families who value a close knit setting and who are willing to ask detailed questions about curriculum completeness, PSHE and RSE coverage, and post 16 transition planning. The main trade off is the amount of information that is not readily published, which places more responsibility on parents to verify admissions steps, costs, and the school’s current trajectory against the latest inspection priorities.