Coombe Girls' School Review 2026: High expectations, strong GCSE performance, and a large mixed sixth form

In a part of New Malden where families often compare schools with the same seriousness as house moves, Coombe Girls’ School stands out for two reasons: consistent academic ambition and a sixth form that is big enough to feel like a genuine 16 to 18 community rather than an add-on. The school educates girls from Year 7 to Year 11, then becomes mixed in the sixth form, with a roll of around 1,600 overall and more than 370 students post-16.

The latest Ofsted inspection (1 to 2 May 2024) graded the school Good overall, with Outstanding for Personal Development, and Good for Sixth Form Provision.

Leadership sits within a trust context: Coombe Girls’ School is part of Coombe Academy Trust. That matters to parents because it shapes everything from improvement priorities to staff development and shared policies across schools.

Coombe Girls’ School presents as purposeful, inclusive, and consciously future-facing. The tone set out in formal reporting is of a community that encourages curiosity and creativity, while maintaining high expectations across the age range, including in the large sixth form.

A practical point that often influences day-to-day experience is accessibility. Recruitment material for the school highlights that it is within walking distance of New Malden train station, with on-site parking available, plus bike racks and showers for those cycling. For many families, that combination makes the school workable even when home life spans borough lines and commuting patterns.

The culture also appears deliberately outward-looking. The school runs events such as Culture Day, framed as part of helping pupils engage with issues beyond the classroom and develop character alongside academic outcomes.

Leadership is currently under Ms Emily Barns (Headteacher), a detail confirmed in both government records and the most recent inspection documentation.

For families focused on GCSE outcomes, the headline story is strong performance relative to England overall, underpinned by a very healthy Progress 8 figure.

Ranked 618th in England and 2nd in New Malden for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), the school sits above England average and comfortably within the top quarter of schools in England on this measure.

At GCSE level, the school’s Progress 8 score is +0.7, indicating well above average progress from the end of primary school to GCSE. Attainment 8 is 58.1 and the EBacc average point score is 5.44, with 40.9% achieving grades 5 or above across the EBacc subjects. Taken together, these figures suggest an academically serious core, with outcomes that will appeal to families who want structure, stretch, and credible progress measures rather than relying on reputation alone.

Post-16 results are more mixed relative to the very strongest local comparators, but still solid for many students. Ranked 1086th in England and 3rd in New Malden for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), the sixth form’s results sit in line with the middle group of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

The A-level grade profile shows 6.2% A*, 17.88% A, and 51.09% A* to B. For many families, that translates into a sixth form that can support strong outcomes for committed students, but may not be the best fit for those seeking a relentlessly high-attaining, ultra-selective post-16 environment.

Parents comparing options can use FindMySchool’s Local Hub pages to view these results side-by-side with nearby schools and test how much weight to put on Progress 8 versus raw attainment when shortlisting.

The most useful way to understand teaching quality is to look at how the school describes learning at different stages, then match that with formal observations of implementation. The curriculum is described as broad, with real choice at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form, supporting different academic routes rather than pushing everyone into the same mould.

In practice, the evidence points to a school that has clear routines and strong subject knowledge across much of the staff body, with assessment used regularly to check learning and address misconceptions. A specific example highlighted in formal reporting is design and technology, where pupils build knowledge and skills towards producing increasingly sophisticated outcomes, a sign that sequencing and skill progression are taken seriously.

It is also clear that sixth form improvement has been an explicit leadership focus. The school’s own documentation points to a long tradition of research-led teaching and an emphasis on developing teaching and learning, while the 2024 inspection commentary notes that changes were introduced to strengthen sixth form curriculum after weaker outcomes in 2023.

For students who respond well to clarity and iterative feedback, this kind of model can work very well. The implication for families is that day-to-day teaching is likely to feel organised and deliberate, with learning checked and revisited, rather than left to chance.

Coombe Girls’ School has a substantial sixth form, mixed in gender, which changes the “pipeline” conversation for Year 11 families. Many will be weighing whether to stay for familiarity, continuity, and curriculum breadth, or move elsewhere for a more specialised sixth form offer.

On Oxbridge specifically, the measured period shows 8 applications, 1 offer, and 1 acceptance across Oxford and Cambridge combined. That is not a volume pipeline, but it does indicate that the pathway exists for the small group aiming at the very top end, particularly when paired with strong GCSE progress and high expectations.

For the broader cohort, destination data for the 2023/24 leavers indicates 64% progressed to university, alongside 16% entering employment, 4% going to further education, and 2% starting apprenticeships. This is a profile that will suit many families who want multiple credible routes after sixth form, not only university as the default.

The school’s published emphasis on careers guidance also matters here. Formal reporting describes a comprehensive careers programme and strong support for aspirations, including bespoke pathways for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

For Year 7, admissions are coordinated through the local authority route rather than applying directly to the school.

Two timing points matter most for families targeting September 2026 entry into Year 7 (noting that these dates were for the normal admissions round that has already passed as of 25 January 2026, but the pattern is typically consistent year to year). Applications opened 01 September 2025 and closed 31 October 2025.

Open events are often a practical first step for families trying to decide between several strong local options. For the September 2026 Year 7 intake, Achieving for Children’s published listing included a Coombe Girls’ School open evening on Wednesday 24 September 2025 (5:30pm to 8:00pm).

Demand for places is clearly high. The most recent published demand snapshot indicates 865 applications for 253 offers, consistent with an oversubscribed, high-pressure admissions picture. The implication for families is that preference strategy matters, and it is sensible to build a balanced list of schools rather than relying on one popular option.

For parents trying to understand how distance might affect their chances, FindMySchool’s Map Search tool is the most practical way to test your precise location against historic allocation patterns and to avoid rough assumptions based on postcode alone.

Pastoral quality is one of the school’s distinguishing strengths in official reporting. Personal Development was graded Outstanding in the most recent inspection, reflecting a strong emphasis on wider character, respectful relationships, and preparation for adult life.

A useful example is the way the school approaches inclusion and difference. Formal reporting describes pupils valuing the diversity of the community and building strong friendships, with teaching that covers healthy relationships and online safety as part of preparing students for increasingly complex social realities.

Safeguarding is also explicitly confirmed as effective, which is a baseline expectation but still an important reassurance for families evaluating a busy, high-enrolment secondary.

The extracurricular picture is strongest when it is specific, not generic. Here, there are several concrete examples that help parents understand what “enrichment” actually looks like.

One strand is skills-based clubs that build practical confidence. Formal reporting references clubs including touch typing, embroidery, and debating, alongside sport. These are interesting because they suggest a blend of academic extension (debating), practical capability (touch typing), and creative, craft-based space (embroidery), which will appeal to different pupils for different reasons. For a student who finds their identity outside purely academic measures, those kinds of options can be the difference between “doing school” and feeling part of it.

A second strand is whole-school events that signal values. Culture Day is highlighted as a way pupils engage with wider-world issues and learn to see diversity as normal, not tokenistic. For parents, the implication is that the school is investing time and organisation in shaping social confidence and civic awareness, not only exam readiness.

Finally, the sixth form enrichment layer is likely to matter for older students. The school positions itself around “Curious, Creative, Confident”, and links that to broad experiences and research-led teaching. While slogans are easy to print, the more meaningful point is that older students appear to have structured opportunities to extend beyond their subjects, supported by a strong careers programme and a large post-16 peer group.

Daily logistics are a significant part of the fit question. The school is positioned as walkable from New Malden train station, and it highlights practical support for staff and commuters, including parking, bike racks, and showers. Families considering independent travel for older pupils will find that transport context helpful when thinking about punctuality, after-school clubs, and sixth form timetables.

Start and finish times can vary by year group and by day (for example, assemblies, enrichment, and sixth form commitments), so families should confirm the current timetable arrangements directly with the school when comparing options.

• Competition for places: Demand is high, with 865 applications for 253 offers in the latest published snapshot. This is a school where admissions strategy and realistic alternatives matter.

• Behaviour consistency: Most pupils behave well, but formal reporting indicates that newer behaviour systems were not fully embedded at the time of inspection, with some off-task behaviour disrupting learning in certain lessons. The practical implication is that classroom experience may vary by subject and group while systems continue to settle.

• Sixth form expectations: The sixth form is large and offers breadth, but it is also a setting where independent study habits matter. Students seeking very tight, highly selective post-16 cohorts may want to compare several sixth form environments before deciding.

Coombe Girls’ School suits families who want a high-expectations girls’ secondary with strong GCSE progress measures, plus the option of staying into a large mixed sixth form. The school’s strongest “fit” indicators are academic ambition, a broad curriculum model, and unusually strong personal development outcomes. Admission is the obstacle; the education is the reason families persist.

Families who shortlist this school should use Saved Schools to keep comparisons organised, then validate admissions timelines and open event patterns early in the autumn cycle.