Sending your kid to a private school costs a lot of money. We’re talking upwards of £20k per term for the most expensive independent institutions that the UK has to offer. So, for the few that have that kind of cash to splash, it’s only natural to want to make sure the education your child is getting is really worth it.
Fortunately, there are plenty of league tables out there to help parents figure out just that. One of the most respected rankings of the UK’s very best private schools is Carfax Education’s Schools Index.
Carfax Education has all sorts of guides looking at private schools around the globe, but the one we’re looking at just focuses on British senior schools – ie places that teach students doing GSCEs, A Levels or the International Baccalaureate.
This year’s top 25 have been handpicked by education consultants and international experts. Each place has been recognised for things like academic standards, facilities and how it preps for university and life beyond academia. The schools have been listed alphabetically, so there’s not one that outshines the rest.
The latest edition of the prestigious list features a lot of the usual suspects, like Eton, Harrow and Cheltenham Ladies’ College. It also includes Benenden School in Kent, a girls’ school once attended by Princess Anne and Gordonstoun in Moray, Scotland, which was attended by a bunch of other royal family members including King Charles, Prince Philip and Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall.
Each school is accompanied by a pretty vague one-liner that sums up its purpose. For example, Winchester College is ‘all about the individual’, Oundle School in Northamptonshire focuses on ‘opportunities for all’ and Haileybury College in Hertfordshire is summed up with the words ‘hearts and wings’. Here is the top 25.
The UK’s 25 best independent senior schools, according to the Carfax Schools Index (in alphabetical order)
- Benenden School
- Brighton College
- Charterhouse
- Cheltenham Ladies’ College
- Downe House School
- Dulwich College
- Eton College
- Fettes College
- Gordonstoun
- Haileybury College
- Harrow School
- Marlborough College
- Millfield School
- Oundle School
- Radley College
- Rugby School
- Sevenoaks School
- Shrewsbury School
- St. Mary’s School Ascot
- The King’s School Canterbury
- Tonbridge School
- Uppingham School
- Wellington College
- Winchester College
- Wycombe Abbey School
You can find out more on the Carfax Education website here.
Get schooled with Time Out
We’ve also got a list of England's 10 best private schools based on this year’s A-level and GCSE results and the best for getting students Oxbridge offers.
Private schools aren’t the only ones serving exceptional education, though. See which comprehensive state schools ranked highly on the Sunday Times Power Guide here, and the best selective and grammar schools, according to the same guide. If you want to check out other league tables, these are the UK's best state secondary schools based on 2024 GCSE results, according to Which School Advisor.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.