This is officially London’s best grammar school, according to the 2025 Sunday Times Parent Power Guide

by · Time Out London

Last week the Sunday Times released its annual Parent Power Guide for 2025, a vast lowdown on Britain’s best schools. The Sunday Times’ ranking is the most prestigious of its kind, diving into everything from comprehensives to private schools and primaries. 

And this year, as is often the case, London schools dominate several aspects of the Sunday Times’ guide. London is home to the highest-ranking private school in the list, St Paul’s Girls (which is also ranked the top school in the country), and several north London schools ranking well among comprehensives. 

But what about grammar schools? Predictably, London excelled in this category, too. In fact, four of the top five fully selective schools in the country are here in the capital, according to the Sunday Times’ overall league table.

Placing top of the nationwide selective rankings is The Henrietta Barnett School. The girls-only school in Hampstead Garden Suburb placed tenth overall behind some of the country’s most expensive private schools.   

Henrietta Barnett is no stranger to acclaim, and earlier this year was named one of London’s best schools based on 2024 A-level and GCSE results. The north London school also featured in last year’s Parent Power Guide and the Sunday Times this year awarded it the esteemed title of ‘State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence 2025’. 

The second-best selective school in the country is also here in London: Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet, which placed 11th overall. Third was Wilson’s School in Wallington, which came 19th but topped the Sunday Times’ London selective schools list in 2023.

Here are the top 10 selective state secondary schools in London for 2025, according to the Sunday Times. 

London’s best state secondary schools for 2025

  1. The Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead Garden Suburb
  2. Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet
  3. Wilson’s School, Warrington
  4. St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington
  5. The Tiffin Girls’ School, Kingston upon Thames
  6. Tiffin School, Kingston upon Thames
  7. St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School, Finchley
  8. The Latymer School, Edmonton
  9. Newstead Wood School, Orpington
  10. Wallington County Grammar School, Wallington

You can find the full list of the UK’s top 10 grammar and selective secondary schools here and explore the Sunday Times’ full 2025 Parent Power Guide in full here.

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