The Tatler guide to the best state secondary schools 2017

Hooray for free education! We round up the secondary schools giving the independents a run for their money...

The Charter School

London, SE24

Pupils 1,187 boys and girls, aged 11-18

Head Christian Hicks (an alum of Dulwich College, up the road) has high hopes for his pupils, who 'flourish here regardless of their starting points or circumstances', he says. Founded in 2000, the Charter School has filled the gap for a non-selective state secondary in an area teeming with independent offerings (JAGS and Alleyn's are nearby). Since it opened its gates, the accolades have poured in - two Outstanding Ofsted reports, GCSE results in the top four per cent nationally (67 per cent A*-B at A-level last year) and four clever clogs skipping off to Oxbridge last year. Sport is important, and we hear the football and basketball teams are brill. Local Jo Brand pops in for quiz nights, and joined in with pupils and staff rowing an imaginary UK coastline for Children in Need. The school is oversubscribed (1,300 applications for 180 places for September 2017 entry), but don't panic: Charter School East Dulwich opened last September and moves to spanking new premises on the site of Dulwich Hospital in 2018.

Holland Park School

London, W8

Pupils 1,359 boys and girls, aged 11-18

We make no apologies for including HP again: it is, quite simply, the gold standard for state education. It's worth going to an open day just to check out the Notting Hillites angling for a place. Sadly for them, the catchment area is now down to 0.39 of a mile, so even if they only live - as head Colin Hall puts it - 'across the road' (Holland Park Avenue), their chances aren't high. Who knew there could be such nuance in a W11 postcode? There were 2,000 applications for 240 places last year (candidates are graded into four bands; they take 25 per cent from each). If you're out of catchment, try for one of the 24 'art aptitude' places available each year. Colin Hall's passion and attention to detail have transformed the school: last year's A-level results were, to use his word, 'stupendous': 53 per cent A*-As, 77 per cent A*-Bs - the sort of stats that make mid-tier independents weep with envy. Leavers bagged the usual handful of Oxbridge places (a former pupil has just graduated from Oxford with a first in geography). Music is soaring and D of E is 'massive', says Mr Hall. And we haven't even mentioned the lovely, light- filled building. 'We feel very lucky that our children have been given this opportunity,' says a parent.

The Latymer School

London, N9

Pupils 1,368 boys and girls, aged 11-18

We take our hats off to Edward Latymer, a rich London lawyer who died in 1627, leaving money to found Latymer Upper in Hammersmith (now an independent) and the Latymer School in Edmonton, a state grammar. These days, the schools share only their name - and the fact that places at both are hotly contested. New head at the latter, Maureen Cobbett, is 'a breath of fresh air - positive, upbeat, forward looking'. The staff are 'excellent' (there's an outstanding media department, and they're one of the few remaining state schools to offer Latin), as are the academic results - 85 per cent A*-B at A-level last year, with the vast majority going on to Russell Group universities and 15 to 20 Oxbridge places each year. But, says a father, 'the school is far from an exam factory. Drama, music and sports facilities are all first rate.' High praise for the pastoral care too - we're told they're particularly good at helping the new Year 7s settle in, with hill-walking and caving at the school's field centre in Snowdonia to ease the bonding process. Selection is by assessment; pupils come from 34 postcode areas. For 2017 entry, 2,003 children sat the tests for 186 places. 'Competition for places is tough,' says Mrs Cobbett, 'but it's worth it.'

London Academy of Excellence

London, E15

Pupils 428 girls and boys, aged 16-18

At the 'Eton of the East End', it's all about 'raising aspirations'. Last year's A-level results were a glittering 86 per cent A*-B; six students headed off to Oxbridge and another 123 to Russell Group universities. Pretty sensational, we say, for a school in one of London's once most deprived boroughs. Their secret: the support of seven high-flying independent big-hitters, who share teachers (Eton has two English beaks on part-time secondment), facilities, old boys' networks and all-important UCAS guidance. 'It's priceless,' head John Weeks tells us from his technicoloured office - like his pupils, he is confident, focused and highly driven. An eagle-eyed tutoring system ensures no one lags behind, and, as a sign of their unrelenting ambition, the student council recently lobbied for the library to be kept open longer. Academic facilities are super; the labs are some of the shiniest we've seen; compulsory sport takes place at the Olympic Park (a hop down the road); and the Pathways outreach programme focuses on employability. Unsurprisingly, it's wildly oversubscribed (and highly selective): around 2,500 battle for 230 places. Three cheers, then, for the second branch, in Tottenham, opening in September.

Hillview School for Girls

Kent

Pupils 1,205 girls (77 boys in sixth form), aged 11-18

Kent is jam-packed with grammar schools and 15,000 tetchy 10-year- olds sat the anxiety-inducing 'Kent Test' last year. The spotlight on grammars is ever increasing in this corner of the country, fuelled by Nicky Morgan's controversial approval, in 2015, of a new site for Weald of Kent Grammar School. The cracking news is that Kent's state secondaries are catching up nicely and Hillview School for Girls is one of the best. 'Strong results from bright kids,' says our spy - these sparky girls are infused with confidence by the time they leave. Hillview is a specialist School for Performing Arts, and last year's production of Cats, below, was a sellout over all three nights, and girls scored distinctions all round in their singing exams. The zinging new sixth-form facilities, designed by the girls, are super-stylish. A-level results are looking good - 75 per cent A*-C last year - and most pupils swish off to their first choice of university. Another success story is the Skinners' Kent Academy in Tunbridge Wells: 'A new school on a rapid rise with an outstanding head making a big difference,' says an insider. One to watch.

Gordon's School

Surrey

Pupils 800 boys and girls, aged 11-18

Gordon's is something of an anomaly: a state school that isn't free - full-boarders pay around £16,000 a year, day pupils £7,000; 10 per cent of pupils receive some kind of bursary. But yes, it's a state school - and non-selective too, which makes its excellent academic results (81 per cent A*-B at A-level last year) all the more remarkable. Gordon's was established by Queen Victoria in 1885 in honour of the eponymous general. It sits on 50 acres and has a distinctly public-school feel - 'a bit like Christ's Hospital,' says our spy. Head Andrew Moss is handsome and personable - he is proud of his school's air of 'purposeful calm'. There's a lovely chapel (the chaplain has been at the school for nearly 40 years), a fab food-tech classroom and impressively spacious science labs. Pupils praise the friendly community, the excellent sport, the dedicated teachers - and 'Period Seven', the hour before tea when extracurricular fun breaks out. CCF is compulsory in Year 10, and there's a pipes and drums band - the General would have approved. There are five applicants for every day place and three per boarding place - looked-after children and siblings of current pupils take priority, then places are awarded based on distance. Hang on, you say: a non-selective state school that feels like a private school, with superb results, great facilities and fees I can possibly afford. Why aren't there more of these? You're right - there should be.

Holyport College

Berkshire

Pupils 352 boys and girls, aged 11-16 (by 2018, at full capacity: 548 pupils, aged 11-19)

'An amazing school with a wonderful story to tell,' says one of its founding governors. This isn't just a state school, this is an Eton-sponsored state school - and the country's first boarding free school. Head Walter Boyle - a soft-spoken Ulsterman - is proud of Holyport's 'culture of extremely high expectations', underpinned with good values and good manners. 'Something very wholesome and happy is going on here,' he says. From the word go, the partnership was designed to be 'visible, meaningful and impactful' - everyone rows at Dorney Lake, Eton boys help out with co-curricular activities and prep, and the schools combine for choir and orchestra concerts. Last year there were over 200 competitive sports fixtures and a stonking production of Grease - not bad at all for a school that's only two years old. Unusually for a state school, there's an entry point in Year 9 as well as Year 7. Day places are allocated according to distance (the furthest away was 0.73 miles last year); there's (slightly) more leeway with boarding places. A visiting Eton fellow told Mr Boyle how nice it was to see the 'Eton effect' at Holyport, in the way pupils shook hands, looked him in the eye and spoke fluently. 'Ah,' replied Mr Boyle, 'we call that the Holyport effect.'

Perins School

Hampshire

Pupils 1,065 boys and girls, aged 11-16

'The greatest school production I have ever seen' raved a reviewer from Winchester Today after watching the school's 120-strong performance of The Phantom of the Opera (a note from Lord Lloyd- Webber did wonders for morale). Perins is a sports college first and foremost, with an abundance of sports clubs and a host of rugby, cricket and hockey stars who play at international level - trampolining and mountain-biking caught our eye. Newish head Steve Jones has settled in 'amazingly easily', says one mother, and has smartened up the uniform, renamed the houses and opened a snazzy school café. Pastoral care is fabulous - problems are 'stamped on before I hear about them', says a parent - and community spirit is strong. Perins is fed by seven primary schools in Alresford, with a handful of pupils whizzing in from outside the catchment area. 'If you're within a 12-mile radius you're likely to get a place,' says an insider. After GCSEs (86 per cent A*-C in English last year), pupils dash off to Hampshire's best sixth-form colleges, Peter Symonds College being the best of the bunch.

Dr Challoner's Grammar School

Buckinghamshire

PUPILS 1,292 boys (37 girls in the sixth form), aged 11-18

'The best school money can't buy,' one green-eyed mother weeps from just outside the six-mile catchment area. Dr Challoner's is consistently one of the top-performing grammars in the country, with all the bells and whistles of an independent to boot. Long-serving head Dr Mark Fenton relocated to King Edward's School in Birmingham last summer; ex-deputy David Atkinson is already making his mark as a 'down-to-earth, enthusiastic professional'. Top mention goes to the dazzling results (82 per cent A*-B at A-level last year, plus an average of 20 Oxbridge entrants a year), but it's all the A-grade extracurriculars that got us going: over 50 clubs and societies, endless foreign jaunts (cricket in the Caribbean) and shedloads of sport, with regular fixtures against Eton and Haberdasher's Aske's. Healthy links with the High School down the road have always been a hit, though the big news this year was the first sixth-form intake of their very own girls, with many noting it seems as though they've been there forever. Says a mother: 'Our children are just so proud to be here'.

Dorothy Stringer School

Brighton

Pupils 1,642 boys and girls, aged 11-16

Brighton is full of phenomenally good primary schools (our moles particularly recommend Westdene, along with St Andrew's in Hove), but good secondaries are thinner on the ground. So scope out Dorothy Stringer. It's not only the 'coolest' but also the 'best in town', says our spy by the sea. There's a liberal vibe to the place, which serves the highly desirable Preston Park area; uniform is fairly relaxed. This was once a specialist sports college, so facilities - including a swimming pool and extensive playing fields - are top notch and shared with local schools and sports teams. And how's this for a trump card: Stringer has its very own outdoor adventure activities centre in Snowdonia, where further energy is expended on gorge-walking and canoeing. They also get around globally, via partnerships with schools as far afield as Cameroon and Ghana. Closer to home, there's the annual ski trip - one mother told us 'they strike the perfect balance between work and fun'. Pupils skip off to pastures new for sixth form (BHASVIC is a popular option), 73 per cent of them with at least five A*-C GCSEs in their pocket. Job done. Sussex insiders also speak highly of Warden Park in Cuckfield, Priory School in Lewes and Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove - 'if you can get in', that is.

South Wilts Grammar School for Girls

Wiltshire

Pupils 1,002 girls, aged 11-18

'Girls are proud to wear their kilts at SWGS,' beams one mother, and competition for this prized piece of uniform is punchy - 296 bright sparks sat the 11-plus last year for 150 places. 'The catchment area is not concentric', says the school, with some pupils travelling as far as 20 miles for the stunning teaching - 78 per cent A*-A at GCSE last year is proof of that. Head Michele Chilcott has been at the school since 2004, first as assistant head, then stepping up to the top job in 2011. She teaches geography to the fresh-faced Year 7s, so she gets to know them all. The girls are delightfully unfussy (no rolled-up skirts or thick make-up); the combined sixth form with the boys at Bishops Wordsworth's is a big hit (and doubles the facilities). Last year's A-level results were smashing - 77 per cent A*-B and a decent smattering of Oxbridge places. We hear great things about the school's pastoral abilities, and the girls raise an average of £7,000 a year for charity. As one parent says, when a school is this good, 'why pay?'

Ashlawn School

Warwickshire

Pupils 1,766 boys and girls, aged 11-18

Rugby is full of good senior schools - Rugby School, obviously, plus boys' grammar Lawrence Sheriff and girls' grammar Rugby High. But the school that really has us excited is Ashlawn, one of only six schools in the country that operate in fully selective areas and combine a selective, grammar-school stream with a non-selective, comprehensive intake. Ingenious, eh? And pupils who do well move into the grammar-school stream, so there's a great incentive to work hard. There are 14 applications for each grammar-stream place; non-selective entry is based on distance from home to school, with priority given to siblings. It's a big school, but no one gets lost, and communication with parents is great: 'My daughter's tutor phoned me at the start of term to introduce herself,' says a mother. 'You don't get that in many independents.' Facilities are fabulous: there's a smart new sixth-form centre, the art department is a 'complete wow' and there's a popular astronomy club (the BBC used Ashlawn as a venue for its Stargazing LIVE programme in 2011). 'Really impressive,' says one of our spies. 'Every single member of staff looked as though they took huge pride in being there.'

Comberton Village College

Cambridgeshire

Pupils 1,673 boys and girls, aged 11-18

You know about Hills Road, of course - the high-octane, super-selective, enormously oversubscribed sixth-form college with better Oxbridge stats than pretty much every independent school in the country. But this year we're shining our spotlight on a lesser-known Cambridgeshire secondary. This one is totally non-selective, rated Outstanding in every aspect by Ofsted and draws pupils from a largely rural catchment area covering about 36 square miles - they typically receive 290 first-choice applications for 240 places, but it's not unknown for pupils to get in from outside the catchment area. Comberton's results are excellent: 64 per cent A*-B at A-level last year, with a third of pupils bouncing on to Russell Group universities. Head Peter Law is proud of the 'calm and purposeful learning environment' at the school, and of the 'innovative and inspiring teaching'. A mother describes Mr Law as 'impressive, very approachable, very present in the school - a steady pair of hands. The kids have a lot of respect for him.' We hear praise for the pastoral care (the school 'doesn't feel too big', we're told) and for the special-needs provision, which is 'really impressive, a real strength'.

The Castle School

Somerset

Pupils 1,196 boys and girls, aged 11-16

Head Sarah Watson describes her students as 'an absolute delight: talented, witty, appreciative - and they want to do well'. Observers note their courteous behaviour - standing up whenever visitors enter a room, opening doors, saying good morning. The ethos is, says one mother, 'academically strong but not overly pushy'. Languages are strong, and music is, we're told, 'a big deal'. They're a well-travelled bunch: pupils hopped off to China on a study trip (Mrs Watson has recently introduced Mandarin at GCSE), there are lots of language-exchange trips too, as well as an exchange trip with a school in Zambia. Musicians tour Europe and the thespians are hitting New York. Castle has a strong reputation regionally and nationally for its arts and sports. In the latter, 'we tend to win everything at county level,' says Mrs Watson. 'We don't have enough space for all our trophies.' Last year's leavers included a Paralympic wheelchair-racing hopeful and a women's international footballer; a current student is a double national karate champion and has been selected for the England team. 'We debated long and hard about secondary schools and were so pleased that we chose Castle,' says a parent. 'The education, care and opportunities provided at the school are excellent and far exceeded our expectations.'

Kingsbridge Community College

Devon

Pupils 1,389 boys and girls, aged 11-18

'People are queuing up to get their kids into Kingsbridge,' says an observer. If there were an award for the peachiest of school settings, it would go to Kingsbridge Community College, just up the Kingsbridge Estuary from the holiday haven of Salcombe. Its pupils get a daily dose of good old sea air, and one has even been selected for the GB surfing squad. 'A modest catchment area but rather good results,' says an insider, and, yes, the results are rather good - record-breaking, in fact: 88 per cent of pupils achieved at least five A*-C grades in their GCSEs last year. Four clever clogs gained places at Oxbridge (the most yet), and a former pupil graduated from Oxford with a first in maths - what a role model. The school's online magazine, Abridged, won a fistful of prizes at the school media awards, and the debating team is rather nifty. 'The beachy lifestyle is reflected in the school and the pupils,' says a mother. And what a lovely lifestyle it is.

Thomas Mills High School

Suffolk

Pupils 1,092 boys and girls, aged 11-18

Suffolk is blessed with good secondaries: we hear excellent things about Farlingaye High School in Woodbridge, but the Thomas Mills parents are even more vocal in their praise for their school. One mother emailed to tell us how 'privileged' she felt to have secured a place for her daughter. The school has, she says, 'the right balance to get children to achieve'. Staff really make an effort to get to know their pupils - with the result that academic achievement surpasses all expectations (73 per cent A*-C at A-level last year; maths is the most popular A-level choice - 60 per cent A*-B in 2016). The headteacher, Philip Hurst, is, we're told, 'very approachable - he always makes time to speak to parents'. Drama is 'fantastic', and the music department offers a 'huge variety' (full orchestra, brass band, ensembles galore). Best of all, former pupil Ed Sheeran, below, regularly drops in to share his talents. And the sport is outstanding: the Year 8 rugby team won the Eastern Counties tournament in 2015, trouncing local independents to become regional champions. 'Great food, great sport and a very warm place to be,' says one pupil; 'I have made many friends that I feel will be with me for the rest of my life,' says another.

Jordanhill School

Glasgow

PUPILS 1,052 boys and girls, aged 5-18

In the words of one top public-school head, Jordanhill is 'a real beacon in the area'. It's not unheard of for the rector (head to you and me), Dr Paul Thomson (in situ for 19 years and counting), to receive applications in utero. With each slot, you need to be absolutely on it to get a place here. It's a proper community school, in one of the most affluent parts of Glasgow - so it's no surprise that there's a premium on house prices in these parts, and most parents are well-educated professionals. Though non-selective, Jordanhill has the highest percentage (75 per cent) of pupils moving on to higher education among all state schools in Scotland. They're the mustard at rugby, hockey and athletics; matches on Saturday mornings see scores of parents cheering from the sidelines. This year, they cut the ribbon on the sparkling new Swire Chinese Language Centre, with Mandarin now on offer even to little ones (the prep shares the same campus - nearly all pupils move up to the senior department), and the school's ICT Mark has resulted in classrooms bursting with hi-tech equipment. And on top of all that, a 'can do' attitude pervades the place, a very satisfied parent tells us.

The Duchess's Community High School

Northumberland

Pupils 1,109 boys and girls, aged 13-18 (11-18 from September 2017)

The Duchess's School moved to a brand new campus last year, so tails are wagging and morale has never been higher. We hear much praise from parents whose children have sailed through their GCSEs (just under 60 per cent A*-B at A-level or the BTEC equivalent last year) and from others whose children have needed - and received - extra pastoral support. 'Communication between school and parents is excellent,' we're told. Talented musicians are nurtured, and drama ('superb,' we hear) gets the thumbs-up from the local community - performances fill the Alnwick Playhouse to capacity and pupils run the show both behind the scenes and on stage. The school was founded by the Duchess of Northumberland in 1808, and links with the local community and the Percy family are still strong. They're adding a new Year 7 and Year 8 in September 2017, so pupil numbers will increase to around 1,500. 'It's the go-to destination from a very wide radius of mid- and north Northumberland,' says a local.

St Joseph's College

Dumfries

Pupils 730 boys and girls, aged 11-18

Founded by the Marist Brothers - a Roman Catholic teaching order - St Joseph's started life in 1875 as a boys' boarding school, These days, it's a co-educational comprehensive, and, says a parent, it's 'the Dumfries school that everyone wants to go to'. It's a vibrant, high-energy place with a strong academic focus and a wide curriculum - modern languages are a particular strength, and pupils are given lots of opportunities to travel. All the staff - both teaching and administrative - are, says one parent, 'top rate, approachable and happy to communicate about a multitude of queries. They genuinely care about the students and their subjects.' Facilities have been described as 'extraordinary', and there is a conspicuously wide range of extracurricular activities. Headteacher Bernadette Jones is 'a strong, very approachable leader who takes great pride in St Joseph's and is always keen to celebrate her pupils' success and achievements'. Best of all, we're told it's'pretty straightforward to get into - no waiting lists.'

Balcarras School

Gloucestershire

Pupils 1,398 boys and girls, aged 11-18

There's an abundance of good state secondaries in Gloucestershire (we're big fans of Pate's Grammar School), but Balcarras comes out top in overall-performance league tables: no mean feat for a non-selective comprehensive in a heavily 'grammarised' county. Results are so good (62 per cent A*-B at A-level last year) that parents are defecting from local preps, the grapevine tells us, and one teacher heaped praise on his current cohort as the 'nicest, best behaved children' he's worked with. After 20 years at the helm, legend Chris Healy retired last summer; it's now ex-deputy Dominic Burke's job to continue his legacy. There's a relaxed, mutually respectful atmosphere throughout the campus; Mr Burke is red hot on 'child safety and happiness' (hear, hear) and teaches nine lessons a week to get to know his crowd. They're ace at art, drama and music, facilities are second to none (3D printer, recording studio) and pupils go gung-ho for D of E and the annual Outlook Expeditions to Mongolia and Alaska (to name a few). The cherry on the cake: an Outstanding thumbs-up from Ofsted.