If you intend to send your young ones to a fee-paying school, it makes sense to investigate your options in advance. The southeast counties contain more well-performing schools than any other region, so it’s a great place to start your search. Not only will we reveal the 10 best private schools in South East England, but the adjoining area guides will also direct you to the top-rated places to live nearby.
We have created our list by extracting performance data from The Sunday Times Parent Power 2024 league tables. The data uses the average A-level, GCSE, IB, Pre-U, Advanced Higher, Higher and National 5 moderated exam performance from summer 2023. By using the average, parents can get a better sense of a school’s long-term performance, thereby avoiding concerns regarding the use of internal assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
10 best private schools in South East England
In 2021, students did not sit public examinations due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers awarded grades according to strictly controlled internal assessment criteria. However, the rankings below also consider pre-pandemic grades for a more rounded picture. Now you’re fully informed, read on to discover the 10 best private schools in South East England.
1. Guildford High School
Boasting the title of The Sunday Times Independent School of the Decade, Guildford High School in Surrey welcomes 985 girls through its doors from the age of four. In 2020, it was also named the Independent Girls School’s Sporting School of the Year. On-site facilities include a dedicated sixth form centre, an athletics track and sports centre, and the grounds of Stoke Park. In addition, Guildford’s London Road train station is located adjacent to the site and runs services between London Waterloo and Guildford.
Guildford High School has a separate Junior School and Senior School, which form ‘a happy, purposeful, and vibrant community’ centred on eight key aims. These focus on helping pupils maximise their self-belief and potential and fostering values that assist them with learning and life. Read the latest inspection report here.
Fees
Ranges depending on academic year. £4,946 for Reception and Year 1, rising to £7,436 for Sixth Form
2. Tonbridge School
Tonbridge School is a public school in Tonbridge, Kent, and was founded in 1553 by Sir Andrew Judde. A recent review from Talk Education refers to the school in glowing terms, likening it to a heavyweight boxing champion who doesn’t need shiny new belts but instead simply decides to “train hard and let their actions do the talking.” At number 2 in the South East, these actions clearly speak louder than words.
Fees
Day: £12,490
Boarding: £16,648
3. Magdalen College School
A traditional boys’ private school dating back to 1480, Magdalen College in Oxford has a high success rate for pupils attaining places at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities. Its 985 pupils range from 7 to 18 years of age, with girls welcome to join the sixth form. 3rd in our list for the South East, the school was ranked 7th nationally.
The school claims its outstanding academic achievements result from reaching far beyond the curriculum, which includes sports, community service placements, and ‘a dazzling array of musical, dramatic and artistic performances’. Therefore, it’s no wonder MCS has produced scholars, war heroes, musicians, Olympians, a Nobel Prize laureate, a Hollywood film director, and a saint. You can view the school’s inspection report here.
Fees
Day: £6,600 (11-18).
4. Brighton College
Comfortably within our Top 5 – and 11th nationally – Brighton College also claims the title of The Sunday Times Independent Secondary School of the Decade. Based in the heart of the vibrant seaside town of Brighton, the college has around 1,200 mixed pupils aged between 11 and 18, including a mixed sixth form. Pupils are welcome to join the college’s nursery and preparatory school, which is just across the road.
In 2021, the Independent Schools Inspectorate awarded the College and Prep Schools ‘Excellent’ in all categories – the highest possible ranking. The headmaster puts this down to the inspirational teaching offered and the school’s engaged and happy pupils. Perhaps the reason for the latter is the school’s emphasis on the personal happiness of each student. This is achieved by treating them with ‘love, kindness, and respect’ and celebrating everyone’s unique talents and traits. Learn more about the school’s excellent inspection report here.
Fees
Day: £6,120 to £8,900 (11-18). Includes lunch.
Boarding: £12,220 to £14,550 (13-18)
5. Sevenoaks School
Our fifth-highest entrant and the 20th best private school nationally, Sevenoaks School has a thriving International Baccalaureate Diploma programme. A co-educational independent, it has just over 1,100 pupils ranging from 11 to 18 from over 45 countries, giving the school a global outlook. All pupils benefit from living, learning, and playing sports on a 100-acre campus in the Kent countryside. However, the school is conveniently located just half an hour from Central London and Gatwick International Airport. Download Sevenoaks School’s inspection report here.
Fees
Day: £8,340 to £9,471 (11-18). Includes lunch.
Boarding: £13,320 to £14,451 (11-18)
6. Royal Grammar School, Guildford
We return to Guildford in Surrey for the 6th most highly rated private school in the South East. Here, the Royal Grammar School claims a spot very near the the Top 20 nationally (22nd), providing an outstanding education to its 974 male pupils aged 11 to 18.
Underpinning the school’s success is a community of ‘unfailingly sparky, enthusiastic and inquisitive, humble and unassuming’ boys from all walks of life. Each pupil is: “Valued for his own sake, given the space and the encouragement to fulfil his potential in an environment where there are no stereotypes and each achievement, however small, is noticed.” You can see a copy of the school’s latest report here.
Fees
Day: £6,345 (11-18)
7. Reigate Grammar School
Founded in 1675 by Henry Smith, Reigate Grammar School is a 2–18 mixed private day school in Reigate, Surrey. Ranked 25th nationally, the school received the accolade of ‘Excellent in All Areas’ for Education Quality by the ISI in February 2023, which includes achievement in and beyond the classroom. With an exceptional offering across the curriculum and dozens of extra-curriculars, RGS is one of the most sought-after schooling options in the region.
Fees
£7,510 per term for the First and Second Forms
£7,665 per term for the Third to Sixth Forms
8. Wellington College
Based in Crowthorne, Berkshire, Wellington College has an illustrious history as it was founded in 1859 as a national memorial to Arthur, Duke of Wellington, and championed by Prince Albert as an opportunity to promote a modern, forward-looking education system in Britain. It’s a legacy that has been well served by the school in successive generations, and today the college is responsible for instilling its students with a deeply held sense of kindness, courage, respect, integrity and responsibility.
Fees
Day pupil: £11,920
Boarding: £16,310
9. Winchester College
“Manner Makyth Man” is the motto of this nationally respected boarding school that is renowned for both academic excellence and a broader understanding of the importance of having independent ideas as well as innovative approaches to learning and teaching. The school accepts boys aged from 13 for boarding while boys and girls can join the Sixth Form as day pupils or boarders.
Fees
Day pupil: £12,789
Boarding: £17,285
10. Wycombe Abbey School
Hugged by the Chiltern Hills’ rolling countryside, Wycombe Abbey School offers both day and boarding places to 656 girls aged 11 to 18. The school is 10th of our list and ranked 30th nationally according to The Sunday Times Parent Power table.
Dame Frances Dove – a promoter of equal educational opportunities for girls – founded Wycombe Abbey in 1896. According to a recent report, the school ‘aims to pursue academic excellence, develop the talents of each pupil in creative, physical and social skills, and encourage faith in God and service to other people’.
The boarding system supports this process by offering pupils the chance to develop long-term friendships and participate in various activities and events. There are 11 boarding houses on the school site, including one for Year 7 and another for pupils in Year 13. Some also benefit from en suite rooms and study areas, with girls between the ages of 12 and 16 living in mixed-age bedrooms. Click here to download the school’s inspection report.
Fees
Day: £10,315 (includes lunch).
Boarding: £13,750
FAQs
Where are the best schools in South East England?
As you can see from our list above, the top private schools in the region are in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Kent, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, and Surrey. Meanwhile, the top ten state schools in South East England are in Reading in Berkshire, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells, and Dartford in Kent, Potters Bar and Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire, and Amersham and Marlow in Buckinghamshire.
What is the best private primary school in England?
Guildford High Junior School is the junior counterpart to the third-best private school in South East England. It also boasts a reading scaled score of 115 and a maths scaled score of 112. In fact, The Sunday Times has awarded it the accolade of Independent Preparatory School of the Decade.
It also shares the senior school’s facilities, and staff from the senior school teach some of the subjects. Currently, there are around 280 girls in the Junior School, with two classes per year group. Girls join from age 4, moving into secondary school at 11 without an additional entrance exam.
What are the most famous British private schools?
When you think of famous British private schools, you’re probably picturing traditional all-girls or all-boys institutions. For girls, some of the top names include Guilford High School for Girls, The Godolphin and Latymer School, Queen’s College, Wycombe Abbey, St Helen and St Katharine.
Meanwhile, some of the most famous boys’ schools are St Paul’s School, Eton, Harrow, Winchester College, Charterhouse, Magdalen College School, and King’s College School. Co-educational independent schools are on the rise too. Those with a strong reputation include Westminster School, The Perse School, and Gordonstoun School.
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(Featured image: The Old School, Sevenoaks by Robert Edwards)
