Our sincere thanks go to all the schools that participated in the best of the best senior schools 2026 – we know how much work goes into all your submissions. A special thanks to our judging panel and consultants, including Sophie Oakes of Oakes Education and Louise Hitchen of 134marketing for their contributions.
Best entrepreneurship and innovation: Caterham School
Few schools can claim to have built their own AI platform used by schools nationwide, but RileyBot – Caterham’s own AI edtech tool – is now used by teachers and pupils in more than 30 UK schools. The school’s EDGE Innovation programme develops problem-solving, resilience and ethical AI skills from the first year upwards. Pupils work with real businesses, tackle live challenges, join hackathons and build start-ups, while sixth formers can access a lecture series featuring Accenture, Deutsche Bank, UCL and angel investors. This year, Caterham launched a UCAS-recognised KS4 EDGE qualification with Nottingham University Business School and Enactus – more than 80 pupils have enrolled alongside GCSEs, far exceeding expectations. Pupils design social enterprises that blend commercial thinking with genuine community impact. caterhamschool.co.uk
Other contenders:
Godolphin and Latymer School
North London Collegiate School
Best SEND: Bancroft’s School
Bancroft’s is academically ambitious, but ambition only matters when every child can access it. Over 160 pupils with SEND are supported across a wide range of needs, including dyslexia, ADHD, autism, speech and language diffculties, sensory impairment, physical disabilities and mental health. Support begins before pupils arrive. The SENCo and deputy SENCo visit feeder primaries, meet families and plan transitions so every child is known from day one. All Year 7 pupils are screened for literacy needs within their first fortnight. In the classroom, provision is practical and personal, with laptops, reading pens, flexible seating, movement breaks and individual learning support profiles reviewed termly with teachers, parents and pupils. In 2025, SEND pupils achieved positive A-level value-added, without any lowering of expectations. bancrofts.org
Other contenders:
Merchant Taylors’ School
Blundell’s School
Best partnerships: Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School’s Partnership and Community Engagement programme, recognised by the Independent Schools Inspectorate as a “significant strength”, goes far beyond tokenism. The flagship partnership with Alpha Academies Trust in Stoke-on-Trent serves over 4,300 pupils in one of the UK’s most deprived communities. A co-designed programme running from Year 4 to Year 10 saw 1,100 Alpha pupils engaged in 2025-26, supported by 660 hours from more than 60 Shrewsbury staff. 84 per cent of participants reported greater confidence, 73 per cent stronger communication skills, and measurable gains in ambition and awareness of future pathways. In 2024-25 alone, Shrewsbury pupils raised over £150,000 and contributed 850 volunteering hours, making it a worthy winner for meaningful partnerships. shrewsbury.org.uk
Other contenders:
Magdalen College School, Oxford
Sevenoaks School
Best boarding: Hurstpierpoint College
Boarding at Hurst feels a bit different. The paired house model brings boys and girls together naturally, making it feel more modern and a more thoughtfully designed approach to co-education. Pupils mix across year groups, forming natural friendships amongst boys and girls that they might not otherwise make. Younger pupils benefit from the support of older peers, while older pupils develop leadership through mentoring. The no-screen policy is a stand-out encouraging youngsters to enjoy more time together, with evenings playing board games, and enjoying pizza and film nights, encouraging natural interaction. At the heart of it all are the Houseparents, knowing every pupil by name, creating space for honest conversations and ensuring no one goes unnoticed. hppc.co.uk
Other contenders:
Rugby School
Sevenoaks School
Best creative arts: Bede’s School
At Bede’s in East Sussex, the creative arts feel properly alive. This is a school where pupils are not just encouraged to perform, but to think, make, design and take creative risks. The scale of the work is impressive, from the annual Cabaret showcase to this year’s Les Misérables at the Attenborough Centre for Creative Arts in Brighton. These are ambitious productions, and the fact that BTEC production arts pupils are behind the sets, sound and lighting gives them real depth and credibility. There is plenty happening beyond the main stage too. Drama pupils have taken work to the Edinburgh Fringe, while Bede’s Legat Dance Academy offers high-level training in ballet, contemporary and jazz. Pupils learn from industry professionals, and many go on to serious creative pathways. Bede’s stands out with creativity being an impressive and pivotal part of the education. bedes.org
Other contenders:
Merchant Taylors’ School
Notre Dame School Cobham
Best extra-curricular: Gordonstoun School
At Gordonstoun, the co-curricular life is remarkable. Pupils are expected to get stuck in, whether that means heading out on expeditions, taking part in international exchanges, sailing on the school’s own yacht or serving in groups such as the Fire Service, Coastguard Rescue or Pool Lifeguards. There is real substance behind the offer too. The new Adventure Campus in the Cairngorms gives pupils even more scope for challenge, while recent activities have included endurance races, night-time challenges and ambitious long-distance events. What makes Gordonstoun stand out is the sheer breadth of opportunity. With 75 activities and electives, from robotics and archaeology to cookery, every pupil has the chance to find something that stretches them. This is a school where co-curricular life sits at the very heart of education. gordonstoun.org.uk
Other contenders:
Roedean School
St Swithun’s School
Best pastoral care: Mayfield School
Mayfield School has made girls’ wellbeing central to its identity. Following a whole-school review in 2024, Mayfield committed to becoming a national leader in girls’ wellbeing by 2027, embedding a structured yet deeply human approach to pastoral care. Support is highly visible with over 50 staff trained in Mental Health First Aid, forming a trusted network, while weekly multidisciplinary meetings ensure early, coordinated care. Two daily activity periods, alongside mindfulness and creative pursuits, balance ambition with space to breathe. Staff wellbeing is equally prioritised, allowing adults to model healthy habits authentically. At the heart of its community sits St Raphael’s Wellbeing Centre, a RIBA award-winning sanctuary. The results speak for themselves with pupils feeling safe rising from 93 per cent to 98 per cent in 2025. mayfieldgirls.org
Other contenders:
Wellington College
Notre Dame School Cobham
Best sport: Millfield School
Millfield is in a league of its own as the UK’s premier sports school. With 30 sports, over 200 specialist staff and world-class facilities, students enter what can only be described as an Olympic Village, an environment engineered to unlock exceptional sporting potential. This year, 34 seniors and 21 juniors represented 26 countries internationally, while individual achievements spoke for themselves. One pupil made history as the first British swimmer to break the sub-minute barrier in every stroke. Another earned a place at Wimbledon Juniors. A third claimed the U17 US Squash Nationals title. But Millfield’s philosophy runs deeper than trophies. With a current pupil balancing A-levels with Paris 2024 Olympic experience and Los Angeles 2028 ambitions, Millfield equally values both academic and athletic excellence. millfieldschool.com
Other contenders:
Notting Hill & Ealing High School, GDST
Berkhamsted School
Best STEM: Gresham’s School
Gresham’s School is setting a new standard for STEM education through its pioneering international exchange programme with the School of Science and Technology (SST) in Singapore. Now in its second year, this unique partnership gives pupils the rare opportunity to visit Dyson’s global headquarters and collaborate on solutions to real-world challenges, from flood defences to air pollution monitoring. What makes Gresham’s approach truly distinctive is its emphasis on student-led innovation. Mixed teams from both schools develop and present working prototypes, building not just technical skills but confidence, creativity and global awareness. It’s hands-on, high-stakes learning at its best. This school will undoubtedly produce the next generation of creators and innovators. greshams.com
Other contenders:
The Perse School Cambridge
Caterham School
Best preparation for life: Benenden School
Benenden stands apart as a school where young women are empowered to discover their strengths and ambitions without limitation. Its philosophy of ‘A Complete Education’ ensures that students leave with both strong academic results and the character, skills and confidence to flourish beyond school. From the Lower School’s bespoke CREATE Diploma through to the sixth form’s Professional Skills Programme covering financial literacy, enterprise and inclusive leadership, Benenden offers a structured journey of personal development. The Electives Programme, spanning more than 70 courses, further broadens horizons well beyond the examined curriculum. In 2025, 85 per cent of leavers secured their first-choice university destination, reflecting a school that genuinely prepares students for what comes next. benenden.school
Other contenders:
Shrewsbury School
Norwich High School for Girls, GDST
Best sixth form: Ardingly College
Ardingly’s sixth form is the college’s most sought-after entry point for good reason. With six applicants competing for every place among 300 students, its reputation speaks for itself. At its heart is exceptional academic breadth. Offering both A-levels and the IB Diploma with an average class size of just 10, students receive genuinely personalised teaching. The results follow: Ardingly ranks as the top British boarding school for the IB and sits in the top 40 co-ed schools for A-levels, generating around 400 Russell Group offers alongside Oxbridge and Ivy League places annually. Godwin Hall unites the year group in a co-ed community, while the Enterprise & Employability programme – whose students recently won Imperial College London’s Entrepreneurs Innovation Challenge – ensures every leaver earns their World Ready Passport. ardingly.com
Other contenders:
Shiplake College
Bancroft’s School
Best teaching and learning: Berkhamsted School
Berkhamsted operates a research-based curriculum that both responds to cutting-edge discoveries and powers internal discovery itself. Staff can access grants to organise research projects and ethical experiments, and present their findings at our annual teaching and learning event. Metacognitive practices are woven into every lesson, and pupils take growing responsibility for this as they progress. Year 10 study Learning Pathways, exploring different revision and thinking styles, and sixth form students lead metacognitive sessions for younger pupils. By gathering extensive performance data, we design learning programmes that target skill deficits and contemporary challenges. For example, predictions that empathy will be an essential 21st-century skill catalysed the use of the Empathy Studios video platform to develop pupils’ sense of perspective. berkhamsted.com
Other contenders:
Bedales School South
Hampstead High School, GDST
This article first appeared in The Week’s Independent Schools Guide Autumn/Winter 2026, edited by Amanda Constance.