Tatler Schools Guide 2026

South Hampstead is once again featured in the Tatler Schools Guide, their annual review of the top schools in the UK.

The colourful, six-foot-tall penguin sculptures dotted around this school – originally conceived to highlight global warming – have also become feminist icons on campus; these birds are one of the few species in which the males do their fair share of infant-rearing. This message of female equality is promulgated by head Anna Paul, described by her charges as “amazing”, with one adding: “She’s made a genuine effort to get to know and connect with all the girls, even running her own feminist book club.” The upshot is that innovation and intellectual curiosity run deep here, aided by a new coder-in-residence programme, which is igniting pupils interests in technology; as well as a roof terrace that is being transformed into a flexible space to accommodate outdoor lessons and yoga and pilates; and the first ‘student learning community’, which brings together Year 10 and Lower Sixth to collaborate with senior leadership on enhancing the effectiveness of their strategies. (Not that learning strategies aren’t already effective: in 2024, more than 75% of A-Level results were A*/A). Success is ubiquitous outside the classroom too. The slalom squad were crowned GB schools’ champions in 2024, a music scholar was the finalist in the BBC Young Musician of the Year and, very impressively, a Sixth Former was elected by local children as Camden’s Youth MP. Luckily, there’s a sense of fun alongside all this. A new end of year event, South Hampstead Wrapped, brings together the whole school in a joyful festival of performance, speeches and prize giving.

This review featured in the October 2026 edition of the Tatler Schools’ Guide.