Tatler Schools Guide 2027

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

‘The lessons transform into riveting discussions filled with questions, laughter and true passion’, says one pupil. At South Hampstead, there is a palpable energy among its articulate and engaged students. This spirit, sustained over 150 years, continues to evolve though such initiatives as Opening Doors, a programme funding bursary and wellbeing projects, and Scholarship Though Speech, a school-directed GCSE course. Conversation takes precedence over rote-learning on Free Thinking Fridays for Sixth Formers, which spur pupils to speak up at venues including the House of Lords and the Liberal Democrat conference. Though situated in the city, there’s a distinctly small-town feel to the leafy campus, with plans for a rooftop garden and outdoor sensory space;  the girls already connect with nature through vegetable allotments, bug hotels and a biophilic oasis. Creative work is given space to flourish too, in five specialist art studios covering everything from animation to sculpture. And musical life is equally rich, with performances at St Paul’s Cathedral and one student being awarded a place in the National Youth Orchestra. Budding actors, meanwhile, take inspiration from alumna Angela Lansbury and productions at the Edinburgh Fringe. ‘There’s a sense of energy, shared purpose and fun that permeates the whole community,’ says one parent. Indeed, the school’s ability to build confident pupils is attested by its spirit of ‘joyful scholarship’. Little wonder a quarter of leavers secured Oxbridge offers last year, the highest number since 2010.

This review featured in the 2027 Tatler Schools Guide, published with the October 2026 edition of Tatler.