Top 5 state secondary schools in South London: a family shortlist
Five state secondary choices in South London, with real school photographs, entry considerations and linked evidence to help you plan a worthwhile visit.
BY LONNOW EDITORIALUPDATED 26 SEPTEMBER 20264 MIN READ
Wilson’s School school exterior · J. ShawLONNOW / THE SHORTLIST
Five worth knowing.
A LONNOW editorial shortlist, not an official league table. We selected five options for their documented provision, dated Ofsted evidence and different local or admissions contexts. The numbers are a reading order, not quality scores. Grammar, faith and comprehensive routes are labelled where relevant. Every school is within Greater London.
Wilson’s offers an academically selective state route in Wallington, within the London Borough of Sutton. Its September 2022 inspection awarded Outstanding across all assessed areas. It is a relevant comparison for families considering grammar education, but the entrance process and daily journey require early planning.
Before you decide
Check the selective eligibility tests, subsequent assessment stages and council application. A Surrey postal address does not put the school outside Greater London.
Outstanding overall under the framework used at that inspection. Read the full report for individual judgements.
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The Tiffin Girls’ School school exterior · Lm189 · CC BY-SA 3.0Kingston upon Thames · Kingston upon Thames
The Tiffin Girls’ School
State grammar · 11–18 · girls
A girls’ grammar with a 2026 report
Tiffin Girls’ January 2026 report records Exceptional in six areas and Strong standard for inclusion. Inspectors asked the school to improve how it gathers and shares information about pupils facing barriers to learning or wellbeing. That gives families a specific question to explore alongside the academic evidence.
Before you decide
Read the test, priority-area and allocation rules for the correct cohort. Ask how individual support information reaches teachers and what happens if a pupil finds the transition difficult.
Achievement Exceptional · Attendance and behaviour Exceptional · Curriculum and teaching Exceptional · Leadership and governance Exceptional · Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional · Post 16 provision Exceptional · Inclusion Strong standard.
State grammar · Church of England · 11–18 · boys; co-ed sixth form
A grammar route in the London Borough of Bromley
St Olave’s is a boys’ grammar school with a co-educational sixth form. Its November 2024 inspection recorded Outstanding in all key judgements, without an overall grade. Orpington’s Kent postal description can obscure its Greater London location; this guide places it in the South region.
Before you decide
Check testing and admission requirements for Year 7 or sixth form separately. Test the journey to Goddington Lane at school-run time and keep realistic alternatives.
Strong achievement with a wellbeing question to ask
Newstead Wood’s April 2026 report records Exceptional achievement, attendance and behaviour, and inclusion. Personal development and wellbeing received Expected standard. Inspectors called for more consistent implementation of personal, social and health education; families should weigh that detail alongside the academic strengths.
Before you decide
Check the grammar-test and residence rules. Ask how the school has responded to the 2026 personal-development recommendations and confirm sixth-form eligibility separately.
Achievement Exceptional · Attendance and behaviour Exceptional · Inclusion Exceptional · Curriculum and teaching Strong standard · Leadership and governance Strong standard · Post-16 provision Strong standard · Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard.
Graveney provides a co-educational secondary option in Tooting. Its November 2022 inspection awarded Outstanding across all assessed areas. The school’s partially selective admissions model makes it distinct from both fully selective grammar schools and schools allocating all places by ordinary comprehensive priorities.
Before you decide
Read every relevant admissions route and the proportion of places attached to it. Confirm any test registration separately from the council application, and ask about learning support and subject choice.
Outstanding overall under the framework used at that inspection. Read the full report for individual judgements.
01 IN FOCUS
Where this region begins and ends
Wandsworth, Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bexley, Bromley, Croydon, Sutton, Merton, Kingston upon Thames and Richmond upon Thames.
Richmond and Kingston are grouped with South for navigation; this includes Barnes, Wimbledon, Sutton and Orpington. These are our editorial navigation groups, not official education-authority boundaries.
Apply using the relevant school and home-council arrangements.
02 IN FOCUS
Start with a realistic admissions route
Read the determined policy for the intended entry year and recent allocation information.
A nursery place, an address nearby or a high entrance-test score does not necessarily guarantee admission. Grammar tests, faith criteria, partial selection and sixth-form requirements are separate routes.
Completing a school assessment does not replace the home-council application.
03 IN FOCUS
Use the visit to test the fit
Ask who notices when a child is struggling, how additional learning needs are supported and what a normal week looks like.
Look at work, talk about homework and find out which clubs pupils can actually attend. Repeat the journey at school-run time.
Keep several realistic choices rather than treating any Top 5 as an offer list.
04 IN FOCUS
How the sources were used
Public sources were checked on 26 September 2026.
Ofsted reports are dated and use the framework in force at the time: older overall grades, 2024–25 area judgements and 2026 report cards are not interchangeable. Independent schools may be inspected by ISI rather than Ofsted, and no equivalent Ofsted grade is invented.
The Sunday Times Parent Power and The Good Schools Guide are separate publications. Only publicly documented Times recognition is cited; subscription-only tables and reviews were not accessed.
Create a decision file+
Compare entry, learning, cost and outcomes on the same basis.
01
Requirements
Use the current course or school admissions page.
02
Fit
Compare subject content and teaching, not only rank.
03
Budget
Model fees, housing, travel and visa costs where relevant.
04
Deadline
Track application, funding and acceptance dates separately.
