London's educational landscape is one of the most diverse in the world. In our capital city, you can find some of the best special needs schools in our country, as well as top private schools and stellar grammar schools. Where comprehensive schools are concerned - those whose purpose is to level the educational playing field, these top comprehensive schools London consistently rank well1.
| 🏫School name | 📍Location | 🕵️♂️Main features |
|---|---|---|
| Wembley High Technology College | East Lane North Wembley HA0 3NT | Excellent academic record Many extracurricular and social activities. |
| Holland Park School | Airlie Gardens Campden Hill Road London W8 7AF | Outstanding rating Personalised curriculum structure Many extracurricular and sports activities |
| Forest Gate Community School | Forest Lane, Forest Gate, London E7 9BB | Outstanding rating Extensive extracurricular opportunities Focuses on personal development |
| Harris Academy | 55 Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey, London, SE16 3TZ | Girl's only school Focus on STEM education Personal development is the secondary focus |
| Fortismere School | Two locations in Muswell Hill | Outstanding rating Independently governed Foundational secondary facility |
| Mossbourne Community Academy | 100 Downs Park Road Hackney London E5 8JY | Emphasis on music studies Rowing teams are a favourite extracurricular |
| London Oratory School | Seagrave Road, London, SW6 1RX | All boys to age 16 Co-educational from 16-18 Sports and personal development have as much weight as academic learning. |
| Sacred Heart Catholic School | Camberwell New Road, London SE5 0RP | Outstanding education Solid pathway to Russell Group universities Many extracurricular activities and social clubs. |
What Are London Comprehensive Schools?
Frankly, this type of school's 'comprehensive' distinction is confusing. If we accept that word's definition as "including everything that is needed or relevant", aren't schools, by their very nature, comprehensive? And what does 'comprehensive' represent, in this context2?
How Comprehensive Schools Got Their Start
We can answer those questions and others by looking at how this type of school got its start.
Until fairly recently, education in the UK was an elitist affair, shameful as that is to say. Families that could afford to send their children to pricey academies virtually guaranteed their learners' professional success. The rest of the pupils... Well...
After the Second World War, our country, badly bruised in every way, set about rebuilding. Then, it was not the time to maintain (or re-establish) social hierarchies.
We needed skilled people and we needed them fast. So, England's leaders set themselves to building an education system to serve all students equally.
The London County Council began establishing comprehensive schools throughout England.
Wales followed suit starting in 1949. However, neither England nor Wales shed the tripartite system until the 1970s. The Tripartite System involved segregating learners based on exam performance (11+ and/or 13+). Decision-makers at the time intended for the comprehensive system to ultimately end tripartite student sorting. Their plan succeeded in 1976.
The idea was to democratise education. That means schools do not select students based on academic achievement or aptitude.
Choosing a London Comprehensive School: What to Consider
To be sure, schools exist throughout London and the UK where student selection is competitive, meaning it relies on student achievement. London's top private schools are examples of such.
Their merits aside, for students, it's nice to know that continuing one's education doesn't depend on competing with your peers. Still, one has to know what to look for when choosing from among the top comprehensive schools London. These aspects are the ones to consider.
If your learner has special educational needs, that should be a consideration when choosing a school. Also, if your family has a religious or co-educational preference, you might make those points to search for3, too.
Some outlets seat JFS (the Jewish Free School) and JCoss (Jewish Community Secondary School) in the top positions on the list of comprehensive schools London, and deservedly so. However, those schools’ exacting admissions criteria take them out of the mainstream running for top comprehensive schools London.
With all this explained, we can explore the best comprehensive schools in London.
Wembley High Technology College, North Wembley
This co-educational comprehensive school ranks among the UK's top-performing schools in the country, regardless of type. It has earned the fourth-highest Progress 8 score (+1.58) and claims the top rank among London schools.
Here, students enjoy a wide range of extracurricular initiatives, including performing arts and STEM activities. They may also join the debate club or other language clubs. And as for academic learning? Besides its stellar record on that front, students enjoy social, cultural, and moral education.
- 📍Location: East Lane North Wembley HA0 3NT
- 📞Phone: 020 8385 4800
- 🌐Website: https://www.whtc.co.uk/
Holland Park School, Holland Park
This academy welcomes boys and girls to learn in an environment Ofsted has rated 'Outstanding' no fewer than three times.
One reason Holland Park consistently features in the Good Schools Guide is for its steady, superior performance in national exams (always landing in the top 5%).
Unlike other schools, which feature a top-down curriculum, Holland Park builds its syllabus around students' needs.
This innovative, personalised curriculum gives students the time to enjoy the campus' amenities, which include a dance studio, a swimming pool, and a sports complex.
- 📍Location: Airlie Gardens Campden Hill Road London W8 7AF
- 📞Phone: 020 7908 1000
- 🌐Website: https://www.hollandparkschool.co.uk/
Forest Gate Community School, Forest Gate
Like Holland Park, Forest Gate has repeatedly earned Ofsted's 'Outstanding' designation. This progressive secondary school creates a fertile learning environment where students may explore their academic interests. And not just those, but also a host of extracurricular activities, including:
- Sports: individual and team sports; competitive and recreational activities; health education.
- Arts: music, theatre, dance, drawing/painting and more.
- Academics: STEM and language initiatives, various clubs and other challenges.
- Personal development: leadership and collaborative activities, social development, and wellbeing support.
Among the best schools in London, including grammar and private schools, Forest Gate more than holds its own.
- 📍Location: Forest Lane, Forest Gate, London E7 9BB
- 📞Phone: 020 8534 8666
- 🌐Website: https://www.forestgatecst.org/
Harris Academy, Bermondsey
35% of STEM students in higher education in the UK are women.
UCAS, via HESA
People often ask why a non-selective school such as Harris has an all-girl student body. It's because of the lack of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) career fields. This results from disparity in STEM education in most schools.
As you might have guessed, Harris provides an enclave where female students can pursue their STEM aspirations without all the stigma that follows them in other types of schools. From that, we know that this school's focus is STEM, but this academy has much more to offer.
- 📍Location: 55 Southwark Park Road, Bermondsey, London, SE16 3TZ
- 📞Phone: 0207 237 9316
- 🌐Website: https://www.harrisbermondsey.org.uk/
Fortismere School, Muswell Hill
If you were looking for an independently governed foundation secondary school, Fortismere is well worth a visit. Perched on a vast tract of land (20 acres!), students have room across two campuses to explore nature, practise sports, and undertake conservation projects.
North Wing Fortismere School
- 📍Creighton Avenue, London, N10 1NS
- 📞Admissions: 020 8365 4466
- 🌐Website: https://www.fortismere.haringey.sch.uk/
South Wing Fortismere School
- 📍Tetherdown, London, N10 1NE
- 📞Main reception: 020 8365 4400
- 🌐Website: https://www.fortismere.haringey.sch.uk/
Not only does Fortismere offer plenty of such extracurricular activities, but its academic profile is nothing short of stellar. Rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted, pupils master academic subjects while cultivating their curiosity about themselves and the world around them.
Mossbourne Community Academy, Lower Clapton
This academy's story is nothing short of remarkable.
It opened its doors in 2004, an aspiring educational leader in a historically underachieving area. Besides being one of England's first academies, it has outdone even its own early goals.
Academic studies are a given, of course, but this school's focus is music. Here, learners can master a variety of instruments in the campus' music suites.
They may even record demo tracks for their university auditions. Besides music, rowing is this school's other standout.
- 📍Location: 100 Downs Park Road Hackney London E5 8JY
- 📞Phone: 020 8525 5200
- 🌐Website: https://www.mca.mossbourne.org/
London Oratory School, Fulham
This is the oldest, best-established school on our list, rivalling some of London's best prep schools, even.
This Roman Catholic learning centre opened its doors in 1863, welcoming only boys.
Today, girls aged 16 to 18 may learn there; boys can enrol starting at age 7 and continue through the end of their secondary studies.
This school still relies on its legacy structures, which blend academic and physical development.
So, students have many physical activities to choose from, including rugby, water polo, cricket and hockey.
- 📍Location: Seagrave Road, London, SW6 1RX
- 📞Phone: 020 7385 0102
- 🌐Website: https://www.london-oratory.org/
Sacred Heart Catholic School, Camberwell
If you/your student has Oxbridge aspirations - or any of London's other fine universities, you can forget combing through London's top grammar school prospectuses. This secondary-sixth form co-educational facility boasts impressive statistics:
Prog 8
+1.25
English and Maths
Standard pass GCSE: 92%
A-Level results
A*-C: 85%
A*-B: 57%
Uni first choice
96%
Besides being a solid pathway to Russell Group universities, students may also choose to study abroad, particularly in the United States. They can think about which way to take their studies as they explore Sacred Heart's many enrichment activities and social clubs.
- 📍Location: Camberwell New Road, London SE5 0RP
- 📞Phone: 020 7274 6844
- 🌐Website: https://www.sacredheart.southwark.sch.uk/
Further Reading on the Best Comprehensive Schools in London
- Simply, London . “The Best Secondary State Schools in London.” Simply London Relocation, 22 Oct. 2025, simplylondonrelocation.com/knowledge-base/the-best-secondary-state-schools-in-london/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
- Britannica. “Comprehensive School | Britannica.” Encyclopædia Britannica, 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/comprehensive-school. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
- Cunningham, Ed. “London’s Best Comprehensive State Secondary School Has Been Crowned for 2025.” Time out London, Time Out, 10 Dec. 2024, www.timeout.com/london/news/londons-best-comprehensive-state-secondary-school-has-been-crowned-by-the-sunday-times-parent-power-guide-2025-121024. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
- Embling, Georgia. “Increasing Female Students’ Uptake of STEM • Government Events.” Government Events, 13 Sept. 2021, www.governmentevents.co.uk/increasing-female-students-uptake-of-stem/. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
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