Best secondary schools in Richmond

Until relatively recently, many of Richmond’s non-selective secondary schools, with the notable exception of Waldegrave School (girls’ school with a co-ed sixth form in Twickenham and one of the top small non-selective schools in the country) were decidedly average. Many have since perked up no end. Winner of the ‘most improved’ award would undoubtedly be Grey Court School in Ham, where 80 per cent of pupils regularly achieve a grade 5 or better in GCSE English language and maths. There is also far more outside space than your average London comp and this, no doubt, plays its part in Grey Court’s reputation as a top sports school. Other parent favourites include Orleans Park School (Twickenham) and Turing House School (newest school on the block – recently relocated to a purpose-built site close to the Hounslow borders). Catholic families who can jump through the requisite holy hoops are particularly well served with all-through, co-ed St Richard Reynolds Catholic High School in nearby Twickenham itself and other top-rated single-sex schools slightly further away.

With no selective schools of its own (Richmond’s last closed in the 1970s), residents don’t, fortunately, have to look far for their nearest grammar schools. Next-door Kingston is home to two. The Tiffin Girls’ School gives priority to high scoring candidates who live in the school’s inner area, which includes Ham, Petersham and Richmond Riverside, while Tiffin School (boys to year 11 with a co-ed sixth form) prioritises successful boys who live in the priority area (up to 10km away, which includes all of TW9 and TW10) and also offers limited places to registered candidates showing exceptional sporting or musical aptitude.

Most Richmond secondary schools now have their own sixth forms. High performers such as Waldegrave School, Grey Court School, Orleans Park School and Turing House School send a steady stream of pupils to Russell Group universities (including Oxbridge). Some high achievers secure sixth form places at The Tiffin Girls’ School and Tiffin School in Kingston. Others, hankering for a student vibe and greater independence, move to local colleges.

Within Richmond itself, provision at Richmond-upon-Thames College spans A levels, technical and vocational courses for 16-19 year olds (also runs adult education courses), while highly rated Esher College, a sixth form college just over the river in Surrey, remains a popular (and often oversubscribed) destination. Those missing out might end up at Strode’s College near Egham, more accessible than it sounds thanks to direct trains from Richmond. 

Five of Richmond’s secondary schools offer resource provision catering for an impressively broad range of learning challenges. These are SEMH (Social, Emotional and Mental Health) at Teddington School (which also offers an alternative curriculum for students struggling to cope with school), speech, language and communication needs (Grey Court School), autism (Hampton High and Waldegrave), and dyslexia (Orleans Park). Schools are also commendably proud of the results achieved by students with SEN. Turing House, for example, is one of the schools highlighting their performance in years 11 and 13 online. 

For students who would struggle with the academic expectations and bustle and noise of a mainstream school, Clarendon School (for children with moderate learning difficulties), Strathmore (severe and complex learning difficulties) and Capella House School (speech, language and communication) as well as soon-to-open London River Academy (SEMH) provide smaller-scale, specialist environments. Some Richmond children also attend schools in nearby boroughs, like Spring School in Kingston, which supports pupils with autism.