Top-rated primary and secondary schools across all 33 London boroughs, based on Ofsted ratings and KS2 results. Each borough links to its full school directory. Updated from live DfE and Ofsted data.
Which London borough has the best schools overall?
Boroughs such as Richmond upon Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Sutton, and Barnet consistently have high proportions of Outstanding and Good schools and strong KS2 results. However, inner-city boroughs including Tower Hamlets, Hackney and Newham have schools that achieve excellent results despite serving highly deprived communities, often showing strong progress scores.
How do I find the best school in my borough?
Use the ofsted.london borough search to filter schools by Ofsted rating and sort by KS2 results. Look at both attainment (raw KS2 scores) and progress scores — the latter shows how much pupils improved, which is a fairer indicator of teaching quality.
Are the top schools in London hard to get into?
Many Outstanding schools in London are oversubscribed and operate on strict admissions criteria — often distance-based catchment areas, sibling priority, or faith criteria. The catchment circles on each school page on this site show the furthest distance a pupil was offered a place last year.
Does a good borough guarantee good schools?
No. School quality within a borough can vary significantly. Two schools a mile apart can have very different Ofsted ratings. Always check individual school data rather than relying on borough reputation.