The Henrietta Barnett School

Selective

National rank

1

3

Rank last year

95.2%

A-level

A-level

A*-B

96.9%

GCSE

GCSE

A*/A/9/8/7

State Secondary State School of the Year for Academic Excellence 2025, Joint State Secondary School of the Year for A-levels 2025, State Secondary School of the Year for GCSE 2025 and State Secondary State School of the Year in London for Academic Excellence 2025

Need to know

Head teacher

Emma McLeod

Gender of entry

Girls

Total pupils

793

Head teacher

Emma McLeod

Gender of entry

Girls

Total pupils

793

Head teacher

Emma McLeod

Gender of entry

Girls

Total pupils

793

Progress 8

WELL ABOVE AVERAGE

Pupils on free school meals

4.8%

Progress 8

WELL ABOVE AVERAGE

Pupils on free school meals

4.8%

Our methodology
Results

A-level 2024 rank: 1=

GCSE 2024 rank: 1

What the school inspection says

Date of report
2022
Verdict *
Good
“Pupils are very keen to acquire knowledge in a broad range of subjects, which include Latin, ancient Greek and classical civilisation. Their behaviour, attendance and attitudes to learning are excellent. Pupils maintain their focus in lessons for long periods of time and enjoy thinking about the questions teachers pose … Pupils’ confidence is largely the result of the school’s focus on building character by teaching pupils how to listen, debate and reason … Pupils and staff agree that bullying in the school is extremely rare, and this is supported by the school’s records … Leaders are rightly focused on improving the quality of the curriculum and assessment in every subject. Some subjects are further ahead than others on this journey.”
Read the full report
Read report
*From September 2024, Ofsted no longer makes an overall effectiveness judgment in inspections of state-funded schools. A consultation on the new report cards will take place in 2025.

About the school

  • Founded in 1911, HBS, in Hampstead Garden Suburb, is consistently one of the top state schools in the country. Built on the principle that education should be open to girls from different backgrounds to study and learn together and from each other, it became an academy in 2012. 
  • Extracurricular clubs include animation, art and design technology, beginners’ Sanskrit, biology, book club, current affairs, economics, French debating, gardening, LGBT+, Greek, green team, creative writing and robotics. Students can sign up for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in Year 10.
  • There is a strong alumnae organisation. Former pupils include the life peers Baroness Altmann and Baroness Evans and Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham.
  • HBS has opened a health and wellbeing centre and students are offered one-to-one mentoring and access to counselling.
  • London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda) qualifications are offered up to the sixth form.
Address