Shortlist 2023


Independent School Parent magazine is delighted to announce the shortlisted schools for Independent Schools of the Year 2023. Now in their sixth year, the awards continue to thrive with hundreds of schools from across the country submitting entries in all 23 awards categories.

The purpose of the awards is to celebrate the life-affirming, life-enhancing benefits which an independent education delivers to its students, and to highlight the enormous contribution our schools make to the wider community.

Reading through this year’s entries, the judges have been struck by the depth and breadth of the student experience provided by our independent schools across the country. With stories of beach schools to elite-level sporting achievements and cultural festivals to innovative academic programmes, there is no doubt that the sector continues to lead the way.

This year, the judges have been particularly impressed by the significant impact that schools make on their wider communities through the diverse and innovative educational partnerships they build, both locally and nationally. This is complemented by the extraordinary investment many schools are making in their bursary programmes and the lasting impact this is having in terms of promoting social mobility. The stories of success of many, many bursary students which we have read this year are awe-inspiring.

Independent education is one of the great traditions of the UK and, on the strength of this year’s entries, there can be no doubt about the consistent level of excellence being achieved.

Finalists will be announced on 6 September and the winners, chosen by our independent panel of expert judges, will be revealed at an awards ceremony in central London in October.

Many congratulations to all schools that have been shortlisted.

Aberdour School

Abingdon Prep School

Abingdon School

Ackworth School

Ackworth School - Coram House

Adcote School

AKS Lytham

Aldwickbury School

Alleyn's School

Appleford School

Ardvreck School

Argyle House School

Arnold Lodge School

Ashford School

Ashville College

Ballard School

Barnard Castle School

Bede's Senior School

Bedford Prep School

Bedford School

Belhaven Hill School

Benenden School

Berkhamsted Girls

Berkhamsted Pre-Prep

Berkhamsted School

Bilton Grange

Bilton Grange Preparatory School

Blackheath High Junior School

Blundell's Preparatory School

Bolton School

Bolton School Junior Girls

Boundary Oak School

Bournemouth Collegiate School

Brackenfield School

Bradfield College

Brighton College

Brighton College Abu Dhabi

Brighton College Al Ain

Brighton College Bangkok

Brighton College Dubai

Brighton College Prep Kensington

Brighton College Prep School

Brighton Girls

Brighton Girls Prep School

British School Muscat

Bryanston

Caldicott

Canford School

Cardiff Sixth Form College

Caterham Prep School

Caterham School

Channing

Chard School

Charterhouse

Cheltenham Prep School

Chepstow House School

Christ's Hospital

City of London School

City of London School for Girls

Claremont Fan Court School

Claremont Preparatory School

Concord College

Cothill House

Cottesmore School

Coworth Flexlands Prep School & Nursery

Culford School

Cumnor House School for Boys and Nursery

Dame Allan's Schools

Denstone College

Derby High School

Devonshire House Preparatory School

DLD College London

Dorset House School

Dover College

Dubai College

Dulwich College

Dulwich Prep London

Dumpton School

Dunottar School

Durham High School

Eastbourne College

Eaton House Belgravia

Eaton House Schools

Eaton House The Manor

Eaton House The Manor Boys' School

Eaton House The Manor Girls' School

Eaton House The Manor Pre-Prep School

Eaton House The Manor Prep School

Eaton Square School (Prep)

Edenhurst Preparatory School

Ellesmere College

Elstree School

Eltham College

Emanuel School

Embley

ESMS (Erskine Stewart's Melville Schools)

Falcons Pre-Preparatory Chiswick

Falcons School for Girls

Farringtons School

Finborough School

Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park

GEMS Wellington International School

Ghyll Royd School and Pre-School

Godolphin and Latymer School

Gordonstoun

Grange Park Prep School

Great Ballard

Grimsdell, Mill Hill Pre Prep

Guildford High School

Halliford School

Hampton School

Lady Eleanor Holles School

Handcross Park School

Harrogate Ladies' College

Hazlegrove Prep School

Heatherton School

High School of Dundee

Highfield and Brookham Schools

Highfield Prep School

Hill House School

Holme Grange School

Holmwood House School

Hurst College

Ibstock Place School

International School Aberdeen (ISA)

Ipswich School

James Allen's Girls' School

Junior King's School

Kellett School

Kensington Wade

Kew College Prep

King Edward's School, Birmingham

King Edward's School, Birmingham and King Edward VI High School for Girls

King Edward's School, Bath

King's College Junior school

King's Hawford

King's High School

King's House Nursery and School

King's House School

King's International College

King's School

King's St Alban's Prep School

King's Worcester

Kingsley School Devon

Kingswood House School

Lady Eleanor Holles School (LEH)

Langley School

Latymer Prep School

Latymer Upper School

Leighton Park

Liberty Woodland School

Lincoln Minster School

Lochinver House School

Lockers Park

Loughborough Schools Music at Loughborough Schools Foundation

Ludgrove School

LVS Ascot

LVS Hassocks

Magdalen College School

Maltmans Green School

Manchester High School for Girls

Marlborough House School

Mayfield

Merchiston Castle School

Micklefield School

Mill Hill International

Millfield School

Monkton Combe School

Moon Hall School Reigate

More House School

Moreton Hall

Mowden Hall School

Myddelton College

Myddelton College Preparatory School

New Hall School

Newcastle School for Boys

Newcastle-under-Lyme Preparatory School

Newcastle-upon Tyne Royal Grammar School

Newland House School

Northwood College for Girls GDST

Norwich High School for Girls GDST

Norwich School

Notre Dame Prep School

Notre Dame Senior School

Notting Hill & Ealing High School GDST

Notting Hill Prep School

Nottingham Girls' High School GDST

Nottingham High Infant and Junior School

Nottingham High School

Oakwood School

Oxford High School (GDST)

Parkside School

Pennthorpe

Perrott Hill Prep School

Pipers Corner School

Portland Place Hybrid School

Portland Place School

Portsmouth High School

Prenton Preparatory School

Prince's Mead

Putney High School GDST

Quainton Hall - John Lyon's Prep School

Queen Anne's School

Queen Margaret's School for Girls

Queen's College Preparatory School

Queen's College

Redmaids' High School

Reigate Grammar School

Repton Prep

RGS Springfield

RGS The Grange

RGS Worcester

Roedean

Rose Hill School

Rossall Preparatory School

Rossall School

Royal Hospital School

Ruckleigh School

Rugby School

Rupert House School

Ryde School

Rydes Hill Preparatory School

Sancton Wood School

Sandroyd Pre-Prep

Sandroyd School

Sarum Hall School

Scarborough College

Seaford College

Sedbergh Prep

Sedbergh School

Sevenoaks School

Shebbear College

Sheffield Girls' Infant and Junior School GDST

Sheffield High School for Girls

Sherborne Girls

Shiplake College

Shrewsbury School

Solihull School

Sompting Abbotts Preparatory School

South Hampstead High School GDST

Southbank International School

St Andrew's Prep

St Antony's School for Boys

St Augustine's Priory

St Benedict's School

St Catherine's

St Christopher's School and Nursery

St Dunstan's College

St Dunstan's College Junior School

St Edmund's School Canterbury

St Edward's Prep School & Nursery

St Edward's, Cheltenham

St George's School Windsor Castle

St George's, Ascot

St Helen and St Katharine

St Hugh's School Woodhall Spa

St Ives School Haslemere

St James Preparatory School

St James Senior Girls' School

St John's Beaumont

St John's School

St Joseph's College

St Joseph's In The Park

St Lawrence College

St Leonards

St Mary's Cambridge

St Michael's Church of England Preparatory School

St Michael's Prep School

St Neot's Preparatory School

St Paul's School

St Peter's School

St Piran's School

St Wystan's School

St. Mary's Preparatory School

St. Swithun's

Stafford Grammar School

Staines Preparatory School

Stoke College

Stonyhurst

Stormont School

Strathallan School

Sunningdale School

Surbiton High School

Sutton High School GDST

Sutton High School Pre Prep

Swanbourne House School

The Abbey School

The British School of Bahrain

The British School of Brussels

The Daiglen School

The Downs Malvern

The Elms

The Gleddings Preparatory School

The King's School

The King's School Chester

The Kingsley School

The Leys

The Lyceum School

The Marist School

The Mead School

The Mount School

The Mount School York

The National Mathematics & Science College

The Perse School Cambridge

The Pointer School

The Prebendal School

The Prep at Denstone College

The Royal School

The Ryleys School

The White House Prep School

Thorngrove School

Thornton College

Thorpe House School

Tower House School

Town Close School

Trinity School

Truro High School for Girls

Truro School

Truro School Prep

Twyford School

UCS Hampstead

Vita et Pax Preparatory School

Walhampton School

Warwick Preparatory School

Warwick School

Wellesley Haddon Dene

Wellington College

Wellington Prep School

Wellington School

Wells Cathedral Prep School

Wells Cathedral School

West Buckland School

West Hill Park School

Westbourne House School

Westbourne Prep School

Westbourne School

Westbrook Hay Preparatory School

Westfield School

Westholme School

Westonbirt School

Wetherby Senior School

Wimbledon Common Prep School

Wimbledon High Junior School GDST

Wimbledon High School GDST

Winchester House School

Windlesham House School

Wolverhampton Grammar School

Woodbridge School Prep

Wotton House International School

Wycliffe College

Wycombe Abbey

Yarm Preparatory School (Yarm School)

Yarm School

2025 Awards Timeline

Nominations
open

25th March

Nominations
close

5th June

Commended
announced

July

Finalists
announced

September

Judges
meet

September

Awards
ceremony

October