Sir William Borlase School

If your child is the kind who loves being part of something with deep roots, Sir William Borlase's is the sort of school parents in Marlow speak about with real pride. It has sat in the centre of this Buckinghamshire town since 1624, when Sir William founded it in memory of his son Henry to teach two dozen poor local children to read, write and 'cast accounts'. The striking brick and flint buildings still stand close to the high street, with the River Thames a short walk away and the two-Michelin-starred Hand and Flowers pub next door.

The Good Schools Guide calls it 'the kind of school that many of the parents wish they'd been to and that pupils are very proud of', with a clear focus on 'creating and celebrating confident and responsible, respectful individuals who do well in their subjects'. Walk around and you find an ordered, calm atmosphere, rooms of expensive equipment left open and very little bullying. Performing arts run deep and stay compulsory in the lower years. Rowing is in the school's blood: its boat club, founded in 1921 and based at Longridge on the Thames, has lifted the Fawley Challenge Cup at Henley, and the Olympic swimmer Tom Dean is among its former pupils.

Borlase suits a child who will do well in a community-minded, grounded place that values character as much as marks. Entry at 11 is by the school's own exam, and it is heavily oversubscribed. Headteacher Edward Goodall has led it since September 2023, but what stays with most families is how settled and proud their child feels here.