St Clement Danes School

Choosing a secondary school is a big decision, and St Clement Danes sets out to make the welcome a warm one. It describes itself plainly as a coeducational, all-ability school, and that is the heart of how it works. Most children win their place simply by living close enough, with the majority of seats allocated on distance from the school gates in Chorleywood. So while the name carries weight, this is not a school that admits only the highest scorers.

There is a selective element, but it is a slim one and easy to misread. A set number of places each year go to children with a particular aptitude for music or a strong academic profile, tested through the South West Herts Schools Consortium in the autumn before children apply. No preparation is expected, no minimum mark is set, and you learn the result before the application deadline so you can plan around it. For families without that route, the distance criterion remains the main way in.

The school carries a long history lightly, founded in 1862 and still supported by the Holborn Estate Charity that dates back to 1551, and it runs on three plain words its pupils know well, excellence, respect and trust. A motto, Loyauté m'oblige, threads through house life and the wider community feel that parents tend to mention first. Children stay from eleven through to the sixth form, and under headteacher Toby Sutherland the school suits a child who will flourish somewhere settled, kind and quietly ambitious.