Upton Court Grammar School

If your child has a curious, ambitious streak and you want them somewhere they can run with it, Upton Court Grammar School is worth a close look. It is a co-educational selective school in Slough, set within sight of Windsor Castle, and one of the most sought-after first choices in the area, with well over ten families applying for every Year 7 place. The school traces its roots back to 1912, splitting into separate boys' and girls' schools along the way before coming back together and taking its current name in 2013. The Good Schools Guide calls it "increasingly selective, highly aspirational" with a strong academic focus.

For all that ambition, the Guide also finds "less pressure than you might expect", especially for children who already have a sense of where they want to go. That matters to a lot of parents who worry a selective school will pile on the stress. Children here come from a wide range of backgrounds and mix well, with one telling the Good Schools Guide there are "no cliques". Drama has a high profile, with lively lessons in a roomy studio, and sport is taken seriously, with county champions and a badminton player who represents England among recent pupils.

Upton Court suits a bright child who knows their own mind and will make the most of a busy, mixed and friendly school. It is led by Head of School Oliver King, a chemist by training who took up the post in 2023. What parents tend to notice most is that the ambition and the warmth sit side by side here, so a child can be stretched and still feel looked after.