Royal Grammar School, Newcastle

RGS Newcastle suits a child who likes being stretched and will not mind being one of many able pupils in the room. Despite the name, it is not a state grammar: it is an independent, fully co-educational day school for boys and girls aged 7 to 18, with a Senior School of more than 700 taking most of its new intake at 11. There is no boarding. The site sits on Eskdale Terrace in Jesmond, close to the Metro station, which is how many pupils arrive each morning from across the North East.

The school traces itself to 1525 and a bequest from Thomas Horsley, then mayor of Newcastle, later gaining its royal foundation under Elizabeth I; it marked its 500th year in 2025. It has moved five times, settling in Jesmond in 1906. Girls joined the sixth form in 2001 and the whole school by 2008. The four houses carry the names of old pupils, among them Cuthbert Collingwood, Nelson's second in command at Trafalgar, and children compete in House Dance, House Music and sport. Leavers become Old Novocastrians. Day to day there are more than 170 clubs, from debating to Manga Club, a games afternoon each week, and an autumn activities fair where the lot is laid out for newcomers.

The Good Schools Guide finds academic aspiration and challenge sitting alongside a firmer focus on wellbeing, and reports pupils who 'relish the challenges'. Counsellors and a school nurse are on hand, and the head's line is simply that 'happy children learn'. Pupils describe the place as 'friendly, inclusive and purposeful'. It suits a child who is curious, wants company that keeps up, and needs somewhere to put their energy after the last lesson.