St. Albans School

St Albans School suits a curious, self-motivated child who likes being stretched but would wilt in a pressure cooker. It is an independent day school in the middle of St Albans, Hertfordshire, taking pupils from 11 to 18 with main entry at 11, 13 and 16. Historically a boys' school with a co-educational sixth form, it began admitting girls and boys together into the First Form (Year 7) from September 2026, so a child starting Year 7 in September 2027 joins a fully co-educational year group. There is no boarding; pupils come from the city itself, Harpenden and the surrounding villages, some by coach from up to an hour away.

The school traces its origins to 948 and the abbey founded by Abbot Ulsinus, which makes it one of the oldest in the world. Since 1871 it has occupied the medieval Abbey Gateway beside the cathedral, which once housed one of the earliest printing presses in Britain. Daily life runs through four houses, two of them named after Old Albanians: Stephen Hawking, a pupil in the 1950s, and the archaeologist Colin Renfrew. Around 200 clubs and activities run alongside lessons, including a Combined Cadet Force going since 1903. Tutors see their groups twice a day.

The Good Schools Guide calls it a school that 'does exactly what it says on the tin', and rates the pastoral care and range outside lessons highly, noting a relaxed, tolerant place where pupils of all backgrounds settle. The head describes a place that is 'no one-dimensional academic hothouse'. It suits a child who wants proper teaching and plenty to try, and who would rather be known by name in an ancient building than absorbed into something bigger and glossier.