The Maynard School

If you want a school small enough that the staff know your daughter by name, the Maynard fits the bill: around 410 girls from four to eighteen, in a building with room for 484. It is an independent day school in the middle of Exeter, and it is selective: entry at eleven is five short papers covering English, comprehension, maths, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, and a piece of creative writing.

It was founded in 1658 by Sir John Maynard, as the Blue Maids' Hospital, a charity for poor girls rather than a school for paying ones. That makes it one of the oldest girls' schools in England, generally reckoned second only to Red Maids' in Bristol. It has not been in the same spot throughout: teaching moved to the present St Leonards site in 1882, and the school only took its founder's name in 1912. Three bombs hit it in the Exeter Blitz on 4 May 1942, and George VI came to see the damage.

The phone rules tell you most of what you need to know about the place. Year 7 girls may bring a non-smart phone and nothing else. Years 8 to 11 hand smartphones into lockers, switched off. Only the sixth form may use one, and only in their own centre. Every girl sees a form tutor each morning and has a named head of year, and there are therapy dogs for a bad day. The Good Schools Guide calls it 'a haven of calm, compassionate and creative education'. It suits a girl who would rather be known than counted.