As a parent, wanting the very best for your children manifests itself in all aspects of life. Few priorities lie above education; after all, school life is the pillar of not only your child’s academic success, but also of their development from children to young adults.

As pupils across the country receive their A-level and GCSE results, now is the perfect time to take a fresh look at the educational establishments that can best serve your child’s future. Here are five of the finest:

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Wycombe Abbey

  • Gender: Girls
  • Location: Buckinghamshire
  • Position in The Times Top 100 Independent Schools for A-level results 2014: 1

Founded in 1896 by Miss Frances Dove (later Dame Frances Dove), Wycombe Abbey has a long and illustrious history. This boarding school for girls has three core aims: to foster the development of each pupil’s individual talents, to encourage an awareness of God, and to nurture an understanding of the needs of others.

Boasting one of the best records for academic success in the UK, Wycombe Abbey consistently ranks among the top schools in public examination league tables. What’s more, it prides itself on wider development of pupils through a rich assortment of co-curricular activities, including drama, dance, music and sport.

Each boarding house welcomes approximately 45 pupils, who are looked after by a housemistress who is also a member of the teaching staff.

King’s College School

  • Gender: Mixed
  • Location: Wimbledon
  • Position in The Times Top 100 Independent Schools for A-level results 2014: 2

Named as the Sunday Times’ Independent Secondary School of the Year 2014, King’s College School has a lot to offer pupils. This independent day school caters for boys aged seven to 18 and girls aged 16 to 18, and currently has over 1,200 pupils.

Founded in 1829, it is one of the world’s most academically successful schools. For the 2013-14 school year, an impressive 96 per cent of all GCSE grades achieved were either A* or A. The school also boasts an excellent reputation for sport, particularly rugby and netball, and offers a wide range of extracurricular activities.

The Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls

  • Gender: Girls
  • Location: Hertfordshire
  • Position in The Times Top 100 Independent Schools for A-level results 2014: 3

Catering for pupils aged four to 18, the Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls aims to be not only a place of learning and independence, but also of encouraging imagination, building confidence and fostering individuality.

Pupils study a broad but focused core of subjects that give them the opportunity to study any A-level or university courses they wish. These core subjects are English; English Literature; Maths; a modern foreign language; either Biology, Chemistry and Physics, or Science and Additional Science; and a Humanities subject.

Magdalen College School

  • Gender: Mixed
  • Location: Oxfordshire
  • Position in The Times Top 100 Independent Schools for A-level results 2014: 4

This school dates all the way back to 1480, when it was founded by William Waynflete, who had the vision of creating a school that would be at the heart of the university. The school of today sustains that vision, and caters for pupils aged seven to 18, who benefit from its longstanding ties with the University of Oxford.

A unique feature of the school’s sixth form is its Waynflete Studies programme, which runs in the Lower Sixth. A personal study project, it begins with school lectures and seminars before moving to individual or paired tutorials with teachers from the university.

Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School

  • Gender: Boys
  • Location: Hertfordshire
  • Position in The Times Top 100 Independent Schools for A-level results 2014: 5

Often referred to simply as ‘Habs’, this outstanding school for boys boasts an exciting academic curriculum supported by enriching extracurricular activities. The school can trace its history back to 1690, when it was set up in Hoxton to educate just 20 boys; the current school services more than 1,400 boys.

Its aims are threefold: to encourage boys to achieve the highest standards; to develop community and shared values; and to support parents in preparing their sons for adult life.

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