Welcome to the 2027 Tatler Schools Guide, which we hope will help with the most precious choice of all: how and where to educate your children. Each year, my trusty researchers and I select the UK’s leading prep and public schools to review. Always at the top of our minds is: will each and every one of those covered offer your progeny the very best future imaginable, whether that’s through academic, creative or athletic skills – or, hopefully, an amalgamation of them all?
What's in a name? That's the question prospective parents might ask of the sister sites to some of the UK's best schools popping up across the world. Tatler's education editor jets to the Middle and Far East to discover whether these branded schools truly are A*
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One skill many of us shy away from is being championed by our former prime minister Rishi Sunak MP and his brilliant wife Akshata. Maths! Since leaving No 10, this philanthropic couple have created the Richmond Project to ensure the UK’s population is confident with numbers. I am so honoured Akshata has written for us this year; and I trust that reading her article will inspire you to brush up your arithmetic.
Far too many think ‘maths + me = difficult’. Poor numeracy is not just a daily struggle for parents and children; it's a social mobility issue, writes Akshata Murty
That might involve discipline. And while some pedagogues might flinch at being called Britain’s Strictest Head, that’s not the case with Katharine Birbalsingh CBE, who says that her firmness is simply loving her pupils enough to hold high standards. When I visited her amazing free school, Michaela Community School in Wembley, it was evident that she and all her staff put their hearts behind her conviction that every child deserves a proper education. You can read my feature on and head to Tatler’s Instagram to see the fabulous Sophie Winkleman – actress, educational activist and mother – interview Katharine.
On a visit to the outstanding Michaela Community School, Tori Cadogan questions ‘Britain’s strictest head' about her ultra-traditional approach
At the other end of the spectrum, barely a day goes by without one of Tatler’s chosen establishments announcing that they are opening an international school. But are they true representations of their historical UK namesakes? Do they reflect the same standards and principles? I set off around the globe to find out more.
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Finally, isn’t our cover, featuring stars past and present of The Royal Ballet School, wonderful? At the entrance of its senior school in London’s Covent Garden is inscribed a quotation from the founder, Dame Ninette de Valois: ‘Respect the past, herald the future, but concentrate on the present.’ Her foresight in creating the school, which this year celebrates its centenary, has not only benefitted thousands of aspiring young dancers – the majority on full scholarships – but also anyone lucky enough to watch the likes of alumna Dame Darcey Bussell perform. One of the most impressive things about the RBS is that, when its dancers leave at 19 years old, they also hold university degrees. This once again demonstrates a crucial aspect of education: its ability to transform lives by ensuring young people have autonomy and choices for their future. I hope this year’s Tatler Schools Guide helps your children on a stellar pathway, too.
Until next year,
Tori Cadogan
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