The Henrietta Barnett School

The Henrietta Barnett School, usually shortened to HBS, is a selective girls' grammar school for ages 11 to 18 on Central Square in Hampstead Garden Suburb. Its identity is unusually tied to its founder. Dame Henrietta Barnett opened the school in 1911 to give girls from different backgrounds access to a serious academic education, and that founding idea still sits behind the school's emphasis on ambition, access and intellectual curiosity. The setting matters too: HBS works from a Lutyens-designed Grade II* listed building, and became an academy in April 2012.

The academic offer is broad and carefully sequenced. The school describes a curriculum rooted in authenticity, endeavour, curiosity, connection and kindness. In Key Stage 3, pupils study Classics throughout the three years, take three modern foreign languages in Years 8 and 9, and keep creative subjects such as Art, Drama, Music, Design, Technology and Engineering in the timetable. At GCSE, the structure keeps separate sciences alongside choices across humanities, languages, creative subjects and free options; in the sixth form, students normally start Year 12 with four A-level subjects.

The campus has had significant investment in the physical spaces that shape daily school life: the Queen Mary Science Wing was refurbished from six older laboratories into eight contemporary labs; the school has added a Music and Drama School, an Art and Design & Technology Centre with a Mac Suite and cafe, and an extended library. The co-curricular offer is broad rather than ornamental. HBS lists weekly clubs and societies including chess, debating, mock trial, robotics, programming, science societies, classics, politics, creative writing and book club, with Duke of Edinburgh opportunities from Year 9. In the sixth form, students have their own space, the Loft, alongside a speaker programme, leadership roles and a large student-led club culture.

Admission to Year 7 is academically selective and runs in two stages: a first round in verbal reasoning, non-verbal reasoning and English, followed by a second round in English and Mathematics. The published admission number for September 2027 entry is 120. The current admissions policy also makes the priority order clear: looked-after and previously looked-after children come first if they are in the eligible group, Pupil Premium applicants in the top 300 after Round One receive priority regardless of address, and then a three-mile residence category applies before remaining candidates are ranked by score. The latest published outcomes match that academic reputation: HBS publishes 97% grades 7 to 9 at GCSE and 72% A* to A at A-level for summer 2025, while GOV.UK performance data records +1.09 Progress 8 and 100% grade 5+ in English and maths.