The Good Schools Guide Review - 2024

Trusted by parents for 35 years, The Good Schools Guide includes impartial and candid school reviews as well as in-depth articles on education-related issues. Uniquely, each school is selected on merit alone. No one can buy their way into The Good Schools Guide’s good books. And from famous names to local treasures, The Good Schools Guide writers visit every single school, interview the head, speak to pupils and parents, analyse academic performance and challenge the marketing hype. Below you can read the full review that was carried out by The Good Schools Guide earlier this year or you can read it on The Good Schools Guide website.

Since 2013, Simon Everson MA PGCE, educated at Solihull School and read English at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge before completing a master’s in philosophy at Nottingham. Arrived at Merchant Taylors’ School (MTS) with a cornucopia of experience: he was head for seven years at Skinners’ School, a top Kent grammar, and earlier taught at Nottingham High and Arnold School, plus several comprehensives and a school in Japan.

Enjoys walking – often in the Outer Hebrides – and bird watching. A ‘gentle leader’, in the words of one mum. ‘He sets a nice tone for the school overall.’ ‘Thoughtful, interesting and genuinely cares about the boys,’ said another. ‘Not sure what more one could ask for in a head.’ Both of Mr Everson’s parents worked in education, so it may be in the genes. Married to Ginny, a psychotherapist.

Seventy-five boys enter at 11+ after sitting papers in English, maths and the ‘untutorable’ MTS general paper: ‘They might be asked to make up new languages, or there might be a bit of heraldry. It’s different each year. It helps us to find rough diamonds.’ Those who do well are invited to a 25-minute interview to assess communication skills, intellectual curiosity, reasoning and extracurricular commitment. 

Another slab of 100 boys join at 13+, thirty of these coming up from MTS Prep (almost the whole of the prep’s top year). Boys are interviewed before sitting the same papers as 11+ candidates. NB all pupils for 11+ and 13+ entry are assessed in year 6. Main feeders are Davenies, Devonshire House, Durston House, Orley Farm, Radlett Prep, Reddiford, St Anthony’s Prep, St John’s and St Martin’s.

Handful of lads join at 16+. Admission is by written examination in subjects planning to be studied in sixth form, followed by two 25-minute interviews with senior teachers.

At every stage, competition for places is fierce. ‘This is a selective school, so it’s competitive,’ says Mr Everson frankly. ‘But we approach the admissions process in a humane way, and the head’s reference is very, very important. We’re looking for the X factor: interests, passions and what the whole child will bring to the school.’

A few leave after GCSEs (around ten out of a year group of 175) aiming for boarding, grammar school, a co-ed sixth form, or simply seeking a combination of subjects not offered here. But the vast, vast majority stay the course. ‘Boys are proud to be part of this school,’ said the mother of a year 11 boy. ‘It’s prestigious. No one wants to leave for A levels.’ A ‘certain standard’ is expected in the sixth form, but there is no culling. ‘The assumption is that we will see them through to 18,’ says the head.

University destinations fall into clumps, unlike many schools where we see penny numbers head to a huge range of universities. In 2022, a whopping 22 leavers headed off to Nottingham, 20 to Warwick (17 in 2023) and 14 to UCL. Big chunks also to Loughborough, Bristol, LSE, King’s, Durham and Bath. Ten to Oxbridge in 2023. Subjects read tilt heavily towards muscular professional degrees: economics, engineering, law and, holy of holies, medicine (nine in 2023; 10 in 2022).

In 2023, 86 per cent 9-7 grades at GCSE; 70 per cent A*/A at A level (89 per cent A*-B). In 2019 (the last pre-pandemic results), 88 per cent 9-7 grades at GCSE; 76 per cent A*/A at A level (91 per cent A*-B).

Most boys do 10 GCSEs; a few do nine. They can choose from myriad languages – so long as they’re French, German or Spanish. We asked about the language offering being a bit narrow for a school of this size and calibre. ‘It’s a deliberate choice,’ explained the head of languages. ‘European languages are quicker to learn and likely to be the most valuable to these boys.’ Some Italian, Russian and Arabic offered off timetable. Vast majority of boys take three separate sciences with superb results, as you would expect. Well over a third of boys do GCSE additional maths. Still, humanities hold their own, and parents we met spoke particularly highly of the school’s history department. The homework load is surprisingly light: so much is covered so quickly in lessons.

Minimum GCSE grade 7 is needed to continue most humanities subjects into sixth form. For maths, school says pupils need minimum grade 8; parents tell us grade 9. No-nonsense list of A level options, with psychology and politics being the two most ‘out there’ subjects. Most boys start with four A levels, then drop one, though some hardy souls keep the quartet in play throughout sixth form.

Learning support is a big and busy department, visited, somewhere along the line, by around 30 per cent of MTS pupils (school says 18.5 per cent of pupils require SEND provision which puts the school exactly on the average for members of the Independent Schools Council). Teachers tell us that the exam results of boys who tap into the school’s SEND support are indistinguishable from those of their peers.

All new pupils are screened for learning difficulties in November once they’ve had a chance to bed down in their new surroundings. ‘We had no idea our son was dyslexic, but the whole year was tested in year 7 and year 9. It felt like a weight had been lifted,’ said a mum. Another parent told us, ‘They’re very good at picking up on little things… the non-diagnosed stuff, like organisation skills, revision techniques and executive skills that will always be a challenge at a boys’ school.’ ‘They’re great at getting the boys extra time, rest breaks and keyboard use in exams when needed,’ chimed in a dad. Only two boys have full-blown EHCPs.

Not a school that is scared off by the whiff of SEN around a prospective pupil: ‘I shared my son’s ed psych report with the school before applying and they still welcomed his application.’ Ditto mobility issues. There are five lifts, height-adjustable furniture, accessible bathrooms and other equipment to help all pupils access the site and facilities. In recent years, the school has had two pupils who have been full-time wheelchair users. Pupils speak over 50 different languages at home in addition to English, but few require significant EAL support.

‘There’s something for everyone,’ said a mum. ‘If you’re a geek, you can geek out. If you’re sporty, you can sport. The school allows you to play to your strengths. The hard part is getting into the school!’ Another told us: ‘Everything is very, very top notch. And serious. And brilliant.’ Extracurricular involvement is an important component of the MTS experience. Indeed, ‘The headmaster has actively pushed back against a few parents who would like a purely academic school,’ a teacher told us.
 

Few boys do A level music (some years none), and zero boys did A level drama in two of the last three years. But what do exams matter when we are speaking of the divine arts? Musical talent here is dazzling. Almost 300 boys are learning a musical instrument up to grade 8 standard, and a piano accompanist or organist is likely to be a student: ‘Boys are encouraged to do everything,’ said a mum. Jazz bands, chamber music groups, house music competition, strong choral tradition and international music tours all providing fertile (some might add ‘highbrow’) potting soil for musicians. Plans afoot to redesign the music department. Two major drama productions (one a biennial musical – Enron was in rehearsal when we were there) plus a lower school play each year. Boys are supported in applications for the National Youth Theatre, with impressive success.

Community service includes an annual activity week for 20 disabled children run by the sixth form Phab club together with a team of students from nearby St Helen’s (girls’) School. ‘We work all year raising money,’ a boy explained earnestly. The warm, but non-exclusive, relationship with St Helen’s extends to activities like CCF, music and dramatic productions.

Scores of other clubs and societies include several high-power academic clubs, ranging from dissection society to debating, but also eccentrics like ethical hacking and Rubik’s cube. Much investment in outdoor education including archery, climbing and DofE. MTS’s outstanding 100+-year-old CCF is one of the largest (and oldest) in the UK.

Weekly newsletter brims with opportunities for boys to shine – tennis club, jazz night, organ recital, cricket awards dinner, lunchtime lecture by a visiting historian, film festival and a surfing trip to the Canary Islands – all in the random edition we picked up. Not to mention a feast of articles on MT boys’ derring-do and brilliant successes. We had to lie horizontal and light a lavender candle after reading it.

Boys we chatted with expressed pride in their school’s sporting greatness which, they hinted, sets MTS apart from (and above!) some of its independent school brethren. Main games – rugby, cricket and hockey – are compulsory in years 7-9 and played up to the highest standards. Choice begins to creep in slowly come year 10. The long list of minor sports brims with promise and includes exotics like fencing, golf, shooting, riding and ultimate frisbee. Competitive rowing does not feature, but boys can row, kayak, canoe, sail and even swim in the school’s own lakes. No organised football to speak of until sixth form – a source of grumbles among younger boys.

It is entirely possible to spend a morning here and miss the luscious hinterland that distinguishes this school from many of its peers. There is also, of course, a sports hall, indoor pool, squash courts, two (soon to be three) Astros and athletics track. The enormous, asphalted, reassuringly old-school Main Quad is flooded with activity during break. Games for all on Monday and Wednesday afternoons.

Founded in the City of London in 1561 by the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors – the largest school in the country at the time. Relocated in 1933 to its current location, a 285-acre site comprising a core of listed art deco buildings plus a host of sympathetically incorporated modern additions set before endless playing fields leading down to five lakes and a river. School lacks dreaming spires and turrets but gives an immediate sense of purposefulness and solid endeavour.

Claims to be the first school in England to introduce holistic education (in the 1500s, so we’re talking ancient Greek and jousting). Dropped boarding around the turn of this century, but the school hasn’t drifted massively from the boarding school model, with plenty of activities, a love of team games, plus Saturday matches, training and other commitments. Driven but relaxed atmosphere – no one running or looking anxious.

A few parents murmured about uniform sloppiness or older boys looking unshaven and scruffy. ‘The uniform is not worn with polish,’ summarised a mum. When we put this to him, Mr Everson was unconvinced: ‘These are serious young men who are focused on the future.’ Etonians they may not be, but for the record, we thought they looked just fine. ‘It reminds me of an outstanding 1960s boys grammar school. It’s not pretentious and feels down to earth with normal families,’ said a parent who chose MTS over a swanky London boarding school that may or may not be located in Dulwich. Not showy. Tolerant. Uncliquey.

‘Nothing ever changes at MTS,’ said a mum who has seen two boys through the school. ‘They’ve got a winning formula and they stick to it.’ Many parents concurred but preferred expressions like ‘timeless’. ’It’s what we like about it!’ said one. ‘Old-fashioned values, but not old fashioned,’ said another. ‘Even the uniform is so old fashioned, the dark grey suit, and we spend a fortune having it fitted!’ Mr Everson disagrees: ‘For everything to stay the same, everything has to change.’ Rather than sameness, he sees ‘a sense of continuity – parents know Merchant Taylors’ is going to deliver.’

Actor and alumnus Riz Ahmed has discussed the gratitude he feels to MTS teachers who helped channel his ‘antisocial energy’ into extracurricular activities, like debate and drama. Ahmed chose MTS as the backdrop for one his first movies. Other famous OMTs include the founder of The Times, John Walter, BBC foreign correspondent Michael Peschardt, Nobel prize-winning medic Sir John Sulston, former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Coggan, politician and minister Sir Alan Duncan (head boy!), broadcaster Mehdi Hasan and, our favourite, the late, great Boris Karloff. Plus a host of others from the worlds of politics, business, sport, the military and the arts. OMTs have a dedicated building of their own.

‘The tolerance, inclusion and mixing are beautiful to behold,’ a mum told us gravely. No parent we spoke to could remember even a scrap of bullying. ‘They don’t put up with that here,’ said a mum. ‘If you don’t adhere to their strong morality and values, you’re out.’ ‘Civilised,’ said a teacher describing the ethos of the place, and we think that single word sums it up nicely. Boys are kind to each other and respect between them and the teachers gleams like a shiny penny. ‘It’s almost on a peer level, especially in sixth form,’ said a parent. Teachers call the boys ‘gents’. No separate staff dining room and, unusually for a day school, almost half the staff live on site. ‘We’re invested in the place,’ a teacher explained. School instils a sense of pride. ‘It’s my favourite thing about the school,’ said a parent. ‘Its traditions, its values, the no-nonsense way of learning, the sense of history. They may not admit it, but boys are proud to be at Merchant Taylors’.’

Lunch service remains imperfect. The quality of the food may have improved since our last visit, with three hot dishes (one vegetarian), plus pasta, salads, a sandwich bar and jacket potatoes if all else fails. But the queues can be daunting and most parents we spoke to had a lunch-related gripe.

Diverse with a capital D. ‘Financially, it runs the gamut from very rich families to mum and dad living above the shop,’ said a mum. ‘It’s extremely uncool to boast about your family’s wealth.’ And, indeed, you are unlikely to hear MTS boys comparing ski holidays or reminiscing about their nannies. Significant Asian population, ‘but my son has friends from almost every background – Indian, Chinese, Nigerian, white British. The school simply admits the best applicants; it keeps standards high.’ Asian students often tilt towards professional pathways, eg medicine and engineering, and the school has a challenge convincing some tiger parents that sport and the arts can lead to better, not worse, academic results. A few boys identify as trans or gender neutral. Parents say the school is relaxed and pupils accepting.

Seventeen-minute stroll to Moor Park tube station means boys arrive from a huge geographical radius. Beyond public transport, lots take advantage of the school’s network of coaches or are dropped off by parents; by age 17 many drive themselves to school.

Boys are studious, high achieving, self motivated. ‘They all want to be the top,’ said a mum. Who would it not suit? ‘Social life can be a problem as the catchment is spread out. For very social boys, a local school may be better.’ And ‘you have to be willing to give things a go,’ said a lad fondly remembering a (short-lived) opportunity for insect tasting.

Proud of its bursary scheme which currently helps up to 100 boys and is poised to expand. Ingeniously, the lettings income from the new Julian Hill Cricket Centre is to be funnelled into bursaries. School hopes to eventually offer 150 bursaries per year with the help of this new funding stream. Academic scholarships are awarded to boys who perform particularly well in the entrance papers (no separate scholarship papers). Around 10 scholarships of up to 50 per cent of fees at 11+ and 13+; many more smaller exhibitions. All award-winners benefit from an enrichment programme. Also sport, art, drama, DT, music and all-rounder scholarships; 16+ subject scholarships offered along with bursaries.

High-powered, super-academic, civilised, London-ish school set in 285 acres of verdant bliss. As long as your son has the brains to keep up, it provides an outstanding environment that produces both interesting and interested young men, with a long-standing history of valuing the quirky and erudite.