The Sunday Times has analysed five years of Parent View data — surveys that parents fill out on Ofsted’s website about their children’s schools, with more than 500,000 doing so every year — to find some of the happiest in the country.
And Tiffin School and Richard Challoner School in Kingston Upon Thames are among the top 50.
97 per cent of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their children are happy at Tiffin School and Richard Challoner School.
Moreover, the Tiffin Girls’ School, The Kingston Academy, Coombe Boys’ School and Hollyfield School and Sixth Form are on the list, with 93 per cent of parents agreeing or strongly agreeing that their children are happy at The Tiffin Girls’ School and The Kingston Academy, 91 per cent at Coombe Boys’ School, and 90 per cent at Hollyfield School and Sixth Form.
90 per cent of parents agreed or strongly agreed that their children are happy at Hollyfield School and Sixth Form in Surbiton (Credit: Tilly O’Brien)
Lower down the list is The Holy Cross School with 89 per cent of parents agreeing or strongly agreeing that their children are happy there, Tolworth Girls’ School and Sixth Form with 80 per cent, and Coombe Girls’ School with 79 per cent.
The Sunday Times looked at Parent View analysis between 2020 and 2025 and chose the year in which the largest number of surveys had been completed.
This tended to be the year of their Ofsted inspection because schools encourage parents to complete Parent View to help inspectors before their visit.
The Sunday Times included schools with at least 500 places and with surveys completed by at least 100 parents in a single year. This left 1,934 state secondary schools in England and Wales in its analysis out of the total of over 4,000.
On average, parents were more likely to agree or strongly agree that their child was happy at grammars than at comprehensives (93 per cent compared to 82 per cent) and at boys’ schools, rather than girls’ schools or mixed.
With this in mind, many parents are looking beyond the exam results. A recent survey by Parentkind found 96 per cent of parents said the happiness of children at a school should be included in Ofsted inspection report cards.
Jason Elsom, chief executive of Parentkind, said: “While exam results will always matter, parents across the country have made it clear that academic success should not come at the expense of their child’s wellbeing and happiness.
“A child who enjoys learning and has a positive relationship with their education is far more likely to thrive in life than one who is left struggling, clutching a handful of certificates but feeling broken.”
