• University College School is intellectually ambitious, liberal and humane and aims to foster independence of mind alongside strong academic achievement.

• Will suit families wanting a highly academic London day school with a strong sense of independence of mind and an established route into a co-educational sixth form.

Admissions at University College School are selective, intellectually serious and very well established, and should appeal to families seeking a Hampstead day school with strong academic tradition and a liberal outlook. It should suit parents who want access to a coherent foundation from pre-prep to sixth form while also understanding that the senior school remains boys-only until the co-educational sixth form.

Fee assistance and music scholarships are clearly part of the current admissions offer, and UCS talks openly about substantial bursary provision. For many families, though, the deeper attraction is the school's liberal tradition and consistently academic atmosphere.

The overall picture is academically ambitious and characteristically independent minded, with UCS describing a foundation that includes pre-prep, junior and senior schools, a co-educational sixth form and a long-standing bursary commitment. Parents should still visit because the key question is whether the school's pace, style and intellectual culture feel energising for their child.