Lyonsdown School[1]

Independent · ages 3–11

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Headline results

No headline results are published for this school in the latest two years.

Results

No published data for this school.

Ofsted

Inspected by: Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI)[2]

ISI inspection

Inspection: September 2023[3]
Framework: Framework from September 2023[3]
Leadership and governance: Standards met[3]
Quality of education: Standards met[3]
Health and wellbeing: Standards met[3]
Social and economic education: Standards met[3]
Safeguarding: Standards met[3]

Quality of education

ISI recommended: The school should use past learning and assessment results to plan and adapt teaching so it meets all pupils’ needs.

Health and wellbeing

ISI recommended: The school should ensure strategies for minor behaviour issues are included in the behaviour policy.

Social and economic education

ISI recommended: The school should expand pupils’ experiences in contributing to local and regional communities.

Previous ISI inspections: 2019, 2016, 2013 (2019 report, 2016 report, 2013 report).

ISI's page for this school

Findings of the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), restated in our own words: not ISI's wording. Read the full report on ISI's website.

Competition to get in

Admissions

Sibling policy: Places are offered in order of date of registration, after sibling and alumni places have been offered. 2026-10-14[4]

Character & practicalities

Fees

Pre-prep, day: £4,458 a term 2026/27 · Reception, Years 1 and 2 · excl. VAT[5]
Prep, day: £4,873 a term 2026/27 · Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 · excl. VAT[5]

As published by the school on its own website for the year shown, quoted from our archived copy. Ranges run from the lowest to the highest fee the school lists for that stage. Check the school's current fees before deciding: extras (lunch, trips, exams) and bursaries are not included. Fees are never used to rank schools.

Type: Other independent school[1]
Ages: 3–11[1]
Boys / girls: Girls[1]
Admissions: Non-selective[1]
Sixth form: No[1]
Boarding: No boarders[1]
Capacity: 248[1]
Local authority: Barnet[1]
Website: www.lyonsdownschool.co.uk [1]
Nursery classes: Has Nursery Classes[2]
Special classes: No Special Classes[2]
Section 41 (can be named in an EHC plan): Not approved[2]
District: Barnet [6]
Postcode: EN5 1SA[1]
URN: 101370[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll: 154 2024/25[7]
SEN support: 13% 2024/25[7]
EHC plan: 0% 2024/25[7]
Free school meals in the last 6 years: 0% 2024/25[7]

Practicalities

Admissions contact: The admissions contact details are provided in the document. 2026-10-14[4]

Routes to senior schools

Assured place at 11+: Belmont, Mill Hill Prep (Mill Hill Education Group; Years 7-8, then Mill Hill School): A conditional offer without the standard entrance exam. It rests on the Head's recommendation (academic suitability, character, internal assessments and standardised scores). Belmont pupils then 'transfer directly to Mill Hill Senior School in Year 9' with no exam, subject to behaviour and progress. our pupils benefit from our Group Senior School Pathway, which offers them the opportunity to receive conditional offers for 11+ places at one or our Group Senior Schools without sitting the standard entrance exams. Offers will be based on a Head’s recommendation 2026-10-14[8]
Assured place at 11+: Abbot's Hill School (Mill Hill Education Group): Same Group pathway: a conditional offer without the entrance exam, on the Head's recommendation. 11+ Offers (Y7 Places): Issued in the Spring Term of Year 5 for entry to senior schools: Abbot's Hill, Kingshott, and Belmont, Mill Hill Prep. 2026-10-14[8]
Assured place at 11+: Kingshott (Mill Hill Education Group): Same Group pathway. Kingshott is in Hitchin, so this is of little practical relevance. 11+ Offers (Y7 Places): Issued in the Spring Term of Year 5 for entry to senior schools: Abbot's Hill, Kingshott, and Belmont, Mill Hill Prep. 2026-10-14[8]

In the inspectors' and the school's words

Academic: Pupils attain well and almost all attain entry to local selective state and independent schools of their choice. However, some teaching does not meet the needs of all groups of pupils by building on previous learning effectively to challenge and support pupils to achieve even more.[9]
Warmth: A strong sense of community belonging pervades the school. The positive relationships between adults and children in the early years help to ensure that children are happy and thrive.[9]
Pastoral care: Pupils’ well-developed understanding of the importance of mental health is supported by the provision of the ‘Sparkle room’. Some pupils do not feel that they are always supported in solving minor friendship issues or that appropriate action is taken to resolve issues.[9]
Behaviour: Pupils behave very well in lessons, when working with others and when moving around the school. While most pupils behave well, leaders have not developed a consistent approach to help staff manage low-level behaviour incidents when they occur.[9]
Learning support: Pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress. Ensure systematic use of evidence from prior learning and assessment, so that teaching is consistently adapted and well planned to meet the needs of all groups of pupils.[9]
Enrichment: Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is suitably enriched by a varied programme of trips, visits and clubs that stimulate and spark interest in pupils. Opportunities for pupils to understand how they can make effective contributions to their wider community are more limited.[9]
Pupil voice: The pupil council has an active voice within the school. The council has initiated change, such as in the provision of healthy food, the style of teaching pupils value and in the provision of a therapy dog[9]
Independence: a focus on the ‘Lyonsdown learning habits’ of independence, curiosity, creativity, collaboration, perseverance and reflection These enable pupils to apply their skills with increasing independence.[9]
Collaboration: Children interact positively with one another and share resources effectively to learn collaboratively. to enable the achievement of personal success by collaborating as a school family.[9]
Structure: Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. However, the policy is not explicitly clear to pupils or to all staff how more minor infringements will be managed.[9]
Diversity: English is an additional language for six pupils. Pupils are very spiritually aware because of the many opportunities to share different faith practices of families, with their peers from across the school community.[9]
Sport: Leaders promote physical and emotional wellbeing by ensuring access to high-quality sports resources and facilities away from the school site to supplement those on site. Pupils play a variety of team sports including football.[9]
Visual arts: Pupils are highly creative. They use a variety of media confidently in their artwork. Their creative skills are particularly well developed.[9]

Sources

Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments (independent schools' inspectorate and provision). Period 2026-10-17, published 2026-10-17. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
reports.isi.net: reports.isi.net document (PDF). Period 2026-10-17. Licence: copyright-quoted.
lyonsdownschool.co.uk: lyonsdownschool.co.uk — Admissions. Period 2026-10-14. Licence: copyright-quoted.
Quotes (3)
Places are offered in order of date of registration, after sibling and alumni places have been offered. (p. 1)
admissions@lyonsdownschool.co.uk (p. 1)
Tel: 020 8449 0225 (p. 1)
lyonsdownschool.co.uk: lyonsdownschool.co.uk — Our fees. Period 2026-10-17. Licence: copyright-quoted.
Quotes (3)
Reception, Years 1 and 2: £4,458 per term (p. 1)
Tuition Fee VAT Lunch Total (per Term) (p. 1)
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6: £4,873 per term (p. 1)
Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
lyonsdownschool.co.uk: lyonsdownschool.co.uk — Destination schools. Period 2026-10-14. Licence: copyright-quoted.
Quotes (2)
our pupils benefit from our Group Senior School Pathway, which offers them the opportunity to receive conditional offers for 11+ places at one or our Group Senior Schools without sitting the standard entrance exams. Offers will be based on a Head's recommendation (p. 1)
11+ Offers (Y7 Places): Issued in the Spring Term of Year 5 for entry to senior schools: Abbot's Hill, Kingshott, and Belmont, Mill Hill Prep (p. 1)
reports.isi.net: reports.isi.net document (PDF). Period 2026-10-14. Licence: copyright-quoted.
Quotes (26)
Leaders promote physical and emotional wellbeing by ensuring access to high-quality sports resources and facilities away from the school site to supplement those on site (p. 8)
Pupils play a variety of team sports including football (p. 8)
A strong sense of community belonging pervades the school (p. 3)
The positive relationships between adults and children in the early years help to ensure that children are happy and thrive (p. 6)
Pupils attain well and almost all attain entry to local selective state and independent schools of their choice (p. 7)
However, some teaching does not meet the needs of all groups of pupils by building on previous learning effectively to challenge and support pupils to achieve even more (p. 7)
Pupils' well-developed understanding of the importance of mental health is supported by the provision of the 'Sparkle room' (p. 8)
Some pupils do not feel that they are always supported in solving minor friendship issues or that appropriate action is taken to resolve issues (p. 8)
Pupils behave very well in lessons, when working with others and when moving around the school (p. 8)
While most pupils behave well, leaders have not developed a consistent approach to help staff manage low-level behaviour incidents when they occur (p. 3)
English is an additional language for six pupils (p. 13)
Pupils are very spiritually aware because of the many opportunities to share different faith practices of families, with their peers from across the school community (p. 8)
Teachers have high expectations of pupils' behaviour (p. 8)
However, the policy is not explicitly clear to pupils or to all staff how more minor infringements will be managed (p. 8)
Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is suitably enriched by a varied programme of trips, visits and clubs that stimulate and spark interest in pupils (p. 7)
Opportunities for pupils to understand how they can make effective contributions to their wider community are more limited (p. 10)
The pupil council has an active voice within the school (p. 10)
The council has initiated change, such as in the provision of healthy food, the style of teaching pupils value and in the provision of a therapy dog (p. 10)
Pupils are highly creative. They use a variety of media confidently in their artwork (p. 7)
Their creative skills are particularly well developed (p. 3)
a focus on the 'Lyonsdown learning habits' of independence, curiosity, creativity, collaboration, perseverance and reflection (p. 5)
These enable pupils to apply their skills with increasing independence (p. 7)
Children interact positively with one another and share resources effectively to learn collaboratively (p. 10)
to enable the achievement of personal success by collaborating as a school family (p. 13)
Pupils including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make good progress (p. 7)
Ensure systematic use of evidence from prior learning and assessment, so that teaching is consistently adapted and well planned to meet the needs of all groups of pupils (p. 4)