The Tatler Schools Guide is an annual publication by Tatler Magazine that reviews and celebrates the top independent prep and public schools in the UK. Head to their website to find out more information about the Magazine. You can read their review of Merchant Taylors’ below.
At Merchant Taylors’ confidence comes without arrogance.
‘The boys here are genuinely terrific company. Ambitious without being poisonous about it, clever without needing to prove it every five minutes, and remarkably kind when it counts’ says one pupil.
Founded in 1561 and one of the country’s ‘Great Nine’, academic achievement is highly prized here – but not at the expense of character.
Pastoral care fosters camaraderie through vertical tutor groups in which the older pupils mentor younger ones, encouraging kindness. The same ethos extends to sport, whereby boys are taught to respect opponents, handle defeat and conduct themselves with integrity.
Competition remains serious, though, supported by playing fields, three hockey pitches, and a new five-lane indoor cricket centre (a rarity in central London) on the 280-acre campus. Sam Baldock has succeeded retiring head Simon Everson – whose tenure has helped shape the school’s scholastic reputation – and he inherits a community already accustomed to success: nearly half of recent leavers scored straight A*-A grades, while 83 per cent went on to Russell Group universities.
Creative achievement is equally evident: West Side Story saw a pupil win Best Supporting Actor in a UK Musical in the National School Theatre Awards 2025; and the art department has received a cool upgrade, transported to a new design building where pupils share a gallery space and welding studio, plus facilities for ceramics, photography and Photoshop.
