A glowing review has been given to a St Albans school where students are described as soaring and the headteacher “adores” the sheer love of teaching.

The Good Schools Guide has published a review of the selective and independent St Albans High School for Girls in Wheathampstead, assessing the whole school from prep to senior.

It is based on a wide range of categories – from subject choice, sports provision, nurturing atmosphere, to result statistics.

The school is described as “firing on all academic cylinders from the get-go and is certainly not for the faint of heart”

Pupils “buzz with intellectual curiosity and are stretched accordingly” - it is noted that extracurricular awards such as LAMDA and GSK Science Competition are encouraged.

Unusual subjects on offer include Mandarin from Year 4, zumba, karate, fencing, ballet, and yoga.

Parents can be tigerish, it says, but the review stresses the school are not looking for prepped, tutored, or pushed girls and potential students have to sit an exam they cannot prepare for.

Headteacher Jenny Brown said: “This review reflects us beautifully.

“It really captures what this school is all about – energy, ambition, intellectual curiosity and the peerless pastoral support of our pupils.”

Only about a third of applicants come from families in London boroughs, Luton, Hitchin, and Potters Bar - the majority are still local.

Schooling there costs between £13,215 and £16,800 per annum, but bursaries are available.

To read the review, click here.