For many families in South West Herts, deciding between St Clement Danes and Watford Grammar School for Boys is one of those classic 11 Plus dilemmas. Both schools are hugely respected, both deliver excellent results, and both attract thousands of applicants every year.
Yet once you visit, it’s clear they have very different personalities. St Clement Danes feels modern, inclusive and carefully structured, while Watford Grammar for Boys leans into its long history and traditions. One thrives on calm focus and community, the other on pride, perseverance and heritage.
This guide takes you through what parents want to know — from catchments and competition to culture, results and the kind of child who tends to flourish at each.
St Clement Danes vs Watford Grammar School for Boys: Introducing the Two Schools
The main thing separating these two outstanding schools is their intake. Watford Grammar School for Boys is single-sex, while St Clement Danes is co-educational. They’re both partially-selective (with around 20-35% of places going to students excelling in academics or music), and they both have strict priority areas for community places.
Here’s a brief background…
St Clement Danes School
You’ll find St Clement Danes on the edge of Chorleywood, surrounded by fields and woodland. The school began life in 1862 in central London and moved to Hertfordshire in the 1970s. Every November, pupils still return to London for a short service at St Clement Danes Church on the Strand — a lovely nod to its history and tradition.
Today, the school combines that heritage with a down-to-earth, purposeful atmosphere. Its motto Loyauté m’oblige (“loyalty binds me”), says a lot about the culture: pupils are encouraged to be ambitious but also kind and responsible. Lessons are calm, expectations are clear and there’s a strong sense of belonging.
It’s a large, mixed school of around 1,600 students, known for strong academics, excellent music and drama, and a community that parents praise.
Watford Grammar School for Boys
Just a few miles away, Watford Grammar for Boys sits on Rickmansworth Road, close to the town centre. It’s one of Hertfordshire’s top schools, founded in 1704 by Elizabeth Fuller as a “free school” for local children. That tradition of service and scholarship still shapes its identity today.
The red-brick buildings, formal assemblies and house system give it a distinct grammar-school feel, though it’s now a partially-selective academy.
Parents describe Watford Boys as structured and disciplined, but never cold. Pupils are polite, competitive in a healthy way, and genuinely proud of the school. It has excellent science and maths departments (with excellent GCSE and A Level results) and a reputation for sending a steady flow of students to top universities, including Oxbridge.
There’s also a sister school, Watford Grammar for Girls, just down the road. Both share the same founding ethos and perform to an exceptionally high level.
A note on Queen’s School Bushey…
Families weighing up these schools often also look at Queen’s School in Bushey, another member of the South West Herts Consortium. It’s co-educational, known for its pastoral care and strong sports provision. While it’s a little less selective, it’s a great option for families living just beyond the immediate Watford and Chorleywood catchments.
St Clement Danes vs Watford Grammar School: Quick Comparison Table
| Feature | Watford Grammar School for Boys | St Clement Danes School |
| Location | Rickmansworth Road, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD18 7JF | Chenies Road, Chorleywood, Rickmansworth WD3 6EW |
| Single Sex or Co-Ed | Boys only | Co-educational |
| School Size | ~1,500 pupils | ~1,590 pupils |
| Sixth Form Size | ~400 students; boys only. Welcomes applications from external candidates. | ~400 students; co-ed with external entry each year |
| Selective Status | Partially-selective (35% of places) | Partially selective (20% of places) |
| Catchment Area and Distance Cut-Off | Priority catchment area: 47 places reserved for the “Watford Area” and 31 places reserved for the “Rest of the Admissions Area” (based on nearby postcodes). | Priority area around Chorleywood & Rickmansworth (WD3 postcodes only); in 2025 the furthest distance awarded a place was 2.7km. |
| Competition | Medium/High: over 1,500 applicants for ~200 places. | Very high: Likely 2,000 applicants for ~240 places. In 2025, there were 733 applications for 24 academic ability places. |
| Entry Requirements | 11+ entrance exam and priority area; with some specialist music places | 11+ entrance exam and priority area; with some specialist music places |
| Exam Format | GL Assessment: Maths and Verbal Reasoning (shared Consortium test) | GL Assessment: Maths and Verbal Reasoning (shared Consortium test) |
| 11 + Cut-off Scores (Recent Trends) | No guaranteed cut-off, as scores are ranked from highest to lowest. Anecdotally, 220 or more is usually required. | Academic entry typically requires around 220+ (standardised) the lowest mark awarded a place in 2025 was 218. Music 40+ marks. |
| Ranking | Ranked sixth in the South East, 123rd best state school nationally (Sunday Times Parent Power) | Ranked 5th best comprehensive school in the South East. Ranked 117th nationally. |
| Ofsted Rating | Outstanding in all areas | Outstanding in all areas |
| Reputation | Vibrant, well-rounded, traditional yet creative-leaning. | Academic and aspirational, with strong community values. |
| Oxbridge Success | Strong: around 15 offers most years | Fair: around 4-5 students each year |
| Pupil Transport | Several bus routes, overground links and Metropolitan Line station right outside the school. No school coach service. | Served by several bus routes covering Watford, Bovingdon, South Oxhey and Hemel Hempstead |
| Fees | Free (state-funded) | Free (state-funded) |
| Religious Affiliation | No faith-based admissions criteria, but “Religious Character” and Church of England founding. | No faith-based admissions criteria, but Church of England founding. |
Parent FAQs: Your Questions Answered
If you’re weighing up St Clement Danes and Watford Grammar School for Boys, you’re choosing between two brilliant but very different environments. One is known for its calm, community feel, and the other for long-standing tradition and academic edge.
Below, we’ve pulled together the key things parents ask about: rankings, history, admissions, exam performance and what life at each school is actually like day to day.
St Clement Danes School
What’s the ranking of St Clement Danes?
St Clement Danes regularly sits in the top ten Hertfordshire schools and was ranked 5th best comprehensive in the South East. It sits at 117th nationally in the Sunday Times Parent Power 2025 guide.
St Clement Danes also holds an impressive “Outstanding” Ofsted rating across all areas, with inspectors praising its ambitious teaching and respectful, well-ordered environment. They particularly noted how “tremendously proud” students are to attend the school, and the “almost limitless wealth of extra-curricular opportunities.”
Parents say it’s a school that “gets the balance right” — high expectations without unnecessary pressure.
What’s the history of St Clement Danes School?
St Clement Danes has a fascinating story that stretches back to 1862, when it opened as a boys’ grammar school in central London. After a move to Hammersmith in 1928, the school relocated to Chorleywood in 1975, becoming the co-educational, all-ability school it is today.
That mix of London heritage and rural Hertfordshire setting still defines its character — academic, ambitious and community-minded. The school is supported by the St Clement Danes Holborn Estate Charity and its own Charitable Foundation, helping fund extra opportunities and maintain its strong traditions.
Each November, pupils and staff return to the original church on the Strand for the annual Commemoration Service, celebrating the school’s history and sense of belonging. An active house system (with eight houses named after figures and places linked to the school’s London roots) keeps that community spirit alive, from daily competitions to the much-loved summer Sports Day.
Is it hard to get into St Clement Danes?
In short, yes. Getting an academic or music place at St Clement Danes is no easy feat. The school is part of the South West Herts Consortium, so entry is via the shared GL Assessment tests in Maths and Verbal Reasoning. These tests are multiple-choice and last around 50 minutes each.
- For 2025 academic entry, 733 pupils sat the South West Herts Consortium tests for just 24 places. Scores ranged from 138 to 257, and the lowest score offered a place was 218.
- For music places, 166 students applied for 24 spots, with the lowest successful score 39.
- In recent years, community places have gone to families living within roughly 2.5 km of the school, almost always within WD3 postcodes.
Competition is fierce, but with early preparation and familiarity with GL-style questions, it’s more than achievable.
What were the GCSE and A Level results for St Clement Danes?
St Clement Danes continues to post impressive results. In 2025, 46% of GCSEs were graded 7–9, while an astounding 79% of A Level grades were A*-B.
Most pupils progress to university or high-level apprenticeships (around 70% each year). Four went on to Oxbridge, and many on to Medicine, Dentistry and competitive STEM degrees. Parents often note that students here feel supported to aim high without being pushed beyond their limits.
Considering other schools in the local area? Don’t miss our Parmiter’s vs St Clement Danes and Watford vs Parmiter’s comparisons, as well as insights into other South West Herts Schools including Habs Boys, Dame Alice Owens and Latymer School.
Watford Grammar School for Boys
What’s Watford Grammar School ranked?
When it comes to league tables, Watford Grammar for Boys consistently performs at the very top. It’s ranked 6th in the South East and 123rd nationally in the latest Sunday Times Parent Power guide — a strong showing among all state schools across Hertfordshire and beyond.
Its results are excellent across the board. In recent years, over 60% of GCSE grades were 9–7, and A Level outcomes regularly exceed 65% A–B*. This places Watford Grammar 67th in the country for GCSE results and 21st for A Levels, as ranked by The Telegraph.
What’s the history of Watford Grammar School for Boys?
Watford Grammar School for Boys traces its roots back to 1704, when local philanthropist Elizabeth Fuller founded a small charity school beside St Mary’s Church. Her aim was simple but powerful — to give local children the chance to read, write and “cast accounts.”
The boys’ school grew steadily over the centuries, moving to Derby Road in the 1880s and then to Rickmansworth Road in 1912. The girls’ school (now Watford Grammar School for Girls) had already moved nearby a few years earlier, and the two schools have shared close ties ever since.
Walk around the Watford Boys’ campus and you can still feel that heritage. The red-brick buildings, house traditions and formal assemblies all echo its long history. Each year, Founder’s Day celebrates Mrs Fuller’s vision, and the school community still takes real pride in continuing her legacy.
What’s the pass mark for Watford Grammar?
Watford Boys uses the South West Herts Consortium Test, so your child will sit the same GL Assessment Maths and Verbal Reasoning papers as students applying to schools like Parmiter’s or St Clement Danes.
The school is partially selective, which means roughly a third of places (35%) go to boys who score highly in the academic or music tests, and the rest are community places offered by distance or sibling link.
There’s no set academic “pass mark” (it changes slightly each year depending on results) but generally, boys scoring around 220–230 or higher after standardisation are in with a good chance. For music places, you’re usually looking at an aural score in the low-to-mid 40s.
Most of these selective places go to families living in the main catchment area — so think central and north Watford (WD17–WD25 and nearby WD3). A small number go to those in what the school calls the “rest of the admissions area”, which includes postcodes further out, like HA5 and HA6.
If you’re applying on distance alone, location really matters. In most years, the cut-off has been within a kilometre of the school, so being local gives families a clear advantage.
What are the GCSE and A Level results for Watford Boys?
Watford Grammar’s exam results are outstanding year after year. Roughly 60% of GCSE grades are 7–9, and about 65% of A Level grades are A*–B. Each year, around 10–15 students gain Oxbridge offers, and many more head to top Russell Group universities such as Imperial, UCL and Warwick.
As a result, the Watford Boys is regularly listed as the number one sixth-form in the area.
But in case you thought the school was completely grades-focused… this isn’t the case! Academics are balanced with plenty of enrichment. The school runs a busy sports programme, strong music and drama departments, and a massive array of clubs and societies. Parents say it produces confident, grounded young men who work hard and carry themselves well.
So… Which School Might Suit Your Child Best?
If you’re choosing between Watford Grammar School for Boys and St Clement Danes, you’re in a good place. Both schools are excellent, caring environments. But they have distinct personalities.
St Clement Danes might suit your child if:
- You value a calm, structured environment with a real sense of community.
- Your family lives within 2–3 km of the school, ideally in WD3.
- Your child enjoys clarity, organisation and creative opportunities like music or drama.
- You prefer a school that balances academic focus with pastoral care.
Watford Grammar for Boys might suit your child if:
- You like a traditional, academically driven environment.
- Your son enjoys competition, teamwork and a values-based school spirit.
- You live within the Watford area priority postcodes (for academic entry), or within a kilometre of the school (for community entry).
- You want a route that has a strong track record for university success.
Ultimately, both schools set high standards, and both produce exceptional students that are part of their thriving local communities. When you visit, you’ll quickly get a feel for which one fits your child’s personality.
Considering other grammars? For more parent-friendly breakdowns, catchment tips and school rankings, don’t miss our guides to:
- Grammar Schools in Barnet
- Grammar Schools in Watford
- Grammar Schools in Harrow
- Grammar Schools in Slough
- The Best Grammar Schools in London
- The Best Secondary Schools in London
- The Best Private Schools in London
Achieve Learning: Helping Your Child Prepare for the 11+
Getting into schools like St Clement Danes or Watford Grammar takes more than just ability.
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Whether your child is aiming for St Clement Danes, Watford Grammar or another selective school, we’ll help them walk into the exam hall prepared and proud of their progress.
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