• Harrogate Ladies' College is confident, caring and full of opportunity, combining academic purpose, boarding experience and broad co-curricular life in a long-established setting.

• A persuasive option for families seeking a Yorkshire day-and-boarding school with breadth, continuity and a confident but caring atmosphere.

Admissions at Harrogate Ladies' College are broad based and fairly accessible, especially for families considering different routes through the school over time. The process is more about fit with the school's all-through rhythm and boarding/day balance than about turning entry into an ordeal.

Scholarships, entrance awards and bursary-style support form part of the wider proposition here. Even so, many families choose the school as much for character, opportunity and fit as for any award.

Published information is stronger than at many smaller independents, giving parents a reasonably rounded first impression. For boarding families, the real test is whether the residential side feels genuinely homely as well as well run.