• Thornton College is nurturing, aspirational and full of opportunity and aims to help girls thrive academically and personally in a supportive community.

• Will suit families wanting a girls' day-and-boarding school where warmth, confidence and strong academic expectations all matter.

Admissions at Thornton College should appeal to families seeking a girls' day-and-boarding school where warmth and nurture sit alongside clearly ambitious expectations. It should suit parents who want daughters to benefit from an all-girls environment with continuity from the early years through to sixth form.

Scholarships are clearly part of the Thornton offer, particularly for entry into older year groups and boarding, although the school says bursaries are not part of the current model. The bigger draw, however, is the blend of nurture, ambition and girls' education.

The overall picture is caring, aspirational and community minded, with the school describing itself as a warm and nurturing environment that still expects girls to achieve strongly. Parents should still visit because the main question is whether the atmosphere feels both supportive and stretching enough for their daughter.