The best schools in the UK in GCSE/A-Level results
Children at the top three secondary schools in the country have more than an 90 per cent chance of achieving A* to B or Attainment 8 grades.
Ninety-five per cent of pupils attending Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet got A* to B grades in their A-levels in their exams this year, according to new figures.
The school been ranked the top secondary school in the country for the second year running and boasts a staggering 90.8 per cent of its pupils have achieved A* to A or Attainment 7 to 9 in their GCSEs.
The private and state secondary schools are rated on the 2019 examination results in the Sunday Times.
And of the best 150 state schools, 38 are in the south-east and only 38 in north-east.
There are 121 grammar schools, nine partially selective and only 20 comprehensive schools.
A child’s ‘Attainment 8’ is based on their average grades across their eight school subjects. This grading system using numbers 9 to 1 and has replaced the old A* to F system. A 4 under the new system equates to an old Grade C.
Pupils at Wilson’s School in Wallington, Sutton, have a 94.7 per cent chance of getting grades A* to B or Attainment 9 to 7. While 90.5 per cent of those taking GCSE’s have achieved the same result.
Top ten state secondary schools
Rank | School | A-level A*- B | GCSE A*/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet | 95.7% | 90.8% |
| 2 | Wilson’s School, Wallington | 94.7% | 90.5% |
| 3 | The Henrietta Barnett School, Hampshire | 92.1% | 94.9% |
| 4 | Pate’s Grammar School, Cheltenham | 95.6% | 87.5% |
| 5 | The Tiffin Girl’s School, Kingston upon Thames | 91.1% | 94.6% |
| 6 | St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington | 93.0% | 89.4% |
| 7 | Reading School, Reading | 88.8% | 90.9% |
| 8 | Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Altrincham | 91.0% | 82.2% |
| 9 | Colchester Royal Grammar School, Colchester | 90.8% | 82.3% |
| 10 | King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford | 87.1% | 85.8% |
Coming in third is The Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead, where 92.1 per cent of pupils achieved A* to B in their A-levels and 94.9 reached the top three Attainment grades in their GCSEs.
Sixteenth century Pate’s Grammar School moved up three places from last year with 95.6 per cent of A-level students getting A* to B grades and 87.5 per cent got in the top tier marks at GCSE level.
The Tiffin Girl’s School in Kingston upon Thames saw 91.1 per cent of their students achieving the top two grades in their A levels and 94.6 per cent in GCSEs.
St Olave’s Grammar School, Orpington, came after at number six, Reading School in seventh place, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls at number and Colchester Royal Grammar School just making it in at ninth place.
King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford has flourished this year and jumped five places to number ten. Nearly 86 per cent of their pupils got grades A to A* or Attainment 7 to 9 in their GCSE exams.
Meanwhile the Times league table for the private school sector shows a momentous 99.6 per cent of children at St Paul’s Girls School in London achieved Attainment 7 to 9 or A* to A.
Appearing to step up their game, Godolphin and Latymer School in London has leaped from number 6 to second place with figures showing 96.7 per cent hit the top grades at A-level. There was only a 0.3 difference in A-level and GCSE results.
Top ten private secondary schools
Rank | School | A-level A*- B | GCSE A*/A |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St Pauls Girls’ School, London | 97.1% | 99.6% |
| 2 | Godolphin and Latymer School, London | 96.7% | 96.3% |
| 3 | Brighton College, Brighton | 97.2% | 94.5% |
| 4 | King’s College School, Wimbledon | 96.1% | 96.3% |
| 5 | Wycombe Abbey School, High Wycombe | 95.2% | 97.6% |
| 6 | Magdalen College School, Oxford | 96.1% | 94.2% |
| 7 | Guildford High School, Guildford | 94.0% | 97.3% |
| 8 | St Mary’s School Ascot, Ascot | 94.9% | 95.5% |
| 9 | St Paul’s School, London | 93.9% | 96.7% |
| 10 | King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham | 95.5% | 93.2% |
In third place is Brighton College, followed by King’s College School in London, Wycombe Abbey School in the fifth spot and Magdalen College School in Oxford thereafter.
Figures reveal Guildford High School has jumped two spaces to number 7 and St Mary’s School in Ascot has leaped from number 16 to eight this year with 95.5 per cent of their GCSE pupils being awarded A* to A or equivalent in Attainment.
St Paul’s School in London made the bottom end of the scale at number nine before King Edward VI High School for Girls which has astonishingly jumped from 26 to 10.