A Levels are important, with the grades young people get on them opening doors in their life after school.
Now the schools whose sixth form students really shone in the last school year can be named. The government’s latest performance figures for state-funded schools after the 2024 summer exam season were a little delayed this time around, with secondary school performance data only going live until December. Primary school data came next, and on Thursday (February 13), performance data for sixth form schools and colleges has finally been released.
We’ve created a league table of the best-performing state-funded secondary schools and sixth form colleges across England based on this brand new results data. They have been ranked by their A Level performance point scores, a unique measurement derived from students’ A Level results that gives them a score out of 60. The overall ‘average grades’ their students achieved across their A Level entries have also been included.
For the most part, schools on the list also had an overall Ofsted rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ before this measure was dropped last month, or if they’ve been inspected more recently, had at least ‘good’ grades across the board. This means that the quality of education provided, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and student safeguarding all met or exceeded government standards last time the school had a full inspection. Any that did not meet this criteria have been specified.
Here were the 21 state schools that topped the performance charts last year:
1. King's College London Maths School
In the number one spot for a second year running is King’s Math School, a sixth form college in London’s Lambeth borough specialising in mathematics, and affiliated with the prestigious King’s College London university. While it is a free state school, students will need to sit a test, an interview, and do well on their GCSEs to get in. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an exceptional A Level point score of 56.16 - giving it an average grade of A*-. | Google
2. Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet
Retaining its second place position from last year, Queen Elizabeth’s is a boys’ secondary grammar school in Barnet, North London. It does not accept external applicants into its sixth form, but the school in general is selective - meaning boys have to pass a test or meet certain criteria to earn a place. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 52.41 - giving it an average grade of A+. | Google
3. The Henrietta Barnett School
Moving up from last year’s position with even higher results, Henrietta Barnett is a girls’ secondary grammar school and sixth form in Barnet, North London. It too is selective - meaning prospective pupils have to pass a test or meet certain criteria to get in. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 51.67 - giving it an average grade of A+. | Google
4. The Tiffin Girls' School
Another school that has risen up the ranks since last year, The Tiffin is a girls’ grammar school in Kingston upon Thames, Southwest London. It is selective, meaning prospective pupils have to pass a test or meet certain criteria to get in. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 49.94 - giving it an average grade of A. | Google