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:
7. Pate’s Grammar School
Again up from 11th place last year, Pate’s is a secondary grammar school and sixth form in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. 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 49.57 - giving it an average grade of A. | Google
8. London Academy of Excellence
The London Academy of Excellence is up from 14th place last year. It is a sixth form college in the Newham borough, East London, and is a free school - although it is affiliated with a number of prestigious private schools like Eton College. Prospective students need to do exceptionally well on their GCSEs to get in. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 49.49 - giving it an average grade of A. | Google
9. St Olave's Grammar School
The highest ranked local authority-maintained school on the list (rather than being an academy or free school), this school was formerly known as St Olave's and St Saviour’s. It is an Anglican boys’ secondary grammar school and sixth form in the Greater London town of Orpington with a mixed sixth form. As a grammar school, 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 49.38 - giving it an average grade of A. | Google
10. Wilson's School
Although it has dropped a little from third place last year, this Anglican boys’ secondary school in Sutton, South London, still did exceptionally well last year. Wilson’s is a selective school - 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 49.34 - giving it an average grade of A. | Google
11. Tiffin School
Just like its high-achieving counterpart for girls, this selective Christian boys’ school in Kingston upon Thames, Southwest London, has shot up the scoreboard this year, up from 20th place last year. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 49.19 - giving it an average grade of A. | Google
12. Michaela Community School
Michaela is a secondary school and sixth form in Wembley, Northwest London, known for having strict rules and high expectations of pupil behaviour. It had the highest Progress 8 score (based on pupils who sat their GCSE results) in England last year as well. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 49.17 - giving it an average grade of A. | Getty Images