GCSE Results Independent UK Schools

The quest for academic excellence is a hallmark of independent schools across the UK, and the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results often serve as a measure of that excellence. When families, educators, and policymakers look to compare GCSE results, they often turn to the GCSE league tables that rank schools based on their performance. These tables, often updated annually with the latest exam data, provide a snapshot of how well schools are doing in preparing their students for these critical exams¹².

Ranking	School Name	A*/A Percentage	Number of Candidates	Location in UK	Type of School	Boys, Girls or Mixed?	Total number of pupils
1	City of London School For Girls	98.7	101	Greater London	Day	Girls	738
2	Westminster School	98.0	115	Greater London	Day & Boarding	Boys (coed sixth form)	776
3	Guildford High School	97.2	118	Surrey	Day	Girls	1002
4	King’s College School (KCS)	97.1	163	Greater London	Day	Boys (coed sixth form)	1194
5	City of London School	96.8	142	Greater London	Day	Boys	1040
6	Wycombe Abbey	96.4	91	Buckinghamshire	Day & Boarding	Girls	653
7	Oxford International College	95.8	44	Oxfordshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	356
8	Highgate School	95.7	185	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	1880
9	King Edward VI High School for Girls	94.9	92	West Midlands	Day	Girls	661
10	St Mary’s School Ascot	94.7	63	Berkshire	Day & Boarding	Girls	398
11	South Hampstead High School GDST	94.3	101	Greater London	Day	Girls	948
12	Brighton College	93.8	202	East Sussex	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1136
13	Trinity School	93.1	139	Surrey	Day	Boys	1059
14	Magdalen College School	93.0	108	Oxfordshire	Day	Boys (coed sixth form)	979
15	Dulwich College	92.9	222	Greater London	Day & Boarding	Boys (some girls)	1870
16	Alleyn’s School	92.7	148	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	1073
17	St Albans School	92.7	136	Hertfordshire	Day	Boys (coed sixth form)	906
18	Notting Hill and Ealing High School GDST	92.2	88	Greater London	Day	Girls	905
19	Royal Grammar School	92.0	148	Surrey	Day	Boys	969
20	Reigate Grammar School	91.5	163	Surrey	Day	Coeducational	1094
21	Whitgift School	91.3	231	Greater London	Day & Boarding	Boys	1548
22	University College School, Hampstead	90.9	119	Greater London	Day	Boys (coed sixth form)	950
23	King Edward’s School	90.7	114	Somerset	Day	Coeducational	1169
24	Wellington College	90.4	204	Berkshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1100
25	St Catherine’s, Bramley	90.4	92	Surrey	Day & Boarding	Girls	627
26	Surbiton High School	90.4	185	Surrey	Day	Girls	1122
27	The Abbey School	90.2	120	Berkshire	Day	Girls	1012
28	St Helen’s School	89.0	112	Greater London	Day	Girls	1201
29	Cardiff Sixth Form College	88.8	35	Cardiff, Wales	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	373
30	Emanuel School	88.7	139	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	1085
31	Ibstock Place School	88.3	105	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	989
32	The Manchester Grammar School	88.3	204	Greater Manchester	Day	Boys	1668
33	Concord College	88.1	90	Shropshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	605
34	Emmaus School	88.1	5	Wiltshire	Day	Coeducational	49
35	St Michael’s School	87.7	47	Carmarthenshire, Wales	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	419
36	St John’s College, Cardiff	87.4	61	Cardiff, Wales	Day	Coeducational	549
37	Sir William Perkins’s School	87.1	94	Surrey	Day	Girls	585
38	Forest School	86.3	180	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	1484
39	Nottingham High School	85.7	117	Nottinghamshire	Day	Coeducational	1177
40	Walthamstow Hall	85.5	71	Kent	Day	Girls	537
41	Royal Grammar School	85.5	138	Tyne and Wear	Day	Coeducational	1346
42	Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park	85.4	61	Greater London	Day	Girls	534
43	Palmers Green High School	85.3	27	Greater London	Day	Girls	248
44	Oundle School	84.6	199	Northamptonshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1109
45	Roedean School	84.4	130	East Sussex	Day & Boarding	Girls	705
46	Colfe’s School	83.6	106	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	811
47	St George’s College Weybridge	83.4	135	Surrey	Day	Coeducational	1025
48	Queen Ethelburga’s College	83.0	59	North Yorkshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	822
49	The Edinburgh Academy	81.8	33	Midlothian, Scotland	Day	Coeducational	1165
50	St John’s School	81.6	120	Surrey	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	843
51	Exeter School	81.5	114	Devon	Day	Coeducational	945
52	Streatham and Clapham High School GDST	81.2	81	Greater London	Day	Girls	889
53	The King’s School, Chester	81.2	92	Cheshire	Day	Coeducational	1102
54	Leicester Grammar School	80.8	119	Leicestershire	Day	Coeducational	1294
55	Norwich School	80.7	123	Norfolk	Day	Coeducational	898
56	Jersey College for Girls	80.3	96	Jersey	Day & Boarding	Girls	722
57	Sheffield High School for Girls	80.3	97	South Yorkshire	Day	Girls	784
58	The Maynard School	80.1	54	Devon	Day	Girls	470
59	Bromley High School GDST	80.0	82	Greater London	Day	Girls	877
60	Badminton School	79.9	55	Bristol	Day & Boarding	Girls	550
61	Loughborough High School	79.7	88	Leicestershire	Day	Girls	518
62	Reading Blue Coat School	79.5	104	Berkshire	Day	Coeducational	795
63	Bradford Grammar School	79.4	118	West Yorkshire	Day	Coeducational	1052
64	The Leys School	79.3	101	Cambridgeshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	570
65	Ardingly College	79.1	126	West Sussex	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1071
66	Stephen Perse Foundation	78.9	137	Cambridgeshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1592
67	Canford School	78.9	120	Dorset	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	650
68	Bristol Grammar School	78.5	141	Bristol	Day	Coeducational	1006
69	Ruthin School	78.3	50	Denbighshire, Wales	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	257
70	Yarm School	78.2	111	North Yorkshire	Day	Coeducational	1164
71	Chigwell School	77.4	85	Essex	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1041
72	Immanuel Christian School	77.3	5	Gloucestershire	Day	Coeducational	40
73	Royal High School Bath, GDST	77.3	66	Somerset	Day & Boarding	Girls	570
74	Stockport Grammar School	77.1	157	Cheshire	Day	Coeducational	1132
75	Haileybury	77.0	154	Hertfordshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	903
76	Wetherby Senior School	75.4	65	Greater London	Day	Boys	410
77	Leicester High School for Girls	75.4	40	Leicestershire	Day	Girls	317
78	Nottingham Girls’ High School GDST	74.6	69	Nottinghamshire	Day	Girls	665
79	Epsom College	74.5	167	Surrey	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1067
80	Bablake School	73.8	129	West Midlands	Day	Coeducational	747
81	Park School for Girls	73.4	21	Essex	Day	Girls (some boys)	136
82	Churcher’s College	73.3	131	Hampshire	Day	Coeducational	974
83	Shrewsbury School	73.0	158	Shropshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	832
84	Bedford Modern School	72.9	154	Bedfordshire	Day	Coeducational	1291
85	The Ladies’ College	72.8	63	Guernsey	Day	Girls	525
86	The Grange School	72.5	123	Cheshire	Day	Coeducational	1206
87	Wolverhampton Grammar School	71.6	90	West Midlands	Day	Coeducational	639
88	The King’s School, Canterbury	71.4	137	Kent	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	925
89	Immanuel College	71.2	90	Hertfordshire	Day	Coeducational	684
90	Burgess Hill Girls	71.2	37	West Sussex	Day & Boarding	Girls (some boys)	610
91	The Yehudi Menuhin School	70.6	7	Surrey	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	78
92	Dame Allan’s Senior Schools	70.4	113	Tyne and Wear	Day	Diamond structure*	946
93	Cheadle Hulme School	70.0	176	Cheshire	Day	Coeducational	1546
94	King Henry VIII School	69.3	101	West Midlands	Day	Coeducational	608
95	Brighton Girls GDST	69.3	54	East Sussex	Day	Girls	411
96	St Benedict’s School	69.1	106	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	1052
97	St Columba’s College	69.0	85	Hertfordshire	Day	Coeducational	786
98	Bedford School	68.7	141	Bedfordshire	Day & Boarding	Boys	1111
99	St Dunstan’s College	68.6	97	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	1039
100	Godolphin School	68.6	56	Wiltshire	Day & Boarding	Girls	432
101	Queen Elizabeth’s Hospital	67.0	75	Bristol	Day	Boys (coed sixth form)	776
102	Loughborough Grammar School	66.8	163	Leicestershire	Day & Boarding	Boys	870
103	Ipswich School	66.7	141	Suffolk	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	885
104	The King’s School	66.4	15	Hertfordshire	Day	Coeducational	176
105	The Cathedral School Llandaff	66.3	68	Cardiff, Wales	Day	Coeducational	786
106	Wychwood School	64.9	18	Oxfordshire	Day & Boarding	Girls	108
107	Scarisbrick Hall School	64.0	60	Lancashire	Day	Coeducational	838
108	Red House School	63.9	42	Durham	Day	Coeducational	340
109	d’Overbroeck’s	63.4	43	Oxfordshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	744
110	St Gerard’s School Trust	63.2	18	Gwynedd, Wales	Day	Coeducational	139
111	Elizabeth College	62.8	80	Guernsey	Day	Coeducational	867
112	The King’s School	62.8	131	Cheshire	Day	Coeducational	1081
113	Queenswood	62.6	58	Hertfordshire	Day & Boarding	Girls	463
114	Durham High School for Girls	62.4	50	Durham	Day	Girls	351
115	Christ College	62.4	42	Powys, Wales	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	393
116	Newcastle-under-Lyme School	62.3	84	Staffordshire	Day	Coeducational	821
117	Rougemont School	62.2	47	Newport, Wales	Day	Coeducational	658
118	Kensington Park School	61.9	28	Greater London	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	244
119	RGS Worcester	61.7	124	Worcestershire	Day	Coeducational	943
120	Salesian College	61.0	108	Hampshire	Day	Boys (coed sixth form)	629
121	The John Lyon School	60.9	114	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	837
122	St Gabriel’s School	60.3	30	Berkshire	Day	Girls (some boys)	453
123	AKS Lytham	60.1	86	Lancashire	Day	Coeducational	742
124	Cheltenham College	60.0	144	Gloucestershire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	728
125	Felsted School	59.6	97	Essex	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	562
126	Dixie Grammar School	59.4	44	Leicestershire	Day	Coeducational	393
127	Lingfield College	59.4	91	Surrey	Day	Coeducational	892
128	Alton School	59.4	31	Hampshire	Day	Coeducational	362
129	Cranford House School	59.3	57	Oxfordshire	Day	Coeducational	495
130	Shrewsbury High School GDST	59.1	52	Shropshire	Day	Girls	340
131	New Hall School	59.0	123	Essex	Day & Boarding	Diamond structure*	1330
132	Hymers College	59.0	100	East Yorkshire	Day	Coeducational	978
132	Claremont Fan Court School	59.0	88	Surrey	Day	Coeducational	1004
134	Oakham School	58.2	161	Rutland	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1016
135	Our Lady of Sion School	58.2	53	West Sussex	Day	Coeducational	359
136	Kimbolton School	58.0	104	Cambridgeshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	1078
137	Al-Zahra School	56.5	17	Greater London	Day	Girls	119
138	Silcoates School	56.3	71	West Yorkshire	Day	Coeducational	499
139	Glenalmond College	56.1	49	Perthshire and Kinross, Scotland	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	311
140	Oakhill	56.0	15	Lancashire	Day	Coeducational	265
141	Wells Cathedral School	55.8	96	Somerset	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	768
142	Talbot Heath School	55.4	61	Dorset	Day & Boarding	Girls	597
143	St Dominic’s Grammar School, Brewood	55.3	11	Staffordshire	Day	Coeducational	253
144	Babington House School	55.3	17	Kent	Day	Coeducational	437
145	The Mount School York	54.0	20	North Yorkshire	Day & Boarding	Girls	224
146	Kingham Hill School	53.9	46	Oxfordshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	363
147	Ipswich High School	53.7	67	Suffolk	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	446
148	St Leonards	53.6	79	Fife, Scotland	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	600
149	Meoncross School	53.6	32	Hampshire	Day	Coeducational	347
150	Clifton High School	53.5	55	Bristol	Day	Coeducational	724
151	St Mary’s College	53.4	65	Merseyside	Day	Coeducational	800
152	Ratcliffe College	53.3	98	Leicestershire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	778
153	St Dominic’s Priory School	53.1	15	Staffordshire	Day	Coeducational	177
154	Oldham Hulme Grammar School	52.9	94	Greater Manchester	Day	Diamond structure*	767
155	St Clare’s, Oxford	52.6	19	Oxfordshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	238
156	Mount Kelly	52.6	70	Devon	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	628
157	Durham Cathedral Schools Foundation	52.4	48	Durham	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	684
158	The Royal School Dungannon	52.2	100	County Tyrone, Northern Ireland	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	674
159	Al-Sadiq School	52.1	12	Greater London	Day	Boys (some girls)	196
160	Loretto School	51.9	64	East Lothian, Scotland	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	509
161	Alderley Edge School for Girls	51.9	65	Cheshire	Day	Girls	439
162	Windermere School	51.7	53	Cumbria	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	311
163	Cokethorpe School	51.6	95	Oxfordshire	Day	Coeducational	613
164	Normanhurst School	51.4	24	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	265
165	Ditcham Park School	51.0	43	Hampshire	Day	Coeducational	399
166	Hill House School	50.9	56	South Yorkshire	Day	Coeducational	736
167	Ashville College	50.7	81	North Yorkshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	788
168	Lichfield Cathedral School	50.6	54	Staffordshire	Day	Coeducational	521
169	Emmanuel School	50.0	5	West Midlands	Day	Coeducational	85
170	Newcastle School for Boys	49.9	39	Tyne and Wear	Day	Boys	365
171	Abbey Gate College	49.4	65	Cheshire	Day	Coeducational	501
172	Farnborough Hill	49.1	103	Hampshire	Day	Girls	565
173	Rendcomb College	48.8	45	Gloucestershire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	396
174	St George’s School, Edinburgh	48.5	90	Midlothian, Scotland	Day & Boarding	Girls (some boys)	727
175	Westholme School	48.4	89	Lancashire	Day	Coeducational	653
176	Lewes Old Grammar School	47.9	91	East Sussex	Day	Coeducational	684
177	St Mary’s School, Colchester	46.9	47	Essex	Day	Girls (some boys)	411
178	Tring Park School for the Performing Arts	46.9	41	Hertfordshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	361
179	Kirkham Grammar School	45.5	83	Lancashire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	899
180	Mander Portman Woodward (MPW)	44.8	55	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	429
181	St Edward’s Preparatory School	44.3	49	Gloucestershire	Day	Coeducational	262
182	Highclare School	43.8	40	West Midlands	Day	Coeducational	524
183	Victoria College	43.2	90	Jersey	Day	Boys	673
184	Totnes Progressive School	42.9	25	Devon	Day	Coeducational	109
184	The Laurels School	42.9	15	Greater London	Day	Girls	120
186	Denstone College and The Prep at Denstone College	42.8	104	Staffordshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	772
187	Bishopstrow College	42.4	7	Wiltshire	Full Day & Boarding	Coeducational	46
188	Battle Abbey School	42.0	63	East Sussex	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	579
189	St James Senior Boys’ School	41.1	68	Surrey	Day	Boys	399
190	Cambridge Tutors College	40.5	7	Surrey	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	60
191	Elmhurst Ballet School	40.1	26	West Midlands	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	176
192	Brockwood Park School and Inwoods Small School	40.0	9	Hampshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	85
193	Rookwood School	39.3	29	Hampshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	251
194	Claires Court	39.0	88	Berkshire	Day	Diamond structure*	922
195	Oswestry School	38.9	73	Shropshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	452
196	Braeside School	38.9	8	Essex	Day	Coeducational	151
197	Saint Felix School	38.7	32	Suffolk	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	299
198	St Edmund’s School Canterbury	38.4	67	Kent	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	637
199	Colchester High School	37.9	40	Essex	Day	Coeducational	314
200	Jameah Girls Academy	36.2	23	Leicestershire	Day	Girls	201
201	Shoreham College	36.1	52	West Sussex	Day	Coeducational	348
202	Trinity School	35.9	21	Devon	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	253
203	Lincoln Minster School	35.5	63	Lincolnshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	484
204	Thorpe Hall School	34.6	46	Essex	Day	Coeducational	437
205	Blanchelande College	34.4	53	Guernsey	Day	Coeducational	458
206	St John’s College	34.1	57	Hampshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	Closed
207	Rochester Independent College	33.7	44	Kent	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	360
208	Lime House School	31.2	32	Cumbria	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	157
209	Tettenhall College	31.1	24	West Midlands	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	485
210	Beechwood School	31.1	21	Kent	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	287
211	Darul Uloom Islamic High School	31.0	22	West Midlands	Day	Boys	136
212	Langley	30.3	78	Norfolk	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	446
213	Stover School	29.3	74	Devon	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	529
214	Sherrardswood School	28.5	55	Hertfordshire	Day	Coeducational	488
215	Read School	28.2	29	North Yorkshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	245
216	Saint Nicholas School	28.0	33	Essex	Day	Coeducational	475
217	Thorpe House School	26.5	31	Buckinghamshire	Day	Boys	273
218	Mander Portman Woodward Birmingham	25.5	29	West Midlands	Day	Coeducational	195
219	Beech House School	25.3	16	Greater Manchester	Day	Coeducational	182
220	St David’s College	24.4	31	Conwy, Wales	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	261
221	The Hammond	23.9	29	Cheshire	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	224
222	Stoke College	23.0	15	Suffolk	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	136
223	Beech Hall School	22.2	16	Cheshire	Day	Coeducational	209
224	Thetford Grammar School	19.8	25	Norfolk	Day & Boarding	Coeducational	211
225	Hampstead Fine Arts College	19.7	16	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	209
226	Sackville School	19.0	36	Kent	Day	Coeducational	196
227	The Moat School	16.4	24	Greater London	Day	Coeducational	111
228	Hipperholme Grammar School	15.3	33	West Yorkshire	Day	Coeducational	290
229	St Crispin’s School	13.6	12	Leicestershire	Day	Coeducational	90
230	The Unicorn School	12.1	11	Oxfordshire	Day	Coeducational	108
231	Stanborough Secondary School	11.5	11	Hertfordshire	Day	Coeducational	55

GCSE Results - UK Independent Schools broken down by Ranking, School name, A*/A percentage, the number of candidates, location in the UK, type of school, girls or boys and total number of pupils.

Highlighting Top Performers in GCSE League Table

In the GCSE league table, each school is ranked based on the percentage of top grades (A*-A or 9-7) achieved by students. Notable institutions such as St. Paul’s Girls School and Westminster School often find themselves at the top of these tables, showcasing an impressive percentage of top grades among their students³. For instance, in the 2022-2023 exam data, St. Paul’s Girls School led with a remarkable 99.6% of top grades, closely followed by Westminster School with 98.0%³.

GCSE Results Table: A Reflection of Quality Education

The GCSE results table is not just a testament to the academic prowess of the students but also reflects the quality of education provided by these independent schools. The supportive and competitive environment in these schools often propels the students to perform at their best, as seen in the GCSE league tables. Schools like the City of London School For Girls, Guildford High School for Girls, and St. Paul’s School are often featured prominently in these tables, bearing testimony to the high educational standards upheld by these institutions⁴³.

Delving Deeper with League Tables GCSE

In addition to the comparison of results, the league tables GCSE often breakdown the data further to show the performance across different genders and the type of school (day, boarding, or both)³. This detailed analysis often helps in understanding the broader landscape of education in the independent schools sector.

The Broader Narrative of GCSE Results Table

The narrative of academic excellence as depicted by the GCSE results table often extends beyond mere rankings. It delves into a discourse of how well the independent schools are aligning with the educational objectives set forth by educational bodies and how they compare not just among themselves but also with state schools. For instance, the 2022 data revealed that despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, students at both independent schools and grammar schools achieved a greater proportion of top grades than in 2019⁵.

The United Kingdom is home to an array of distinguished secondary schools, known for their tradition of academic excellence and holistic education. These schools provide a nurturing environment where every student’s potential is recognized and fostered. With a curriculum that’s designed to challenge and inspire, UK secondary schools are stepping stones towards a bright academic and professional future.

However, the journey to achieving outstanding GCSE results is a collaborative effort. Guardians play an indispensable role in this endeavor. Their support, encouragement, and engagement with both the students and the schools contribute significantly to the students’ success. They are not just observers of the educational journey but active participants, working in harmony with the school to ensure that every child receives the necessary support to excel.

A Guardian’s Role in Fostering Academic Excellence

Guardians are the bridge between the school and the students, ensuring a seamless flow of communication and understanding. Their involvement can make a world of difference in the student’s academic experience. By collaborating with the school, guardians can help create a supportive environment that’s conducive for learning, thereby laying a strong foundation for excellent GCSE results.

The heartwarming success stories of many students are a testament to the fruitful collaboration between guardians, schools, and students. It’s a triad of support that propels students to aim high and achieve their academic goals. And the good news is, this collaborative spirit is not just a hallmark of a few schools but is deeply ingrained in the ethos of the UK’s education system.

Embarking on a Journey Towards Academic Success

Parents, your involvement is a precious gift to your child’s education. Your engagement, together with the expertise and dedication of the school staff, creates a nurturing ecosystem where your child can thrive and achieve remarkable GCSE results. In this collaborative endeavor, you’re not alone. The schools are committed to working hand in hand with you, ensuring that your child’s academic journey is rewarding and successful.

Now is the time to take a step towards securing a bright academic future for your child. Explore the opportunities that await in the UK’s esteemed secondary schools and become a part of your child’s journey to academic excellence.

Discover the bespoke educational packages that can provide a seamless transition for your child into the UK’s prestigious secondary schools, and ensure a supportive environment for outstanding GCSE results.

Reach out to us to learn more about how our services can assist you in collaborating with the school to create a conducive learning environment for your child, ensuring their success in GCSE examinations.