We’re often asked what is the best performing UK 11+ Grammar School, and that’s a hard question to answer.
Every school is different. They have their own, individual ethos, focus and rationale. This means that whilst one child could go on to thrive in a particular Grammar School, another child might find they don’t fit in and might do better elsewhere.
So, rather than carry the heavy burden of saying, “This school is better than that one”, I’ll defer to the statisticians employed by the Government and let their numbers do the talking for me.
Grammar schools 2021 league table: best grammar schools in the UK
| Rank | School | Location | Pupils Achieving 5+ GCSE 4-9s | Progress 8 Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet | London | 100 | 1.22 |
| 1 | Colchester County High School for Girls | Essex | 100 | 1.22 |
| 3 | Nonsuch High School for Girls | Surrey | 100 | 1.21 |
| 3 | Beaconsfield High School | Buckinghamshire | 100 | 1.21 |
| 5 | Kendrick High School | Reading | 100 | 1.18 |
| 6 | Dr Challoner’s Grammar School | Buckinghamshire | 100 | 1.14 |
| 7 | Altrincham Grammar School for Girls | Cheshire | 100 | 1.12 |
| 7 | Stroud High School | Gloucestershire | 100 | 1.12 |
| 9 | The Henrietta Barnett School | London | 100 | 1.1 |
| 9 | King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford | Essex | 100 | 1.1 |
| 11 | Wallington High School for Girls | Surrey | 100 | 1.04 |
| 12 | Wilson’s School | Surrey | 100 | 1.03 |
| 13 | Colyton Grammar School | Devon | 100 | 1.01 |
| 14 | St Michael’s Catholic Grammar School | London | 100 | 1 |
| 15 | Ripon Grammar School | North Yorkshire | 100 | 0.98 |
| 15 | Aylesbury High School | Buckinghamshire | 100 | 0.98 |
| 15 | Reading School | Berkshire | 100 | 0.98 |
| 18 | King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls | Birmingham | 100 | 0.97 |
| 19 | Invicta Grammar School | Kent | 100 | 0.96 |
| 20 | Chesham Grammar School | Buckinghamshire | 100 | 0.94 |
| 21 | Dartford Grammar School | Kent | 100 | 0.93 |
| 22 | Altrincham Grammar School for Boys | Chesire | 100 | 0.9 |
| 23 | Westcliff High School for Girls | Essex | 100 | 0.86 |
| 24 | Tonbridge Grammar School | Kent | 100 | 0.84 |
| 24 | Stratford Girls’ Grammar School | Warwickshire | 100 | 0.84 |
| 26 | Townley Grammar School | Kent | 100 | 0.83 |
| 27 | Loreto Grammar School | Cheshire | 100 | 0.81 |
| 28 | Denmark Road High School for Girls | Gloucestershire | 100 | 0.78 |
| 29 | The Latymer School | London | 100 | 0.76 |
| 30 | St William Borlase’s Grammar School | Buckinghamshire | 100 | 0.74 |
“What does ‘Progress 8’ mean?”
Along with the traditional method of ranking by GCSE results, the Government now calculates what’s known as ‘Progress 8′.
In essence, it’s an index of the uptick in pupils’ progress between Year 6 and Year 11, ie, what was their attainment across their 8 subjects taken or qualifications attained.
The Department of Education feels this more fairly measures academic performance, rather than just focusing upon exam results, as it factors in the progress of students of all abilities.
Like all good indices, 0 is the national average. The Government suggests that achieving over 0.5 reflects that a school is performing exceptionally well.
It therefore follows that every school in this list is an absolute crackerjack performer.
“Is a Grammar School right for my child?”
Whilst we would certainly endorse the opinion that the highly focused work ethic which is implicit in a Grammar School education isn’t right for all children, we’ve yet to work with a child who wouldn’t have done well at a Grammar School, providing, that is, that they’re given sufficient time to prepare for the rigorous standard of work expected from Year 7 onwards.
Parents need to remember that EVERY Grammar School has to deal with many more applications for entry than they have spaces available.
This means that each candidate who secures one of those coveted places will, from the first day of their Year 7 term in September, be competing and comparing themselves with most probably the brightest and best pupils in the area.
That being so, we’d caution parents who are considering having their child sit a Grammar School entrance exam to not wait, to not leave it until May or June of their child’s Year 6 to begin preparation.
This is because many of those other Year 6 pupils who are also competing for those in-demand spots will have introduced their children to the style and format of the 11+ exam paper during Years 4 or 5.
We’ve found that a slow and steady drip feed builds a much stronger knowledge base and understanding for your children, rather than leaving it all to a last-minute summer holiday season of cramming papers.
Would you like some help with that?
There’s much more we could say on the subject of successful eleven-plus exam preparation, so may I suggest that, if you’d like to discover how best to prepare your child for their own Grammar School Entrance Exams, why not book a call with us.
We can then discuss your own circumstances and may be able to suggest a way that’s going to smooth out some of the bumps on the road, so your child can enjoy the journey along to their exam day.
If you’d like to find out more you can contact us here.