A-Level Results 2018: ranking of London’s top secondary schools

London’s undisputed number 1: St Paul’s Girls’ School

Thursday 16th August 2018 was A-Level results day, when tens of thousands of 17-18 year olds across the country found out their A-Level results and if they have met their target grades for university admission. Please note a few independent schools (notably St Paul’s School) do not publish their official results until November. Some schools do not immediately publish the full breakdown of grades, but only the percentage of A*-A’s or A* – C’s.

As every year, our ranking of London secondary schools will be based on the percentage of A* grades, as this will determine which schools have the highest share of top candidates in the country. Last year, a selective state school came top of the ranking the first time: the King’s College Maths School in Lambeth. Will they take the number one spot again in 2018? Follow this post for all the latest news and results.

So far, St Paul’s Girls’ School looks to retake the number 1 spot in the country with 59.8% of entries at A* and 89.9% at A*-A, narrowly beating King’s College Maths School and Westminster School to the top spot.

Amazing results from Latymer Upper School this year as well: A third of grades were at A* and over two thirds of grades were at A*/A. 18 students secured places at top North American universities, including MIT, Princeton, Stanford and Yale and McGill in Canada. 22 students won places at Oxford and Cambridge. 10 students secured places for Medicine.

2018 RANKING so far – the top three are unlikely to change, as they take the top spots every year, but the current ranking is shown below and will be updated as soon as results are published. Here is the ranking so far, including the schools that have already published their 2018 results. These schools are ranked by percentage of A*’s achieved, as this is the best measure to distinguish the most exceptional candidates. At the same time, I would urge parents to look at the % of A*-B results, too, and consider that the inverse of this will tell you the percentage of candidates who get a C or worse.

Rank School Type Gender A* A*-A A*-B
1 St Paul’s Girls’ School private Girls 59.8% 89.9% 98.8%
2 King’s College London Maths School state Co-ed 57.5% 88.0% 96.5%
3 Westminster School private Co-ed 57.5% 88.1% 95.3%
4 St Paul’s School private Boys 51.0% 82.4% 95.1%
5 City of London School for Girls private Girls 47.0% 98.0%
6 Queen Elizabeth School, Barnet state Boys 45.2% 96.7%
7 NLCS private Girls 44.0% 85.0% 93.5%
8 King’s College Wimbledon private Co-ed 42.0% 94.0%
9 Haberdasher Aske’s School for Boys private Boys 42.0% 95.8%
10 Highgate private Co-ed 39.1% 75.8% 89.8%
11 Wilson’s Grammar School, Sutton state Boys 38.0% 96.8%
12 JAGS private Girls 38.0% 76.0% 90.6%
13 Alleyn’s private Co-ed 36.0% 74.0% 91.0%
14 Bancroft’s private Co-ed 36.0% 91.0%
15 Henrietta Barnett School state Girls 34.0% 73.0% 92.0%
16 Tiffin Girls state Girls 33.6% 91.9%
17 Latymer Upper private Co-ed 33.3% 67.0% 90.6%
18 Lady Eleanor Holles private Girls 33.0% 75.0% 95.0%
19 Godolphin & Latymer School private Girls 32.7% 72.6% 94.3%
20 City of London private Boys 31.4% 68.0% 85.6%
21 UCS, Hampstead private Co-ed 30.8% 88.6%
22 Hampton School private Boys 30.0% 95.0%
23 Habs Girls private Girls 30.0% 70.0% 94.0%
24 Kingston Grammar School private Co-Ed 29.0% 67.0%
25 Wimbledon High private Girls 27.0% 70.0% 93.0%
26 Dulwich College private Boys 27.0% 88.0%
27 Trinity School, Croydon private Boys 26.0% 64.0% 90.0%
28 Latymer School, Edmonton state Co-ed 25.0% 63.0% 88.0%
29 Tiffin School state Boys 24.8% 85.5%
30 Channing School private Girls 24.7% 62.6% 86.7%
31 Putney High School private Girls 24.0% 67.0% 93.0%
32 Notting Hill & Ealing High private girls 24.0% 93.0%
33 St James Girls’ School private Co-ed 22.6% 52.0% 81.0%
34 Francis Holland NW1 private Girls 22.5% 54.9% 75.7%
35 Bexley Grammar School state Co-ed 20.5% 73.8%
36 Camden School for Girls state Co-ed 20.2% 78.1%
37 St Michael’s Grammar state girls 19.4% 89.8%
38 South Hampstead High School private Girls 19.3% 67.0% 87.7%
39 The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial Sch, Mixed, Comp, State, Kensington & Chelsea state boys 19.2% 79%
40 Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School state Boys 19.1% 79.0%
41 St Helen’s private Girls 19.0% 80.0%
42 Wallington High School for Girls state Girls 18.9% 77.6%
43 Nonsuch High School, Sutton state Girls 18.6% 80.0%
44 London Academy of Excellence, Mixed, Sel, State, Newham state co-ed 18.5% 60.0% 90%
45 Harrodian School private Co-ed 18.1% 49.2% 80.0%
46 Surbiton High School private Girls 17.8% 50.0% 86.0%
47 Ibstock Place private Co-ed 17.2% 46.3% 72.7%
48 Queen’s Gate private Girls 16.7% 54.0% 78.9%
49 Ashbourne College private Co-ed 16.5% 50.1%
50 Whitgift School, Croydon private Boys 16.4% 51.4% 84.0%
51 Lady Margaret School state Girls 16.0% 43.0% 69.0%
52 Wallington Country Grammar School state Co-ed 16.0% 78.7%
53 Greycoat Hospital state Co-ed 15.2% 37.4% 67.5%
54 Holland Park School state Co-ed 15.0% 50.0%
55 St Marylebone state Girls 15.0% 37.0% 71.0%
56 Queen’s College private Girls 14.5% 57.3% 89.1%
57 Oratory School state Co-ed 14.1% 78.0%
58 Mossbourne Academy state Co-ed 13.0% 40.0%
59 Waldegrave School state Girls 12.7% 43.0% 78.0%
60 Graveney state Co-ed 10.5% 32.0% 61.9%
61 Emanuel School private Co-ed 9.5% 33.7% 50%
62 Colfe’s School private Co-ed 9.0% 44.8% 77.4%
63 Francis Holland SW1 private Girls 9.0% 41% 80.0%
64 Mill Hill School private Co-ed 7.9% 39.0% 72.0%
65 More House private Girls 7.7% 17.9% 33%

BRAMPTON MANOR ACADEMY, EAST HAM

An East London comprehensive school that is sending 20 pupils to Oxbridge this year! Impressive achievement! What is their formula for success? Find out more here.

ST MARYLEBONE SCHOOL

Overall, the A-Level grades this year are really pleasing:  71% A*-B, 92.5% A*- C, 15% A* , 37% A* – A

MOSSBOURNE COMMUNITY SCHOOL
Seven students have been accepted to Oxbridge and 13% received straight A*! A testament to the hard work and dedication of our students and staff. We’re incredibly proud of our students for achieving such great results on . A record 40% of our students achieved A*-A grades and 90% achieved A*-C!

SOUTH HAMPSTEAD HIGH SCHOOL

Well done to all our students on their results today. Two thirds (67%) of all A level entries and 100% of Extended Project Qualifications (EPQ) awarded A*/A.

WALDEGRAVE SCHOOL

A* A=43%,  A* B=78%, A* C= 95%.  7 students make Oxbridge grades.  Congratulations to all!

FRANCIS HOLLAND NW1

22.5% A*, 54.9% A*-A, 75.7% A*-B

ST MICHAEL’S GRAMMAR SCHOOL, BARNET

2018 Results- WELL DONE TO ALL OUR STUDENTS!

19.4% A *s Best ever !! 89.8%  A*-B  Best since 2013

DULWICH COLLEGE

It’s a pleasure to report that 27% of the exams they sat were awarded A* grades, with 79 boys achieving all A or A* grades, 32 boys achieving 3 A*s or better. 88% of papers were awarded grades of A*/A/B.

HIGHGATE SCHOOL

39.1% of all exam entries A*, 75.8% A or A*. 34 students were awarded three A*’s or more.

GREYCOAT HOSPITAL

37.4% of all grades were A*-A, 67.5% at A*-B, and 92% at A*-C.  Students have secured university places across the United Kingdom from Edinburgh to Exeter, with three places at Oxford and one at Cambridge.

ST JAMES GIRLS’ SCHOOL

A* grades: 22.6% (20%), A*/A: 52% (45%), A*- B: 81% (75%)

LATYMER SCHOOL, EDMONTON (grammar school)

We have seen a 2% increase in the number of A* grades; the percentage achieved this year was 25%. The percentage of students who achieved A*/A grades was 63%, which is a 4% increase on those attained in 2016/17. The percentage of A*/B grades was 88%.

HARRODIAN SCHOOL

49% of all grades were A*/A, 80% were A*/A/B, four students received straight A*grades.

GODOLPHIN & LATYMER SCHOOL

A very impressive 72% of A Levels were graded at A* or A this year, with 32% at A*.  Eight of our pupils were awarded either three or four A* grades in their academic subjects, plus an A* grade in their EPQ.

LADY MARGARET SCHOOL

Overall 87% of grades were A*-C and 69% of grades attained were A*-B. 43% of grades were A*-A, a
significant increase from 36% in 2017. Nineteen girls attained at least three A/A* grades at A Level,
which is a fantastic achievement. This Autumn our girls will be starting courses in many different
subjects, at universities right across the country, including History of Art at Oxford, Spanish and
Portuguese at Oxford, Physics with Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London, Medicine at
Nottingham, Medicine at Leeds, History at LSE, Law at King’s College London and Middle Eastern
Studies at SOAS.

CLSG

47 per cent of entries were graded A*, matching last year’s record-breaking achievement. Two thirds of students achieved 3 or more A* or A grades and 98 per cent of all entries were graded A* to B.

Amongst the best results were Art, Chinese, Design Technology, Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and French, with 100 per cent of entries being graded A*. Those studying languages once again excelled, with 100 per cent achieving A* to A grades in Ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Latin and Spanish. 82 per cent of those studying Further Maths achieved an A* grade, with 100 per cent achieving A* or A.

QUEEN’S GATE

We are very pleased to announce our A Level success with almost 54% of grades being A/A* and 96% being A*-C!

QUEEN ELIZABETH’S SCHOOL, BARNET

Of the 482 A-levels taken, 45.2% were awarded A* – easily outstripping the previous record of 42.2% set in 2015. Further analysis of QE’s results reveals that there is strength in depth, too: this is the 13th consecutive year in which the benchmark figure for the proportion of examinations awarded A*–B grades has topped 95%. The 2018 figure of 96.7% improves further on last year’s 96.0%.

ST PAUL’S SCHOOL

Congratulations to the Paulines who received their A Level and Pre-U results today, collectively achieving the highest percentage of straight A* grades at the school for years (the percentage of A* entry in 2017 was 46.9% and 45.1% in 2016).

HENRIETTA BARNETT SCHOOL

34% of grades were A* , 73% of grades were A* or A , Over 92% of grades were A*-B 

NLCS
Overall, more than 85% of all grades awarded were at A* or A, and 93.5% of all grades awarded were at A*- B.
  (interestingly, they have not published the percentage of A* entries yet).

UCS HAMPSTEAD

An impressive 31% of grades were A* & 64 pupils achieved straight A grades or better. Well done!

KING’S COLLEGE MATHS SCHOOL

58% of all entries are A* grades, 88% are A*/A, and 96% are A*/A/B. In terms of value added, our students have attained more than a grade better on average, per entry, than was predicted by their GCSE results. This would place us in the top 0.5% of all schools in terms of value added, with no other selective school (except perhaps the Exeter Mathematics School!) coming close to that level.

A notable feature of this year’s results is that female students outperformed their male peers, with 92% (compared to 85%) A* and A grades. They did this in every subject, including in Physics.

HOLLAND PARK SCHOOL

over 15% A*, just under 50% A*-A, 6 students admitted to Oxbridge, 2 to Imperial. Well done!

HABS GIRLS

Congratulations to the Upper 6 on a fantastic set of A Level Results. Just under 30% of all grades were awarded an A* and 70% a grade A* or A. Some 94% of all A Levels taken were awarded an A* – B grade. 27 students, about a quarter of the year, achieved two or more A* grades, twelve of whom attained three or more of the top grades.

JAMES ALLENS GIRLS’ SCHOOL

The girls at James Allen’s Girls’ School have delivered an impressive set of A-Level results with 38% of all grades at A* and 76% A* and A. 

PUTNEY HIGH SCHOOL

24% A*, 67% A*A, 93% A*AB

ALLEYN’S SCHOOL

Our Year 13 Leavers have performed exceptionally well, with 36% of all A level grades at A*, 74% at A* or A, and 91% A*, A or B.

CITY OF LONDON SCHOOL
Huge congratulations to our A Level students on their outstanding results today. Over 68% achieved A* – A grades.

LADY ELEANOR HOLLES SCHOOL

Lady Eleanor Holles School is once again celebrating an excellent set of A level results, with 95 % of its students scoring A* -B and achieving their places at their first choice university in the UK and US.

NOTTING HILL AND EALING HIGH SCHOOL

Super A Level results @ nhehs 24% A* and 93% A*/A/B. Many congratulations. We’re so proud of you all!

ST PAUL’S GIRLS’ SCHOOL

We are delighted to announce 59.8% of entries attained an A* grade at A level or the Pre-U equivalent D1 or D2 grade – a new school record.

89.9% of entries achieved an A* or A grade and 98.8% a B grade or higher. We are particularly thrilled with the results from Pre-U examinations in 10 subjects where 31% of entries achieved a D1 – a grade that exceeds the A* standard at A level – and 69.2% of entries achieved an A* equivalent D1 or D2 grade.

WEST LONDON FREE SCHOOL

Well done to all students and staff at West London Free School. 29% A*-A, over 33 to Russell Group & over 50 off to uni in total!

WESTMINSTER SCHOOL

Westminster pupils achieve 57.5% of A-level grades at A* and 88.1% A*-A. The best results ever.

WIMBLEDON HIGH SCHOOL

Outstanding results at A Level at Wimbledon High School – 70% A* to A and 93% A* to B!

In the meantime, check out the ranking of top London secondary schools by A-Level results 2017.

16 thoughts on “A-Level Results 2018: ranking of London’s top secondary schools”

    1. So far they have only published the following:
      5+ Grade 4 or above (or equiv), including English and Maths 92.5% (2017 86.7%)
      Grade 4 or above GCSE in English 98.9% (2017 94.7%)
      Grade 4 or above GCSE in Maths 95.7% (2017 91.5%)

  1. As per Telegraph news, UCS is at 32 but your website shows 21. Moreover some schools like Merchant Taylor are missing from the list. Why their is inconsistency in comparison to the Telegraph news?

    1. The Telegraph ranking is based on % A – A*, this one based on A* only. Some schools do not submit their data to the Telegraph, so this ranking will include additional schools. MTS is located in Hertfordshire, so while it is close to London, it is not in London, and only London schools are included here.

    2. Merchant Taylors is actually a very easy commute from central London whereas HABS, which is also Hertfordshire, has no direct tube / train from London without being dependent on a taxi at the other end. For MTS you can get there direct on the tube (Metropolitan line) from Baker Street in around 35 minutes. Moor Park station is right next to the school.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Scroll to Top