Parent Power 2024: The Times releases its list of Best UK schools & league table
It’s a return to form for the boys in this year’s Sunday Times Parent Power 2024 guide to best schools in the UK with the single-sex Wilson’s School in Wallington awarded state and grammar school of the year. Single-sex schools once again dominated the list as a whole, with two private girls schools topping the independent and combined tables and two boys-only schools grabbing the top two places in the state sector.
Sunday Times has published the 31st edition of its Parent Power guide to the best national and regional schools of the year. Amongst its findings, the Times identifies the highest-achieving schools in the UK based on their own criterion.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdParent Power is widely acknowledged and holds more than 1,600 schools in its database. If a parent, student, or teacher wants to find out about a school’s performance, they can search it by name, local authority, town and postcode.
As well as giving parents the power to identify performing schools, the list acts as an assessment of all academic results on a school-by-school basis. There are also live links to school websites and schools’ most recent inspection reports.
Helen Davies, Editor of Parent Power, said: “The educational landscape continues to be challenging across both the state and independent sectors, and this is the first true assessment of post-pandemic exam results. We believe these rankings – and all the additional information on offer in Parent Power – provide parents with a more reliable guide to academic achievement in schools today.
“The guide showcases academic excellence but also celebrates schools who may not be right at the top but are rising, innovating and helping pupils flourish. Being a teenager is hard enough, and the past few years since Covid have made life even harder. It is heartening to highlight the achievements of so many students and schools across the UK.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide Ad“This year Parent Power includes details on extracurricular clubs, wellbeing initiatives and school lunch menus – chicken katsu seems to be the dish of the day.”
The Sunday Times Schools Guide, Parent Power, was first published in 1993. As well as a print section in the newspaper, there is a fully-searchable online database allowing users to search schools by postcode, town, local authority and school name.
But who won The Sunday Times’ national and regional school of the year awards?
The Sunday Times Parent Power 2024 national school of the year
The top secondary school for academic performance
- Altrincham Grammar School for Boys
Secondary school of the year
- Wilson’s School (grammar school for boys), Wallington
Comprehensive school of the year
- Cheadle Hulme High School
Top independent school for academic performance
- Withington Girls’ School, Manchester
Independent school of the year
- King’s School, Chester
International Baccalaureate school of the year
- Tonbridge Grammar School
The Sunday Times Parent Power 2024 regional school of the year
East Anglia
Secondary School of the Year - Colchester Royal Grammar School
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdComprehensive School of the Year - Impington Village College
Private School of the Year - The Perse School, Cambridge
East Midlands
Secondary School of the Year - The King’s School, Grantham
Comprehensive School of the Year - Landau Forte College, Derby
Private School of the Year - Leicester Grammar School
West Midlands
Secondary School of the Year - King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon
Comprehensive School of the Year - St Paul’s School for Girls, Edgbaston
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPrivate School of the Year - King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham
London
Secondary School of the Year - Wilson’s School, Wallington
Comprehensive School of the Year - JFS, Harrow
Private School of the Year - St Paul’s Girls’ School, Hammersmith
The North
Secondary School of the Year for Academic Performance - Ripon Grammar School
Comprehensive School of the Year - St Mary’s College, Hull
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe Northeast
Comprehensive School of the Year - Durham Johnston Comprehensive School
Private School of the Year - Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne
The Northwest
Secondary School of the Year - Altrincham Grammar School for Girls
Comprehensive School of the Year - Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School and Sixth Form College, Blackburn
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdPrivate School of the Year - Withington Girls’ School, Manchester
The Southeast
Secondary School of the Year - Reading School
Comprehensive School of the Year - St Andrew’s RC School, Leatherhead
Private School of the Year - Guildford High School
The Southwest
Secondary School of the Year - Pate’s Grammar School, Cheltenham
Comprehensive School of the Year - Kingsbridge Community College
Private School of the Year - Cheltenham Ladies’ College
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdWales
Secondary School of the Year - Cowbridge Comprehensive School
Private School of the Year - Cardiff Sixth Form College
Northern Ireland
Secondary School of the Year - Lumen Christi College, Londonderry
Scotland
Secondary School of the Year - Jordanhill School, Glasgow
Private School of the Year (Highers) - St Mary’s Music School, Edinburgh
Private School of the Year (A-Levels) - St Leonards, St Andrews
You can view the full list on the Sunday Times Parent Power website.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.