Two London secondary schools have emerged as top performers in the 2025 UK state school league tables, showcasing outstanding academic achievements ahead of the key deadline for Year 7 applications.

According to recently released Department for Education data, the Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead achieved a remarkable milestone, with every pupil studying GCSE English and Maths securing at least a Grade 5 or above. This places it among just 11 schools in England to reach this level of performance. Wilson's School in Wallington surpassed this achievement by recording a 100% pass rate with Grade 5 or above across the wider English Baccalaureate, a rigorous measure encompassing core GCSE subjects such as English, Maths, Sciences, a foreign language, and History or Geography. This double success underscores the competitive academic standards maintained by selective grammar schools in London.

The overall GCSE outcomes for 2025 indicate a slight upward trend nationally, with the Grade-5 pass rate rising to 55% from 54.6% in 2024 and improving beyond pre-pandemic levels of 53.5%. Notably, the proportion of top-tier grades (7 to 9, equivalent to A*/A) increased by nearly two percentage points nationally, further emphasising improving academic standards. However, disparities persist regionally, as London continues to outperform other parts of England, with 28.4% of GCSEs graded 7 or above compared to just 17.8% in the North East.

While these league tables underline attainment, a significant caveat is the absence of pupil progress data. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children in the 2025 cohort were not assessed at primary school, meaning no 'added value' measure can reflect how much schools have contributed to pupils' academic development. This data gap, affecting the 2024 and 2025 assessments alike, limits the ability to judge schools on their effectiveness in improving student outcomes over time.

Alongside Henrietta Barnett and Wilson’s, other schools achieving 100% of pupils with Grade 5 or above in English and Maths include Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester Royal Grammar School, Kendrick School in Reading, and King Edward VI schools in Chelmsford and Stratford-upon-Avon. Schools denoted with asterisks in the data have maintained this high standard for two consecutive years, highlighting sustained excellence.

The prominence of these top-performing London schools aligns with broader educational trends, reflecting the capital’s continued strength in securing high GCSE results compared to other regions. However, recent league tables such as the Sunday Times Parent Power reveal a diverse picture nationally, where comprehensive schools like Dame Alice Owen’s in Hertfordshire and Michaela Community School in London also feature prominently for overall performance.

As parents prepare to submit their school preferences for September 2026 Year 7 admissions, these rankings provide useful insight but should be considered alongside other factors, including school culture and pupil development opportunities. The missing progress data remains a significant limitation, and stakeholders await its return in future years to obtain a more complete evaluation of school performance.

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Source: Noah Wire Services