England's highest-achieving secondary schools for the 2024/25 academic year have been officially named, marking a significant shift in how school performance is assessed. The Department for Education (DfE) released preliminary key stage 4 performance data, but unlike previous years, this data ranks schools by their Attainment 8 scores rather than the usual Progress 8 scores. This change stems from the unavailability of key stage two baseline assessment data, disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which prevents calculation of Progress 8 scores for this and next year.

Attainment 8 measures pupils’ average achievement across eight GCSE subjects, including compulsory English and maths (both double-weighted), along with sciences, languages, history, geography, and three additional approved qualifications. Unlike Progress 8, which tracks pupil progress from the end of primary school, Attainment 8 focuses solely on the raw GCSE results without accounting for starting points. Scores roughly correlate with the 9-1 GCSE grading scale, where dividing by 10 approximates the average grade per pupil.

The league table based on Attainment 8 scores reveals a dominance of selective schools, particularly in London. The Henrietta Barnett School in North London topped the list with an exceptional Attainment 8 of 87.2, nearly double the national average of 45.9. Close behind were Wilson's School, an Anglican boys' academy in South London, and Queen Elizabeth's School in Barnet, both achieving scores above 85. This highlights a pronounced advantage for selective academies in these metrics.

However, this approach has sparked debate, as the shift to Attainment 8 changes the landscape from the Progress 8 focus, which had attempted to measure how well schools support pupil progress, particularly from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Industry analysis shows some schools with high Progress 8 scores now rank lower on Attainment 8, emphasizing that raw attainment may favour those with more academically advantaged intakes. For instance, The Steiner Academy Hereford, previously ranked sixth nationally by Progress 8 last year, fell dramatically to 838th by Attainment 8.

Other reports reveal contrasting perspectives on top-performing schools when Progress 8 remains the metric. According to recent data from Ofsted inspections combined with Progress 8, schools such as Michaela Community School in Wembley topped the 2025/26 league with a strong Progress 8 score of 2.56, an indicator of well above average progress. Similarly, Mercia School in Sheffield and Tauheedul Islam Girls' High School in Blackburn also feature prominently under Progress 8 rankings, some of which are missing from the Attainment 8 tables.

Regional data further enriches the picture, with schools excelling in their local contexts. For example, in the North East, Durham Johnston Comprehensive and Emmanuel College maintain a high standard, and Shropshire’s top school, Newport Girls' High School, achieved an impressive Attainment 8 score of 73.2, with nearly 99% of pupils securing a Grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs.

The DfE’s shift to Attainment 8 for official performance measures this year and next has raised important questions about how best to assess school effectiveness fairly. While Attainment 8 offers a straightforward snapshot of achievement, it lacks the nuance of Progress 8’s pupil progress tracking, which accounts for socio-economic and educational starting points. This context is important for parents, educators, and policymakers when interpreting these league tables and considering interventions to support all learners.

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Source: Noah Wire Services