A national starting point for parents searching the best grammar schools in the UK before the shortlist narrows into one county, route, or realistic travel pattern.
How this page ranks schools
Attainment 8 does most of the work, with English and maths grade 5+ next and EBacc APS as a final check.
We turn each GCSE measure into a like-for-like score across the schools on this page, then apply these weights:
What To Keep In Mind
This page stays strictly GCSE-only, so sixth-form data is not used in the order at all.
A school needs all three published GCSE measures to receive a rank on this page.
What Matters Most
Attainment 8
This does most of the work. It captures GCSE attainment across eight qualifications.
Grade 5+ in English and maths
This is a second check using the published share of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both subjects.
EBacc average point score
This is a smaller final check on how strongly pupils perform across the EBacc basket of subjects.
Schools in this list
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Henrietta Barnett School, Central Square, Hampstead Garden Suburb
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 19.2 applicants per place
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
87.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
8.65
Calculated score
100.0
Wilson's School, Mollison Drive
Assessment: Sutton SET, Individual
Applicants per place: 10.0+ applicants per place estimate
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
86.9
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
8.66
Calculated score
99.2
Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet, Queen's Road
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 11.1 applicants per place
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
85.6
Grade 5+ English & maths
99.5%
EBacc APS
8.55
Calculated score
95.9
Tiffin Girls' School, Richmond Road
Assessment: Individual
Applicants per place: 10.0+ applicants per place estimate
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
85.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
99.4%
EBacc APS
8.26
Calculated score
94.5
Kendrick School, London Road
Assessment: Individual
Applicants per place: 5.0+ applicants per place estimate
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
84.0
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
8.29
Calculated score
92.6
St Olave's and St Saviour's Grammar School, Goddington Lane
Assessment: Individual
Applicants per place: 12.9 applicants per place
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
83.6
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
8.22
Calculated score
91.5
King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, Broomfield Road
Assessment: CSSE
Applicants per place: 7.0+ applicants per place estimate
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
83.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
8.24
Calculated score
91.0
King Edward VI School, Chapel Lane
Assessment: GL Assessment
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
83.3
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
8.07
Calculated score
90.6
Reading School, Erleigh Road
Assessment: FSCE
Applicants per place: 5.0+ applicants per place estimate
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
83.0
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
8.25
Calculated score
90.4
Newstead Wood School, Avebury Road
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 8.0+ applicants per place estimate
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
82.8
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
7.89
Calculated score
89.2
Pate's Grammar School, Princess Elizabeth Way
Assessment: GL Assessment
Applicants per place: 3.0+ applicants per place estimate
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
82.7
Grade 5+ English & maths
99.3%
EBacc APS
7.79
Calculated score
88.1
Colchester Royal Grammar School, Lexden Road
Assessment: CSSE
Used in this ranking
Attainment 8
82.1
Grade 5+ English & maths
100.0%
EBacc APS
7.85
Calculated score
87.7
Before you shortlist
This page is for the early stage of a broad search. It helps you see which grammar schools stand out nationally on published GCSE measures before the shortlist becomes local and route-specific.
The useful next step is rarely to treat a UK list as the final answer. Use it to spot strong schools, then narrow by county, exam route, admissions reality, and daily travel so the shortlist becomes genuinely realistic.
After the first pass
This page is most useful when you are still asking a broad national question such as which grammar schools look strongest on paper, which names keep appearing in UK rankings, or which counties you may want to research next.
Once that first pass is done, move quickly into county pages, route guides, and school profiles. That is where a broad “best grammar schools in the UK” search turns into a shortlist that actually works for your child and your family.
FAQ
On this page, "best" means strongest published GCSE performance using Attainment 8, grade 5+ in English and maths, and EBacc average point score. It is a useful first filter, not a final family decision.
It is a UK-wide ranking across the grammar schools in our dataset, designed to help parents compare schools nationally before narrowing by county, route, and admissions reality.
No. A national ranking cannot tell you whether a school is realistic on travel, admissions route, catchment, or fit. It helps you narrow the field before those factors take over.
Narrow the list by county or school type, open the school profiles that still look realistic, and compare only the options that genuinely belong in the same shortlist.
Keep exploring
Ranking
Explore the best grammar schools by GCSE results in the UK using a clear ranking built from Attainment 8, grade 5+ in English and maths, and EBacc average point score.
Ranking
Explore the best boys grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county and Ofsted before comparing realistic shortlist options.
Ranking
Explore the best girls grammar schools in the UK with a national ranking parents can filter by county and Ofsted before comparing realistic shortlist options.
Guide
A parent-first framework for moving from a long list to a realistic grammar school shortlist without relying on rankings alone.
Guide
A calm parent guide to registration, testing, preferences, and offer-day decisions when building a grammar school shortlist.
School
A North London girls grammar school known for intense competition, strong GCSE and A-level results, and high progression to selective universities.
School
A selective boys grammar school in Wallington, Greater London, serving ages 11-18 with a sixth form and around 1,312 pupils on roll.
School
A boys grammar school in Barnet with exceptionally high competition for Year 7 places and a long-standing academic reputation.