ILKLEY GRAMMAR SCHOOL IS RANKED TOP COMPREHENSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL IN THE NORTH OF ENGLAND FOR GCSE IN THE SUNDAY TIMES AND OVERALL SECOND PLACE IN THE NORTH FOR GCSE AND A-LEVEL COMBINED

The publication of The Sunday Times Parent Power guide 2023 has confirmed Ilkley Grammar School is the North of England’s highest attaining comprehensive secondary school based on GCSE results. Over 51% of all GCSE grades were at the highest grades 9-7 which makes IGS the highest ranking non-selective school across the region.

NORTH STATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS RANKED BY GCSE % 9-7 (non-selective)

1	Ilkley Grammar School	Ilkley	51.4%
2	Fulford School	York	48.7%
3	All Saints Roman Catholic School	York	47.7%
4	High Storrs School	Sheffield	47%
5	St Aidens C of E School	Harrogate	46.5%
6	Silverdale School	Sheffield	45.3%
7	Tapton School	Sheffield	44.6%
8	Harrogate Grammar School	Harrogate	44.4%
9	Horsforth School	Leeds	44.3%
10	Outwood Academy Easingwold	York	42.9%

The Sunday Times’ Schools Guide 2023 names the top performing and highest-achieving schools across the country and is billed as “the definitive guide to secondary schools”. Its Parent Power overall tables ranks schools on their average performance using a A-Level/IB and GCSE outcomes from summer 2022. Based on the overall measure, Ilkley Grammar School ranked 5th overall in the north when selective schools are included and an impressive second place overall when comparisons are made with comprehensive schools, just behind All Saints RC School in York who took this year’s top comprehensive spot in the north of England. The full table is as follows:

TOP 12 STATE AND GRAMMAR SCHOOLS IN THE NORTH

1	Ripon Grammar School	Ripon	Selective
2	Heckmondwike Grammar School		Selective
3	The North Halifax Grammar School		selective
4	All Saints RC School	York	comprehensive
5	Ilkley Grammar School		comprehensive
6	Silverdale School	Sheffield	comprehensive
7	Fulford School	York	comprehensive
8	Horsforth School	Leeds	comprehensive
9	Archbishop Holgate’s School	York	comprehensive
10	High Storrs School	Sheffield	comprehensive
11	St Aidan’s CofE High School	Harrogate	comprehensive
12	Prince Henry’s Grammar School	Otley	comprehensive

At A-level, IGS 6th form students also achieved exceptional outcomes with nearly ¼ of all grades (24.2%) graded at A* and nearly half of all A-level grades (48.6%) graded at A*/A, the 3rd highest out of all northern comprehensive schools and ahead of two leading selective schools included within the tables. In addition, nearly ¾ of all grades (74.5%) were at A*-B meaning that overall IGS Post-16 ranked as the 4th most successful comprehensive 6th Form in the north of England in The Sunday Times and the highest performing provider across Leeds and Bradford.

Carly Purnell, Headteacher of Ilkley Grammar School, stated: “We are very proud of the exceptional standards which our students of all abilities have achieved and are delighted that IGS has been ranked overall in the top two comprehensives across the north and the highest-ranking comprehensive school across the whole of West Yorkshire.”

“Whilst The Sunday Times’ rankings are only based on attainment and are a narrow measure of success, they do recognise academic achievement at the highest level at GCSE and A-level and reflect the school’s strong commitment to academic excellence, as well as equity and inclusion. When viewed alongside IGS’s outstanding progress score of +.64 (where almost 2 out of 3 GCSE results were a whole grade higher across the curriculum than the results of similar ability students nationally), they are a tribute to everybody’s hard work – students, staff and our supportive parent/carer body – and show the genuine realisation of Personal Best. They also reflect the school’s ability to maintain high expectations, strong pastoral care and the specialist teaching of the curriculum, including through high-quality remote learning which IGS was well-placed to provide from the start of the pandemic as an established iPad school.”

Mrs Purnell added “Having faced the first set of public examinations in 3 years, I have been so impressed with how students at IGS and across the country have risen to the challenges following the unprecedented disruptions caused by the pandemic. We should applaud their resilience, as well as their individual success and positively celebrate the incredible work of all schools in what has been a really challenging time for the educational sector.”