A COLCHESTER school has been named the best secondary school in East Anglia in a yearly league table.
The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2024 will be published on Sunday.
Colchester Royal Grammar School, which was rated inadequate at its last Ofsted inspection, has topped the regional rankings in East Anglia for the Parent Power standings.
The school has reclaimed the top spot after being placed second behind King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford, last year.
The guide ranks the highest-achieving secondary schools across the UK and has a searchable database of over 1,000 schools involved.
Nationally, Colchester Royal Grammar School ranked sixth out of 400 of the top state secondary and grammar schools in the UK, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
When it comes to the category of the best grammar and comprehensive in East Anglia, the school takes the crown, beating seven other Essex-based schools on the list.
Each school have been meticulously ranked by performance when it comes to A-levels and GCSE results of this summer. A*, A, and B grades are counted as a percentage of the total number of A-level entries.
The Editor of Parent Power, Helen Davies, said the list was a valuable asset which can help parents plan the best for their children when it comes to education.
She 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 school was founded in 1128 and was previously granted the royal seal of approval by Henry VIII in 1539 and by Elizabeth the first in 1584.
John Russell, headmaster at Colchester Royal Grammar School, said: “We are truly honoured to receive this national award which recognises the high quality education we offer our students. We are absolutely committed to providing a holistic education that is not only focused on academic excellence, but also on creating a supportive culture that enables every child to thrive and reach their potential.
"Alongside our challenging curriculum, our wide-ranging enrichment programme helps our students explore their talents, develop as leaders and inspire new ideas.
“Our core values of compassion, respect, generosity and support are central to this. They help us set the highest of standards, but in a way that nurtures and provides our community with a framework from which positive relationships can flourish.
“This award is testament to our inspiring students who always go above and beyond and the truly exceptional dedication of our staff who support our students each and every day. Together, we help to ensure our young people are given as many opportunities as possible to grasp the aspirations that they have and transform life chances.”
This comes after the school joined the Thinking Schools Academy Trust earlier this year.
The school had been threatened with having its funding agreement withdrawn when the watchdog found that its pupils felt “unsafe” after being subjected to sexist or racist comments.
The Ofsted report found school bosses had not ensured that boys understood “how to interact appropriately” with girls.
The report maintained that certain parts of the school “have become a hostile environment for some pupils”.
To find out about how other schools did in the table, head to tinyurl.com/2cebj9ux.
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