Ripon Grammar school is the top performing in the North

The school, which is ranked 53rd nationally, pipped Skipton Girls’ High School and Ermysted’s Grammar School, also in Skipton, to the top spot in the North.

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The results come in the 29th edition of The Sunday Times Parent Power tables which identifies the highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their examination results from 2017-19.

It is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s highest-achieving schools and shows that in the academic years of 2017-19, 78.2 per cent of Ripon Grammar School pupils achieved A-level grades A to B.

Over the same period, 63.8 per cent of Ripon pupils achieved GCSE grades of A* through to level 7.

Headmaster Jonathan Webb was delighted to see the school top the table in the North, saying: “This is a tribute to all our dedicated, hardworking students and staff who have endured one of the most demanding periods in education.

“I am proud of how, despite the restrictions and uncertainty imposed on us all due to the pandemic, they have risen to every challenge.

“After a truly difficult 18 months this will give our students and everyone who works at the school a real boost.”

He said that the school will continue to strive for excellence every day, adding: “We offer an exceptional all-round, holistic education, with music, drama and sport also thriving.

“Staff have created recently a pioneering new student development programme as now, more than ever, we need to ensure students gain the valuable skills, qualifications and experience outside the classroom which will prepare them well for life beyond school.”

Ripon Grammar School will be offering 60 new sixth form places to students from other schools in 2022 and usually welcomes up to 25 Year 12 sixth formers into boarding every year.

Boarding in sixth form at RGS is an increasingly popular option for students from all over the UK and beyond, as tuition comes free and students pay for accommodation only, making it an attractive alternative to the independent sector.

Ampleforth College in North Yorkshire

Elsewhere in North Yorkshire, Queen Ethelburga's College in York topped the list of the best achieving independent schools for for the North, with 95.2 per cent of pupils achieving A-level grades A to B.

Queen Margaret's School in York and Ampleforth College finished in eight and ninth place respectively in the top ten independent schools in the North.

Only two schools in North Yorkshire make the top ten performing primary schools in the North, with Crossley Street Primary School in Wetherby and St Peter's RC Primary School in Scarborough ranked at fifth and sixth respectively.

Primary school rankings are based on the average outcomes achieved by schools in Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) in the three years, 2017-19.

Only schools that published their results in those years or disclosed them to The Sunday Times have been included in this edition of The Sunday Times Schools Guide, which includes around 1,700 schools.

Examination outcomes from 2020 and 2021 have not been used in determining this year’s Parent Power rankings.

The top performing schools in the UK are revealed in Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2022, available online today and as a supplement with The Sunday Times on December 5.

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