A List of Top Ranking Grammar Schools in England
There are currently over 160 state-operated grammar schools in England. Their ratings tend to vary greatly from one source to another (depending on the criteria used) and from year to year. Below is an up-to-date list of top ranking grammar schools in England that appear in the majority of the most trusted and recognised lists (please note that the schools are listed in no particular order):
-
Colchester County High School for Girls, Colchester (Essex). Consistently ranking high in the majority of ‘top lists’, the Colchester County High School for Girls is a selective grammar school for girls. Founded in 1909, the school is also famous for being among the first to be recognised as a Science Specialist School.
-
Colyton Grammar School, Colyford (East Devon). Also ranked very high this year is the Colyton Grammar School in Colyford. It was established in 1546 as a boys’ school but since 1913, it has been open for girls as well. The grammar school currently has slightly over 800 students.
-
King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford (Essex). This grammar school (with a status of an academy) is also very proud of its rich history which dates back to 1551. But it is also very proud of its ratings as it has consistently been listed to all relevant lists of top performing grammar schools in England.
-
Colchester Royal Grammar School, Colchester (Essex). The town of Colchester doesn’t have only one but two top raking grammar schools. Between 2006 and 2014, the Colchester Royal Grammar School was the No. 1 in A-Level results. Six times! The school traces its origins back to 1206 but it was re-founded twice: first in 1539 and the second time in 1584.
-
Pate’s Grammar School, Cheltenham (Gloucestershire). Another top ranking grammar school with nearly 450-year-long history was founded in 1574 by Corpus Christi College, Oxford. It was established on a property and money endowed by Richard Pate (1516-1588) who served as MP for Gloucester in 1559 and from 1563 to 1567. In 1986, it became co-educational.
-
King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys, Birmingham (West Midlands). Declared ‘The State-Run School of the Year’ by The Sunday Times in 2006, the King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys in Birmingham was established in 1883. It was originally located at Camp Hill but it moved to the present-day location at Kings Heath Park in the mid-1950s.