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QE is the country’s top boys’ state school for GCSEs, according to The Times, and its A-level results were better than any 11-18 independent school, a table published in the Daily Telegraph reveals.

The Times ranked schools according to the proportion of top grades achieved, taking account both of the percentage of grades 9 & 8 achieved (both deemed equivalent to an A* under the old system) and the percentage of grades 9,8 & 7 (A* and A equivalents).

QE’s 78% for 9 & 8 grades put it ahead of the next-placed state school, Colchester County High School for Girls, on 72% and only slightly behind the top-placed state school, The Tiffin Girls’ School, on 79.4%.

The Telegraph published a table compiled by the Independent Schools Council (ISC) which ranks schools with more than ten A-level candidates by the proportion of A* and A grades achieved by their Year 13 pupils in last week’s results. Of the 304 independent schools across England and Wales who released their results to the ISC, only a specialist private post-16 provider – Cardiff Sixth Form College – bettered QE’s total of 84.7%.

The Times also published its own league table based on A-level results. In this, QE vied with Wilson’s School in Sutton for the spot as the country’s top state school: QE had a clear lead in terms of the proportion of A* grades achieved (45.2% to 38%), while Wilson’s was marginally ahead in the percentage of grades at A*–B (96.8% against 96.7%) – the main measure used in compiling the table. [Subsequently, QE’s figures have risen to 46.9% A* and 97.3% A*-B.]

Overall, QE was in fourth place in The Times’ A-level league table, behind Wilson’s and two independent schools (Brighton College and City of London School for Girls) – up from 13th place last year.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It is encouraging to receive this independent corroboration of the outstanding performance of our boys at both GCSE and A-level. A small number of independent schools were listed with slightly higher GCSE figures than QE, although many of their pupils sat IGCSEs, whereas state schools such as QE have had to make the transition to the reformed, more rigorous new GCSEs.

Mr Enright added: “Although I am delighted by the performance of our boys this summer, it should be recognised that the QE experience is about much more than examination results, important though these are. We seek to ensure the rounded development of all our boys, and their happiness and wellbeing are of paramount importance to us.

“Our academic focus, therefore, extends well beyond examination syllabuses in that we encourage boys to pursue their intellectual interests, nurturing an environment of free-thinking scholarship. We also strongly encourage all pupils to find fulfilment in their free time by engaging in our wide range of stimulating extra-curricular activities.”

• This story was updated on 25th August to include information about the league table published in the Daily Telegraph.

Well over three out of every four GCSEs sat at QE this summer achieved the top grade – a new School record. Of the 1,817 examinations taken, 78% were awarded A* or 8–9 (the numerical equivalent of A* for the new-style GCSEs).

The total represents a 6.9% leap from last year’s 71.1%, which was itself a QE record.

After last year’s national introduction of new-style English and Mathematics GCSEs marked on a 9–1 scale, 2018 saw the reforms extended to many more subjects: all but three of the 19 GCSEs offered at QE this year followed the new format.

QE’s results demonstrate strong academic achievement across the board, with 92.2% of examinations given an A* or A (9–7) grade and 100% of the 180 Year 11 boys gaining the Government’s benchmark of at least five GCSEs including English and Mathematics at grades A*–C (9–4). In Mathematics, 76% of boys gained the highest-possible result, a grade 9 – equivalent to an upper-end A*.

In total there were 970 grade 9s achieved by the boys, averaging over five per student.

There were also many outstanding individual performances: 15 boys (some 8% of candidates) gained straight grade 9s in all their new-style GCSEs, while a quarter of QE’s boys recorded all 9s and 8s (A* equivalent).

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My warmest congratulations go to all our boys on breaking through the 75% threshold with a truly remarkable set of results. This Year 11 was a happy year group who were great to teach; we are looking forward to welcoming them into the Sixth Form. Their results are the reward for many months of consistent hard work both on their part and on that of their teachers, who have adapted their teaching splendidly in response to the changes.”

“The introduction of a new grade 9 has provided our very able boys with a harder, more ambitious target to aim at – and they have relished this additional challenge.”

Analysis of QE’s results for the new-style GCSEs reveals some remarkable figures for individual subjects. For example, 100% of Latin candidates gained a grade 9. For Mathematics, it was the second year of the new qualification. Last year, 71% of boys achieved the highest-possible score, grade 9, but this year the total has risen still further, to 76%.

The GCSE results add to the celebratory atmosphere at QE that followed last week’s announcement of A-level results that included a record number of A* grades.

Highlights of this year’s GCSE results include:

• 78% of all examinations taken were awarded A* or 8–9
• 92.2% of examinations were given A* or A (9–7)
• 970 grade 9s were awarded in the reformed courses
• 15 boys achieved a clean sweep of 9s
• 100% of Latin candidates achieved grade 9
• 76% of boys gaining grade 9 in Mathematics, which was taken by all 180 boys
• 100% of pupils achieved the Government’s measure of five A*-C passes (or equivalents) for five GCSEs, including English and Mathematics.

Sixth-formers at QE achieved the School’s highest-ever total of the very top A-level grade – crowning an unbroken 13-year record of performance at the highest level.

Of the 482 A-levels taken, 46.9% were awarded A* – easily outstripping the previous record of 42.2% set in 2015.

Further analysis of QE’s results reveals that there is strength in depth, too: this is the 13th consecutive year in which the benchmark figure for the proportion of examinations awarded A*–B grades has topped 95%. The 2018 figure of 97.3% improves further on last year’s 96.0%.

Twenty-eight leavers have received offers from Oxford and Cambridge this year, while over the previous five years 144 boys from QE won Oxbridge places. The overwhelming majority of QE boys – more than 90% in 2017 – secure places at Russell Group universities, while a small but growing number have headed to Ivy League colleges in the US.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Our boys have exceeded even our own expectations and I am absolutely delighted by these results, especially given the national context.

“To put our boys’ achievement in perspective, it is frequently noted that when major changes to examination systems are introduced, there is typically a dip in performance. This is often explained by the fact that teachers cannot use previous teaching materials and that there are no past papers for pupils to use in their preparation.

“The fact that there has been no such dip at QE – in fact, quite the contrary – is testament both to the boys’ exceptional efforts and to the dedication of our staff in preparing teaching and learning materials of the very highest order to make sure that the pupils did not lose out, despite their being ‘guinea pigs’ for the new system.

“There has also been speculation in the press that the introduction of these changes – which involve much greater emphasis on performance in examinations, rather than in coursework – would result in boys doing well at the top end. That has certainly been the case here.”

Professor Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at the University of Buckingham, recently told the Times Educational Supplement that this year’s significant increase in the number of unconditional offers from universities could damp down top A-level pass rates.

Mr Enright explained why there had been no such effect at QE. “Our advice to the boys – which has indeed been the approach they have taken – has been that they should go for their optimal university place and not be swayed by any unconditional offers they may have received.

“We have urged on them the importance of understanding that their A-level results reflect their ability and hard work over the seven years they are at the School. They are also aware of the evidence concerning the most prestigious graduate jobs – that A-level outcomes are one of the first things that future employers will look at when considering applicants. In short, we believe that A-level performance remains absolutely critical.”

The Headmaster also welcomed recent indications that Ofsted will be placing a greater focus on the overall educational experience provided by schools, with a concomitant reduction of emphasis purely on examination results.

“At QE, although we regularly appear at or near the top of examination-based league tables, we emphatically do not want either Ofsted or the families of prospective pupils to judge the School by A-level or GCSE grades alone. The very strong results of our boys at A-level should be seen as a by-product of the whole QE experience, rather than the sole purpose of an education here.

“That experience includes, of course, high-quality opportunities in fields such as sport, music and drama. But also important is the spirit of scholarship that prevails at QE – the electric atmosphere generated by the presence of so many bright and ambitious people, both boys and their teachers, all working to cultivate habits of independent learning and deep academic curiosity.”

QE’s Year 13 pupils sat A-levels in 16 subjects this year, including a full range of the sciences and humanities. The most popular were Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Economics – taken by 116, 58, 48 and 46 boys respectively – while this year saw increases in the numbers taking French and German A-levels.

The School’s Year 12 boys also performed strongly at AS-level: the proportion of top grades (A) was up from 75.3% in 2017 to 79.7%, while the A-B figure also rose, from 91.5% to 92.8%.

Queen Elizabeth’s School has been listed as the country’s top boys’ grammar in a new Daily Telegraph league table based on GCSE results and the progress made by pupils since primary school.

The listing of academically selective schools – in which QE was placed third overall – is based on educational data and examination results from 2017.

In her report on the table’s top ten schools, journalist Sophie Inge wrote of QE that it is “consistently placed at or near the very top of the national league tables”, adding that “far from being an ‘exam factory’, it encourages pupils to follow their passions”. She also noted that all sixth-formers are required to carry out voluntary service.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “I am very pleased to see the achievements of our boys and their teachers recognised in this table.

“It is sometimes claimed that grammar schools’ apparent academic successes are illusory because they achieve them by merely ‘creaming off’ the brightest children and then relying on their innate ability. For QE, this table gives the lie to that accusation, demonstrating that our boys are successfully stretched and challenged to fulfil their potential.”

The grammar school table combined two measures of pupil performance.

Firstly, it took into account the percentage achieving five or more GCSEs graded A*–C (or 9–4, under the new marking system). All of the top ten schools achieved 100% by this measure.

Secondly, the newspaper looked at the Department for Education’s Progress 8 measure, which records the progress made by children between the end of primary school and their GCSE results. Recently updated to take account of the new-style GCSEs, Progress 8 is often described as a measure of the ‘value added’ by schools.

QE achieved a Progress 8 score of 1.16, placing it narrowly behind The Tiffin Girls’ School in Kingston upon Thames and Upton Court Grammar School, a co-educational school in Slough, and ahead of Nonsuch High School for Girls in Sutton. There were no other north London schools besides QE in the top ten.

Queen Elizabeth’s School has been named the best boys’ school in the country in a guide which aims to give a more complete picture than league tables based only on examinations.

The Real Schools Guide seeks to give parents a good idea of which schools will help their child prosper, regardless of their background. It uses a wide range of measures including GCSE results, but also: pupil-teacher ratios; the proportion of leavers going into further or higher education and jobs, and the Government’s Progress 8 measure, which quantifies the progress children make between the end of primary school and their GCSE results.

Overall, QE came third in the guide’s 2018 list of top schools, which is headed by Wembley High Technology College, Brent, with Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School in Blackburn, Lancashire, in second place. The rest of the top ten is dominated by grammar schools in the South East, including Wilson’s School in Sutton and The Tiffin Girls’ School, Kingston upon Thames.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “While our School always appears at or near the top of national league tables based purely on examination results, I am very pleased to see QE faring equally well in this guide based on a more holistic look at what schools do. As a selective school, we naturally have a very bright intake of pupils, but, as the Real Schools Guide shows, we then effectively challenge and stretch those boys so that they make the most of their potential.”

“It is interesting to note the prevalence of our fellow grammar schools in the top ten,” Mr Enright added.

Compiled by researchers from the data unit of Reach plc (the newspaper group formerly known as Trinity Mirror), the guide is based on a rating system using some 50 different measures, put together from the latest publicly available data and broken into four categories; attainment, progress, attendance, and outcomes.

Now in its sixth year, the Real Schools Guide has been praised by ministers and education experts alike. Former Schools Minister David Laws called it “public-service journalism in the best tradition”.

QE’s high-achieving pupils should be ready to “take up the challenge of [the] considerable and fundamental long-term challenges that we face as a society”, Headmaster Neil Enright urged at the 2018 Senior Awards Ceremony.

Parents and award-winners joined dignitaries, staff and friends of the School for the foremost awards event of the academic year, during which almost 150 prizes were presented to boys from Years 10–13 in the School Hall. The Guest of Honour was Professor Louise Richardson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Speaking to the award-winners, the Headmaster listed issues such as climate change, inter-generational fairness, protecting the rule of law and the rights of citizens in an age of digital and social media; the risks and opportunities arising from automation and artificial intelligence and the need to reshape public services to respond to demographic pressures. Distinguished visiting speakers, including Old Elizabethans, had addressed these and other issues over the course of the past year.

“But the answers are far from settled and there are big debates to come,” the Headmaster added. “We want you to be equipped and emboldened to actively participate in these discussions; to make your contribution to wider society, when you are ready, as leaders of your generation.”

The evening, which is sponsored by QE’s Foundation Trustees, featured contributions from some of the School’s leading senior musicians, including pieces by Bach, Brahms and Shostakovich.

The dignitaries included the Mayor of the Borough of Barnet, Councillor Brian Salinger, and the Mayoress Kate Salinger.

In addition to the comprehensive range of prizes for academic subjects, there were also many awards for boys who have excelled in extra-curricular fields such as sports, chess, the Combined Cadet Force and drama, as well as for those who have given outstanding commitment and service to the School and to society.

In his address, the Headmaster alluded to the diversity of backgrounds among QE pupils, stating that this, and their ability, placed them in a strong position to lead, if allied with the free-thinking scholarship and skills of articulation and oracy that the School seeks to nurture.

For her part, Professor Richardson told her own inspiring story of growing up in a large Irish Catholic family, where, as a girl, the expectation was that she would either become a nun or get married and be a good wife. She became the first in her family not only to go to university but even to finish school. In her choice of institution, she again broke the mould choosing the (largely) protestant Trinity College Dublin over the predominantly Catholic University College Dublin.

She opted for Trinity because it was the more renowned university, and she encouraged boys to aim for the most highly regarded institution that was within their academic scope – adding that the place was often more important that the course in terms of future prospects and opportunities.

At Trinity, she studied History, against the wishes of her mother who would have rather she had read Law. She advised boys to study what interests them, what they love and enjoy, because “work will then not feel like work”. She had been advised by her boss in the late 1990s to give up on researching about terrorism – it was “too niche”, he advised. Then, following the events of September 11, 2001, suddenly everyone was interested in her work and in the field. She was fortunate that what she loved researching was what people wanted to know about, but she would still have been happy even if it had not gained such widespread attention as an issue, she told the audience.

She explained to the boys that they need not have everything planned out – she would never have imagined being a university vice-chancellor, least of all at somewhere like the University of Oxford.

She spoke of the value of education and the amazing opportunities that it provides, encouraging the boys to learn about other people, how they think about things, and to try to see things from their perspective. Homing in on the awards evening, she encouraged boys to see the evening from their parents’ perspective and appreciate what a proud and important occasion it was for them too.  She added: “I work in education because I am an optimist; and I am an optimist because I work in education.”

The Mayor spoke of his pride both in the education on offer in Barnet and at the diversity of the borough’s population, one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse places in the country. He reminded boys to enjoy their time at school and the opportunities it afforded them. Cllr Salinger announced that the completion of his mayoral year in May would be the end of his 36 years as a councillor.

In his vote of thanks, School Captain Aashish Khimasia, of Year 12, said that Professor Richardson’s achievements provided a “very obvious template” for maintaining high aspirations and for making a contribution to society, and he likened this to the inspiration provided by the School staff, echoing the sentiments of the Headmaster’s speech. “…We are encouraged to understand and not be threatened by the problems in our society, facing up to them in the futures that we envisage, be that as doctor, lawyer, engineer, teacher or in any of the great careers in front of us,” he said. “What is truly important is not just to excel at a career, but to use it to make a difference to the people and the world around you.”

Director of Music Cheryl Horne directed a 13-strong ensemble who began and ended the formal part of the evening with a Processional and a Recessional of her own composition. In addition, the ceremony was punctuated by musical interludes performed by boys from the senior years. Year 10’s Joshua Wong and Reza Sair performed Largo ma non tanto from J S Bach’s Double Violin Concerto in D Minor. From Year 11, clarinettist Bhiramah Rammanohar played the Allegro amabile from Brahm’s Sonata in E flat. Year 13’s Joshua Wong and Tai Oyama, of Year 11, gave their rendition of Shostakovich’s Prelude for Two Cellos after the presentation of the Sixth Form awards.

All guests were invited by the Headmaster to enjoy refreshments together in the Shearly Hall after the ceremony.