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QE is the country’s top-ranked state boys’ school for its GCSE results, according to The Times newspaper.

The School has also drawn national media attention for the exceptional performance of 14 boys who achieved a clean sweep of the new top grade of 9 across Mathematics, English Language and English Literature. Both 8 and 9 are deemed equivalent to the previous A* grade in these subjects.

Since announcing its results, QE has been contacted by, or featured in, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian and Daily Mail and has also received extensive local media coverage.

Many journalists focused on the new-style GCSEs for English and Mathematics, which feature new course content as well as the 1–9 grading system, and both The Times and the Telegraph quoted Headmaster Neil Enright on this. “Our boys have taken this challenge in their stride and I am thrilled that so many have achieved the highest possible outcome,” he told the Telegraph.

The Telegraph noted that the number of pupils receiving the top GCSE mark is expected to be cut in half by the new system, and across the country, examinations regulator Ofqual estimates that only 2,000 pupils have achieved 9s in all three of the new GCSEs.

Of the 14 boys who did so at QE, 9 also achieved straight A* grades across all their other subjects.

Mr Enright told The Times that GCSE grades are likely to become of increasing importance for university entrance, since fewer pupils nationally are taking AS levels, which no longer contribute to A-level grades and are a stand-alone qualification.

QE’s results this year constitute a new record for the School, with 69.8% of all examinations taken awarded the top grades – grades 8 and 9 for English and Mathematics, or grade A* for all other subjects – thus beating the 2015 A* figure of 69.6%.

All 181 pupils in Year 11 achieved grades 7-9 (equivalent to A*-A) in Mathematics, with 96% achieving grades 8 or 9 and 70% gaining a 9.

The Times placed QE in third position overall among state schools for its GCSE results, behind two girls’ schools, The Henrietta Barnett School and The Tiffin Girls’ School.

QE pupil Rahul Doshi has been named Child Genius 2017 after seeing off his young rivals in the national Channel 4 show of the same name.

Rahul, who goes into Year 8 next month, took the title after six days of competition by beating another boy, nine-year-old Ronan, in a quickfire buzzer round. As quizmaster Richard Osman read out the question: “In which artistic brotherhood were William Holman Hunt and John Everett…?” Rahul interrupted with his buzzer to give the correct answer: “Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood”, thereby taking his total to a winning 10 points.

In the show, Rahul was originally pitted against 19 other contestants, aged eight to 12, who were gradually whittled down to just five – four boys and a girl – for the final, and then only two – Rahul and Ronan – for the last round.

His performance on one of the programmes earlier in the week had generated headlines of its own when he correctly answered all 14 questions he was asked. He impressed Richard Osman by achieving full marks in a spelling test – knowing words such as accouchement and hyponatraemia (low level of sodium in the blood) – and by general knowledge answers to questions such as “What is the scientific name for apricot?” (answer: prunus armeniaca).

Rahul has an IQ of 162, which, at the age of 12, already qualifies him to be a member of Mensa and places his figure in the same bracket as the estimated scores of Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “My congratulations go to Rahul and his family: this was an excellent result for him, which was the result both of Rahul’s great natural ability and of his very careful preparation.”

Rahul was mentored by his father, Mr Minesh Doshi, who is an IT manager. Both Mr Doshi and Rahul’s mother, Komal, were interviewed by the Child Genius programme-makers.

Earlier in the week of the programme, before the final was screened, Rahul spoke to interviewer Christine Lampard on the ITV morning show, Lorraine. He said: “The key is to block out everything else and remain calm. So just focus on your goal. Mine was to answer as many questions as I could correctly and that helped me stay calm and do quite well in the early stages.”

Asked what he wants to do when he grows up, he added: “I want to do something with maths because I really love maths, maybe be a financial advisor or something like that.

“I like to also help others as well, because I want to use my talents wisely. It’s not good to be selfish, you should help others as well.”