A BRADFORD school has been named the North's independent secondary school of the year.

Bradford Grammar School will be awarded the honour in Parent Power, the Sunday Times Schools Guide 2018, published later this week.

As well as taking the title, the Manningham school is also ranked second in the North for results.

The guide identifies the 2,000 highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their recent examination results, and the independent secondary school of the year award goes to a school that demonstrates good grades, improvement and other factors.

Around 83.8 per cent of exams at A-level achieved grades A*-B, up 3.4 percentage points on last year.

The school saw it best GCSE results with 73.7 per cent of entries receiving A*/A grades, compared to 71.1 per cent in 2016.

Alastair McCall, editor of Parent Power, said: “Bradford Grammar is in a good place, combining strong academic performance with a caring culture that encourages all students to excel in their chosen field, both within and outwith the classroom.

“The school explicitly puts pupils’ happiness at the centre of what it does. In an age of growing fears about the pressures put on children to succeed, this enlightened approach helps BGS stand out from the crowd. It’s a deserving winner of our award.”

Head Simon Hinchcliffe said: "Naturally, we are all thrilled that the hard work and achievements of our students have been recognised in such a special way. League tables of any kind do not tell families everything they need to know about an extraordinary school like Bradford Grammar, but it is wonderful to receive such a prestigious accolade nonetheless.

"This is great news for BGS and for Bradford. It also shows what can be achieved when students, teachers and families work together and pull in the same direction. Learning is enjoyable and enriching at Bradford Grammar School and this is why our young people thrive.”

Queen Ethelburga’s College, in York, topped the regional independent rankings and jumped 21 places in this year’s national league table thanks to improved GCSE results.

Six local schools also make up the guide's top ten state secondary schools in the North.

Skipton Girls' High School comes second in the table, followed by Ermysted's Grammar School in Skipton in third place. Ilkley Grammar School is fourth followed by Halifax schools The Crossley Heath School and North Halifax Grammar School in fifth and sixth places. Heckmondwike Grammar School is tenth.