Six Bradford schools make top ten for north in Schools Guide 2022

Copthorne Primary School in inner city Bradford was celebrating the achievement, after the Parent Power guide placed it top in its latest rankings.

The Little Horton school, which caters to around 500 pupils, has an average score of 336.0 based on the SATs performance of its students over a three year period prior to the pandemic..

In fact, four primaries in the Bradford district were in the top ten rankings, with Horton Park Primary placed second, Burley and Woodhead Primary in Ilkley in third and Baildon Primary School in seventh.

Stephanie Ngenda, head of school and Christabel Shepherd, executive head teacher, said: "Everyone at Copthorne Primary School is absolutely thrilled that we have been named as the top primary school in the North of England.

"We pride ourselves on having the highest expectations and genuinely believe that there are no limits on what we can achieve together. At Copthorne Primary School, we all work incredibly hard to ensure all children have the very best education and we are supported in this by our pupils' wonderful parents and the wider community.

"Our highly skilled, inspirational and talented staff provide a creative, inclusive and challenging curriculum with Copthorne's children at its heart. This is supported with a wide variety of educational visits and trips which bring our curriculum to life. In turn, our children are extremely dedicated and conscientious, always 'aiming high'.

"As a result, they achieve the highest possible standards. We’re incredibly proud of their successes in all areas of the curriculum."

Copthorne and Horton Park schools are both part of the Exceed Academies Trust.

Duncan Jacques, chief executive officer of Exceed Academies Trust said: “We are delighted that two of our schools have been named in the Sunday Times schools guide 2022. This accolade is a wonderful achievement and would not be possible without the hard work and determination of our school leaders, staff, governors and the wider community in their relentlessness to strive for the very best for our pupils."

For the past two academic years, primary school SATs have been cancelled due to Covid, while GCSE and A-level grades have been based on teacher assessments.

So this year the highest-achieving schools in the UK are ranked using their average results from 2017 to 2019.

In addition to the success across the district at primary level, Bradford secondary schools were highlighted in both the independent and state school rankings, with Bradford Grammar School ranked third in the north among independent schools and Ilkley Grammar School ranked seventh among state secondary schools in the north.

Skipton Girls’ High School was placed second; Ermysted’s Grammar School, also in Skipton, was ranked third, and Heckmondwike Grammar School in tenth - among the top state secondary schools in the north.

The rankings in the secondary school league tables are calculated using the average percentage of examination entries in the three years, 2017-19, gaining A* to B grades at A-level and the average percentage of entries returning 9-7 or A* and A grades at GCSE.

The top performing schools in the North and across the UK are revealed in the Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2022, enabling parents to compare schools' performances.

Alastair McCall, editor of Parent Power, said: “The need for clarity about school examination performance has never been greater after two years of centre- and teacher-assessed grades, during which for completely understandable reasons, the numbers of top grades increased dramatically.

“We felt it was important to go back to the last sets of moderated public examination outcomes from 2019, 2018 and 2017 to get the most accurate and current view of school academic achievement. By taking a three-year average, we mitigated against relatively poor performance in a one-off year.

“At a time when some schools are making hard to substantiate claims of academic prowess based on outcomes from 2021 and 2020, we believe these rankings – and all the additional information on offer in Parent Power – provide parents with a more reliable guide to academic achievement in schools today.”

Click here to find the full guide.

The top 10 primary schools in the North

1. Copthorne Primary School, Bradford
2. Horton Park Primary School, Bradford
3. Burley and Woodhead C of E Primary School, Ilkley
4. Meanwood C of E Primary School, Leeds
5. Crossley Street Primary School, Wetherby
6. St Peter's RC Primary School, Scarborough
7. Baildon C of E Primary School and Nursery
8. Warmsworth Primary School, Doncaster
9. Westbrook Lane Primary School, Leeds
10. Oughtibridge Primary School, Sheffield

The top 10 independent secondary schools in the North

1. Queen Ethelburga's College, York
2. St Peter's School, York
3. Bradford Grammar School
4. The Grammar School at Leeds
5. Sheffield Girls' GDST
6. Wakefield Girls' High School
7. Hymers College, Hull
8. Queen Margaret's School, York
9. Ampleforth College, York
10. Birkdale School, Sheffield

The top 10 state secondary schools in the North

1. Ripon Grammar School
2. Skipton Girls' High School
3. Ermysted's Grammar School, Skipton
4. Fulford School, York
5. The Crossley Heath School, Halifax
6. Silverdale School, Sheffield
7. Ilkley Grammar School
8. The North Halifax Grammar School, Halifax
9. Tapton School, Sheffield
10. Heckmondwike Grammar School