Three Birmingham schools among England's top 20 for GCSE results

Three Birmingham schools are among the 20 best in England for GCSE results, according to new league tables from the Department for Education.

The tables rank schools by the proportion of pupils who achieve top grades. One Birmingham school recorded a perfect score on both of the main measures.

A perfect record

Heritage Academy was one of only 12 secondary schools in the country where every pupil achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths and passed at least five GCSEs. Grade 5 is regarded as a "strong pass" under the numbered grading system, and is the benchmark often used to judge schools.

Two more Birmingham schools made the national top 20: King Edward VI Handsworth School and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls, both of them among the most sought-after schools in the city. Both came very close to a perfect record on the two measures.

At King Edward VI Handsworth, 99.5 per cent of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths, and every pupil passed at least five GCSEs. At Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls, the figure for grade 5 or above in English and maths was 99.4 per cent, and again every pupil passed at least five GCSEs.

Selective schools dominate

As in previous years, the top of the table was dominated by private and grammar schools, which select pupils by ability. King Edward VI Handsworth and Sutton Coldfield Grammar School for Girls are both selective grammar schools, and places are awarded through the 11-plus entrance test.

Raw results tables like these reflect the ability of the pupils a school takes in as well as how well it teaches them. The government also publishes a separate measure, called Progress 8, which compares pupils' results with those of children nationally who had similar results at the end of primary school, and many families look at both when comparing schools.

Applications close soon

The figures were published shortly before the deadline for families to apply for secondary school places for September next year, which closes on 31 October. Parents in Birmingham apply through the city council's admissions service, and can list several preferences.

Families are advised to use all their preferences and to include at least one school where their child has a realistic chance of a place, as the most popular schools are heavily oversubscribed. Places at grammar schools depend on the results of the 11-plus test.

Offers of secondary school places are made on national offer day, 1 March. Families who miss the deadline can still apply, but late applications are considered only after all those made on time.

The full league tables, including results for every school in the city, are published on the government's Compare School Performance website.