{"id":103196,"date":"2026-08-14T03:30:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T03:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/103196\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T03:30:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T03:30:22","slug":"londons-smartest-borough-where-nearly-half-of-students-get-top-a-level-grades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/103196\/","title":{"rendered":"London’s ‘smartest’ borough where nearly half of students get top A level grades"},"content":{"rendered":"

London’s ‘smartest’ borough has been unveiled – where nearly 50 per cent of students were awarded the top grades in today’s A Level results. But in first place was – Guildford in Surrey which topped the list for the local area of England with the largest percentage of A-level entries<\/a> receiving the highest grades.<\/p>\n

Some 50.0% of exam entries within the local authority this year were awarded A or A*, up from 48.8% in 2025, according to data published by Ofqual.<\/p>\n

In second place was Richmond upon Thames<\/a> in London, where 48.7% entries received A or above, followed by Cheltenham in Gloucestershire (47.7%), Tonbridge & Malling in Kent (46.4%) and Hertsmere in Hertfordshire (46.2%).<\/p>\n

Affluence is the single strongest predictor of academic success, heavily outweighing factors like geography or school choice. Data from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows that a child\u2019s family income is four times stronger as a predictor of performance than where they live.<\/p>\n

Top results for LondonRichmond upon Thames leads London with 48.7% of A-level entries receiving A or A* grades, boasting high-performing schools alongside its iconic green spaces.Kingston upon Thames takes second place in London with 45.3% top marksSutton ranks third in London with 44.5% of exam entries achieving high grades, largely anchored by its renowned secondary school infrastructure.Southwark places fourth as inner London’s highest performer at 43.8%, blending vibrant cultural hubs with exceptional sixth-form academies.Newham rounds out the top five in London with 43.2% top grades, highlighting a strong upward trajectory powered by its standout educational colleges.<\/p>\n

It comes as the gap between the proportion of A level entries in London getting the top grades and the equivalent figure in both north-east England and the East Midlands has reached a new record size. Some 32.7% of A Level<\/a> entries in the capital were awarded A or A* this year, up from 32.1% in 2025 and the highest for any region in England, the exam results show.<\/p>\n

Only one of the top 10 areas is outside southern England: Trafford in Greater Manchester, which is joint seventh on the list with 45.1%.<\/p>\n

The area with the lowest proportion of A-level entries getting an A or above this year is Harlow in Essex, on 7.0%, followed by Test Valley in Hampshire (9.9%), Hartlepool (10.5%) and Castle Point in Essex (11.8%).<\/p>\n

Here is a full list by local area of the proportion of A-level entries awarded A or A*.<\/p>\n

The list is ordered by percentage, starting with the highest, and reads from left to right: name of local authority; proportion of entries receiving A or A* in 2026; proportion (in brackets) receiving A or A* in 2025.<\/p>\n

No data has been published by Ofqual for Bolsover, Fareham, Knowsley and the Isles of Scilly, due to the low number of A-level entries.<\/p>\n

Guildford 50.0% (48.8%)Richmond upon Thames 48.7% (49.5%)Cheltenham 47.7% (49.2%)Tonbridge & Malling 46.4% (46.7%)Hertsmere 46.2% (46.3%)Kingston upon Thames 45.3% (46.4%)Mole Valley 45.1% (41.3%)Trafford 45.1% (43.9%)Sutton 44.5% (44.4%)Epsom & Ewell 44.4% (42.0%)Southwark 43.8% (44.4%)Newham 43.2% (40.8%)Haringey 43.1% (39.8%)Hammersmith & Fulham 43.0% (41.0%)East Hampshire 42.8% (38.4%)Westminster 42.7% (39.9%)Reading 41.9% (37.8%)Cambridge 41.5% (41.0%)Vale of White Horse 41.1% (39.7%)Oxford 40.8% (44.7%)Merton 40.7% (37.1%)Rutland 39.8% (41.2%)Brighton & Hove 39.6% (39.5%)Three Rivers 39.6% (34.0%)Buckinghamshire 39.3% (40.0%)Barnet 38.6% (37.3%)Tandridge 38.4% (36.4%)Winchester 37.5% (35.2%)Cheshire West & Chester 37.2% (36.9%)St Albans 37.0% (36.8%)Chelmsford 36.8% (38.1)%East Devon 36.5% (32.1%)Gloucester 36.2% (34.4%)Waverley 36.2% (37.6%)Harrow 36.0% (34.5%)Stratford-on-Avon 35.1% (36.5%)Windsor & Maidenhead 34.8% (34.7%)Tunbridge Wells 34.4% (34.2%)Lancaster 34.3% (33.2%)Kensington & Chelsea 34.0% (31.9%)Bath & North East Somerset 33.9% (31.9%)Reigate & Banstead 33.9% (32.0%)Preston 33.8% (32.1%)Watford 33.8% (34.9%)Stockport 33.7% (29.7%)Mid Sussex 33.6% (32.1%)Rugby 33.6% (36.0%)Wokingham 33.5% (33.9%)Elmbridge 33.3% (33.0%)Rushmoor 33.2% (37.2%)Wandsworth 33.1% (32.6%)Harborough 32.9% (29.3%)Brent 32.4% (32.9%)Exeter 32.4% (31.1%)Norwich 32.0% (31.4%)South Kesteven 31.9% (31.6%)Warwick 31.9% (32.7%)East Cambridgeshire 31.7% (35.6%)Slough 31.7% (30.6%)Stroud 31.6% (30.0%)Rushcliffe 31.4% (31.9%)Ealing 31.3% (30.2%)Southend-on-Sea 31.3% (32.6%)Runnymede 31.2% (31.2%)Bracknell Forest 31.1% (27.3%)Mid Devon 30.8% (27.2%)East Hertfordshire 30.7% (30.3%)Eastleigh 30.7% (27.3%)Camden 30.5% (32.1%)Manchester 30.4% (31.1%)Adur 30.3% (34.6%)Horsham 29.9% (30.4%)Wiltshire 29.8% (29.7%)Bromley 29.6% (29.8%)East Lindsey 29.5% (25.1%)Wakefield 28.9% (26.6%)West Oxfordshire 28.9% (25.8%)Dacorum 28.8% (27.0%)Surrey Heath 28.7% (31.4%)Oadby & Wigston 28.6% (28.7%)Ribble Valley 28.6% (33.9%)Sheffield 28.6% (27.4%)Durham 28.5% (26.9%)Newcastle-under-Lyme 28.5% (25.2%)St. Helens 28.5% (26.5%)Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole 28.4% (28.8%)Fylde 28.4% (27.5%)York 28.4% (33.3%)Malvern Hills 28.3% (24.0%)Shropshire 28.2% (29.2%)Bristol 28.0% (29.9%)Uttlesford 27.9% (25.8%)North Tyneside 27.7% (24.5%)Sevenoaks 27.6% (25.3%)Solihull 27.6% (25.8%)Wealden 27.6% (30.2%)West Berkshire 27.6% (29.7%)West Lindsey 27.6% (28.4%)Colchester 27.5% (28.0%)Leeds 27.5% (27.0%)Herefordshire 27.4% (22.8%)Hackney 27.3% (26.2%)South Derbyshire 27.3% (28.0%)South Hams 27.2% (24.5%)Arun 27.1% (21.9%)Lewisham 27.1% (26.3%)Somerset 27.0% (25.2%)Newcastle upon Tyne 26.9% (26.6%)Eastbourne 26.8% (30.6%)South Norfolk 26.8% (24.6%)Kirklees 26.7% (26.2%)North Yorkshire 26.7% (28.8%)Worcester 26.7% (29.1%)Ipswich 26.6% (28.0%)Spelthorne 26.5% (21.0%)Epping Forest 26.3% (25.6%)Canterbury 26.2% (26.8%)North Hertfordshire 26.2% (27.5%)Telford & Wrekin 26.2% (32.1%)Croydon 26.1% (26.4%)West Devon 25.9% (20.3%)Woking 25.7% (25.4%)Bradford 25.6% (23.0%)Birmingham 25.5% (25.6%)Kingston upon Hull 25.4% (25.4%)Rochdale 25.4% (27.0%)Wigan 25.4% (26.9%)Lambeth 25.3% (25.5%)Brentwood 25.1% (24.2%)Bromsgrove 25.1% (25.3%)North Northamptonshire 25.0% (24.7%)Hyndburn 24.8% (17.3%)Blackburn with Darwen 24.4% (22.7%)Derbyshire Dales 24.4% (26.2%)Portsmouth 24.3% (27.7%)Bedford 24.2% (23.5%)Lichfield 24.2% (18.0%)Wyre 24.2% (36.4%)Bexley 24.1% (23.2%)Maidstone 24.1% (24.9%)Gateshead 23.9% (23.6%)Gosport 23.9% (19.7%)Cornwall 23.8% (24.6%)Greenwich 23.6% (22.5%)Doncaster 23.5% (20.9%)South Oxfordshire 23.5% (21.6%)Ashford 23.4% (24.1%)Redbridge 23.4% (23.5%)Coventry 23.3% (24.2%)Enfield 23.3% (23.7%)Charnwood 23.2% (24.8%)Liverpool 23.2% (24.5%)South Cambridgeshire 23.1% (26.0%)Southampton 23.1% (20.7%)Stockton-on-Tees 23.1% (24.1%)Welwyn Hatfield 23.1% (27.0%)Darlington 23.0% (21.9%)Wirral 23.0% (24.4%)Nottingham 22.8% (23.7%)Amber Valley 22.7% (21.1%)Chesterfield 22.7% (20.7%)East Riding of Yorkshire 22.7% (20.3%)Warrington 22.7% (22.8%)Dorset 22.6% (21.0%)Erewash 22.6% (20.9%)Hinckley & Bosworth 22.6% (23.8%)West Suffolk 22.6% (18.1%)Thanet 22.5% (23.8%)Cheshire East 22.4% (23.3%)Swale 22.4% (18.2%)Hart 22.3% (32.7%)Torbay 22.3% (28.7%)Hillingdon 22.2% (22.5%)Stevenage 22.2% (22.5%)East Suffolk 22.1% (22.4%)North Devon 22.1% (23.2%)Ashfield 22.0% (21.8%)Halton 22.0% (20.6%)Huntingdonshire 22.0% (23.0%)Dover 21.9% (18.6%)Waltham Forest 21.9% (22.7%)East Staffordshire 21.8% (21.0%)Walsall 21.7% (22.7%)Hounslow 21.5% (20.8%)Medway 21.5% (21.0%)North Somerset 21.5% (20.8%)South Ribble 21.4% (22.6%)Cherwell 21.3% (20.3%)Torridge 21.2% (29.0%)West Northamptonshire 21.2% (22.2%)Calderdale 20.9% (20.3%)Plymouth 20.8% (22.4%)Broxtowe 20.7% (23.0%)Bolton 20.6% (23.8%)Gedling 20.6% (20.9%)North Norfolk 20.5% (22.0%)Bury 20.4% (20.6%)Peterborough 20.4% (19.8%)Rother 20.3% (22.5%)Melton 20.2% (20.6%)Rossendale 20.2% (26.1%)Mid Suffolk 20.1% (17.9%)Westmorland & Furness 20.1% (20.7%)Dartford 20.0% (19.7%)Dudley 20.0% (17.6%)Isle of Wight 20.0% (17.5%)West Lancashire 19.9% (14.0%)Derby 19.8% (22.1%)Stafford 19.8% (18.6%)Lincoln 19.7% (15.2%)Oldham 19.7% (20.1%)North Kesteven 19.5% (21.7%)Blackpool 19.4% (18.8%)Newark & Sherwood 19.4% (21.3%)Stoke-on-Trent 19.4% (19.4%)North East Derbyshire 19.3% (19.7%)Northumberland 19.3% (23.3%)Barking & Dagenham 19.1% (20.0%)Islington 19.1% (19.6%)Basildon 18.9% (17.9%)Lewes 18.9% (18.1%)Rotherham 18.8% (18.9%)Wolverhampton 18.8% (21.0%)Burnley 18.7% (20.1%)Broxbourne 18.6% (18.4%)Leicester 18.6% (20.3%)Maldon 18.6% (13.5%)Basingstoke & Deane 18.5% (21.8%)Cumberland 18.5% (19.5%)Folkestone & Hythe 18.5% (18.8%)South Holland 18.5% (21.6%)Pendle 18.4% (22.2%)Cotswold 18.3% (19.5%)Barnsley 18.0% (19.1%)Chichester 18.0% (17.1%)Gravesham 17.9% (18.5%)South Tyneside 17.9% (13.7%)Milton Keynes 17.8% (15.9%)Sefton 17.8% (15.5%)Central Bedfordshire 17.7% (19.2%)Chorley 17.6% (12.4%)South Gloucestershire 17.6% (17.0%)Broadland 17.5% (20.9%)Great Yarmouth 17.5% (19.8%)Havering 17.5% (14.9%)King\u2019s Lynn & West Norfolk 17.5% (15.9%)Babergh 17.3% (19.0%)Tower Hamlets 17.1% (17.0%)Worthing 17.1% (15.6%)Crawley 17.0% (18.1%)Tameside 17.0% (17.0%)Bassetlaw 16.9% (18.2%)Fenland 16.8% (19.3%)South Staffordshire 16.8% (20.1%)Redcar & Cleveland 16.6% (15.7%)Tamworth 16.5% (20.8%)Wychavon 16.4% (16.9%)Braintree 16.3% (11.4%)High Peak 16.3% (21.1%)Tewkesbury 16.0% (13.9%)Middlesbrough 15.9% (15.9%)Nuneaton & Bedworth 15.8% (14.1%)New Forest 15.7% (18.3%)North East Lincolnshire 15.4% (12.5%)North Lincolnshire 15.4% (14.1%)Forest of Dean 15.2% (17.9%)North West Leicestershire 15.0% (19.3%)Blaby 14.9% (18.6%)Hastings 14.9% (12.0%)Staffordshire Moorlands 14.8% (18.4%)North Warwickshire 14.6% (12.8%)Cannock Chase 14.4% (16.8%)Havant 14.3% (16.7%)Rochford 14.2% (19.5%)Thurrock 14.1% (13.8%)Teignbridge 14.0% (14.2%)Redditch 13.9% (8.7%)Wyre Forest 13.9% (11.7%)Breckland 13.8% (20.3%)Salford 13.6% (15.4%)Swindon 13.6% (12.9%)Sunderland 13.2% (15.0%)Mansfield 13.1% (14.2%)Sandwell 12.8% (13.1%)Boston 12.5% (15.0%)Luton 12.5% (15.3%)Tendring 12.5% (10.4%)Castle Point 11.8% (14.9%)Hartlepool 10.5% (15.0%)Test Valley 9.9% (14.6%)Harlow 7.0% (4.4%)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"London’s ‘smartest’ borough has been unveiled – where nearly 50 per cent of students were awarded the 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