The Telegraph Ranks Six Top Secondary Schools in North London 2026

Key Points

• Regional representation: Six secondary schools located in north or east London have been ranked among the top 100 state secondary schools in the United Kingdom in a new league table compiled by The Telegraph.
• Assessment criteria: The ranking evaluates schools against nine separate criteria—measuring academic, behavioural, and organisational performance—out of a maximum score of 40, based on the latest GCSE results.
• Rating categories: Each school is classified as “very good”, “good”, “fair”, “below average”, or “poor” depending on how it compares to the national average.
• Third place nationally: Dame Alice Owen’s School in Potters Bar placed third overall in the UK with a maximum score of 40/40, with 67.5 per cent of pupils achieving grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics GCSEs.
• Fourth place nationally: The Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb secured fourth place with a 39/40 score and 100 per cent of pupils attaining grade 7 or above in English and mathematics.
• Fifth place nationally: Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet ranked fifth in the country with a 39/40 “very good” rating, with 96.9 per cent of students reaching grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics.
• Eighth place nationally: The Latymer School in Edmonton finished eighth with a 39/40 “very good” rating, seeing 86.8 per cent of pupils achieve grade 7 or above in English and mathematics.
• Eighty-first place nationally: Mossbourne Community Academy in Clapton, Hackney, ranked 81st with a 37/40 “very good” rating and 47 per cent of pupils achieving grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics.
• Ninety-ninth place nationally: Michaela Community School in Wembley Park placed 99th with a 36/40 “very good” rating, where 82 per cent of pupils achieved grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics.

Hampstead (North London News) November 12, 2026 – Six secondary schools situated in north and east London have been placed among the top 100 state secondary schools across the United Kingdom following a national analysis of the latest GCSE examination results by The Telegraph.

As reported by Bridget Galton, Features Editor and Associate Editor of the Brent & Kilburn Times, Ham & High, and Hackney Gazette, the national newspaper evaluated secondary schools across nine distinct metrics to produce a ranking out of a maximum score of 40. These criteria measure academic achievement alongside behavioural and organisational performance. Following the evaluation, each school is assigned a rating of “very good”, “good”, “fair”, “below average”, or “poor” relative to the national average across England and the wider UK.

How Did Dame Alice Owen’s School and The Henrietta Barnett School Perform?

As reported by Bridget Galton of the Hackney Gazette, Dame Alice Owen’s School in Potters Bar achieved third place in the United Kingdom, securing a maximum score of 40 out of 40. The partially selective secondary school—which originally operated in Islington for 360 years before relocating to Hertfordshire—serves pupils from Barnet, Enfield, Hertfordshire, and Islington. In the latest GCSE cycle, 67.5 per cent of pupils at Dame Alice Owen’s School gained a grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics.

The Henrietta Barnett School in Hampstead Garden Suburb ranked immediately behind it in fourth place nationally. According to the report by Bridget Galton in the Brent & Kilburn Times, the highly selective state girls’ grammar school received a score of 39 out of 40, with 100 per cent of its pupils achieving a grade 7 or higher in both English and mathematics GCSEs.

What Scores Did Queen Elizabeth’s School and The Latymer School Achieve?

Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet placed fifth in The Telegraph‘s UK-wide ranking. As reported by Bridget Galton of the Ham & High, the highly selective Barnet grammar school—which also recently received a positive inspection report from Ofsted—earned a score of 39 out of 40 and a “very good” rating, with 96.9 per cent of pupils attaining a grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics GCSEs.

In eighth place nationally was The Latymer School in Edmonton. As reported by Bridget Galton of the Hackney Gazette, the selective grammar school recorded a score of 39 out of 40 alongside a “very good” rating, with 86.8 per cent of students achieving grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics.

Which Non-Selective London Schools Made the Top 100 List?

Two non-selective secondary schools in east and north-west London also featured within the top 100:

• Mossbourne Community Academy: Located on Downs Park Road in Clapton, Hackney, the non-selective secondary school placed 81st in the national table. As reported by Bridget Galton of the Hackney Gazette, the academy scored 37 out of 40 with a “very good” rating, and 47 per cent of its pupils achieved a grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics GCSEs.
• Michaela Community School: Situated in Wembley Park, the non-selective school ranked 99th overall. As reported by Bridget Galton of the Brent & Kilburn Times, Michaela Community School—which opened in 2014 and is led by co-founder and headmistress Katharine Birbalsingh—achieved a score of 36 out of 40 and a “very good” rating, with 82 per cent of pupils obtaining a grade 7 or higher in English and mathematics GCSEs.

Background of the Development

Secondary school league tables in the United Kingdom serve as annual benchmarks comparing institutional performance following the publication of provisional GCSE data by the Department for Education each autumn. While standard government tables primarily measure metrics such as Attainment 8—the average score across eight core subjects—and the percentage of pupils achieving strong passes (grades 9 to 5 or 9 to 7) in English and mathematics, newspaper rankings frequently combine exam outcomes with wider institutional indicators.

North London and its surrounding borders have historically maintained a high concentration of selective and partially selective state schools—including Queen Elizabeth’s School, The Henrietta Barnett School, The Latymer School, and Dame Alice Owen’s School—alongside high-performing non-selective academies founded in the 2000s and 2010s, such as Mossbourne Community Academy and Michaela Community School. These institutions regularly appear near the top of national state school performance tables due to sustained GCSE and A-level outcomes.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect Prospective Pupils and Parents

For parents, carers, and Year 6 pupils residing in north and east London, as well as neighbouring Hertfordshire boroughs, the publication of The Telegraph‘s league table is likely to reinforce high application volumes for the six named schools during the secondary school admissions cycle. Because four of the top eight schools nationally are concentrated within or immediately adjacent to north London, competition for places—both through 11-plus entrance examinations at selective grammar schools and through distance-based catchment criteria at non-selective academies—will remain acute. Additionally, the inclusion of non-selective schools such as Mossbourne Community Academy and Michaela Community School alongside selective grammar schools provides families without access to selective places with clear empirical data when evaluating local state comprehensive options.