This year’s summer GCSE exam season is flying by - and soon many students will be looking to the next step in their education journey.
For many, this will be moving on to the sixth form, whether it be an extension of their currently secondary school or an entirely new college, and the more challenging A Level qualifications. The grades they get in these A Levels can be important for locking down future opportunities, so it’s vital that young people attend a sixth form where they feel supported to reach their full potential.
The Government released its most up-to-date performance figures for state-funded sixth form colleges and secondary schools, covering the 2023/24 school year’s exam season, earlier this year. We’ve used this data to compare how those across the North Yorkshire and City of York council areas did, to create a league table of the area’s stand-out sixth forms.
We’ve opted to rank them by their A Level performance point scores, a unique measurement derived from exam results that gives them a score out of 60. You’ll also see the overall ‘average grades’ each school’s students achieved across their A Level entries - and we’ve only included those with a point score of at least 37 (a high B-).
We also checked that each school included had an overall Ofsted rating of ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ before this measure was dropped, or, if they’ve been inspected more recently, had at least ‘good’ grades across the board. This means that the quality of education provided, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management and student safeguarding were all found to meet or exceed government standards last time the school was inspected.
Here were the 12 state sixth forms from across North Yorkshire that hit the mark:
9. Tadcaster Grammar School
Despite what its name might suggest, this is actually a comprehensive secondary academy and sixth form - in Tadcaster. It was formerly rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 38.19 - giving it an average grade of B-. | Google
10. Skipton Girls' High School
This is a selective girls’ secondary academy and sixth form, in Skipton. It was formerly rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 37.99 - giving it an average grade of B-. | Google
11. St Aidan's and St John Fisher Associated Sixth Form
This is a combined sixth form college for students from both St Aidan's Church of England High School, and St John Fisher Catholic Academy. It is based in Harrogate. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 37.45 - giving it an average grade of B-. | Google
12. Joseph Rowntree School
Rounding out the list is Joseph Rowntree, a local authority-maintained secondary school and sixth form in New Earswick, York. It was formerly rated ‘good’ overall by Ofsted. In the 2023/24 academic year, it had an A Level point score of 37.14 - giving it an average grade of B-. | Google