Dartford Grammar, Kent named State Secondary School of the Year in the Southeast

• 
  Reigate Grammar School, Surrey crowned Parent Power National and Southeast Independent Secondary School of the Year 

• Brighton College, East Sussex sweeps Parent Power with two national and one regional award

• Dartford Grammar, Kent named State Secondary School of the Year in the Southeast

•  Dame Alice Owen’s School, Hertfordshire & St Andrew’s Catholic School, Surrey jointly win Southeast Comprehensive School of the Year

• Reading School, Berkshire is the Southeast’s State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence

• Lowbrook Academy, Berkshire wins Southeast Primary School of the Year 

The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025

The UK’s highest-achieving primary and secondary schools are revealed in the 32nd edition of The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025. Widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s top schools, the guide will be published online at 7am on Friday, December 6 and available in print in a 28-page supplement on Sunday, December 8. 

Recognised as the definitive ranking of the UK’s top primary and secondary state and independent schools, this guide remains an essential resource for parents seeking the very best in education for their children. 

The guide includes a fully searchable national database of over 2,000 schools by name, local authority, town and postcode. As well as an assessment of all academic results on a school-by-school basis, Parent Power enables parents to compare the performance of a given school with other schools in the same town, local authority or nationally. 

Helen Davies, Editor of Parent Power, said:

“The educational landscape is challenging – teacher shortages, rising student mental health issues and special educational needs and the Vat rise – but there is also so much to celebrate from the hard work of passionate and committed teachers who are finding ever more innovative and impactful ways to boost their students and give them the very best start in life. 

“As well as celebrating the academic excellence of the top schools it is fantastic to see how they are shaping their students to be ready for the 21st century.”

The Parent Power guide also features:

• Tips on how to apply for a scholarship to a top private school 
• Inside the UK’s top maths school that pupils call “Disneyland” plus a quiz 
• An investigation into smartphones and schools
• An interview with the oldest teacher in Britain, aged 82
• Is a private education worth it? How it all adds up
• 23 questions that every parent should ask to choose the right school for their child
• The homework cheats from Google Lens to ChatGPT
• Frank Cottrell-Boyce, the children’s laureate, offers expert advice on fostering a love of reading in children, and the books to read from Reception to Year 3
• One anonymous parent confesses all about just how they nabbed a primary school place 

Full list of Southeast winners:

• State Secondary School of the Year in the Southeast: Dartford Grammar, Kent
• State Secondary School of the Year in the Southeast for Academic Excellence: Reading School, Berkshire
• Joint Comprehensive School of the Year in the Southeast: Dame Alice Owen’s School, Hertfordshire & St Andrew’s Catholic School, Surrey
• Independent Secondary School of the Year in the Southeast: Reigate Grammar School, Surrey
• Independent Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence in the Southeast: Brighton College, East Sussex
• Primary School of the Year in the Southeast: Lowbrook Academy, Maidenhead, Berkshire

2025 Parent Power National Awards (state secondary schools)

• State Secondary School of the Year: King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls, Birmingham
• State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence: Henrietta Barnett School, London
• Comprehensive School of the Year: Impington Village College, Cambridgeshire
• Joint State Secondary School of the Year for A-levels: Queen Elizabeth’s School, Barnet and Henrietta Barnett School, London
• State Secondary School of the Year for GCSEs: Henrietta Barnett School, London
• International Baccalaureate State School of the Year: Ashcroft Technology Academy, London
• Sixth Form College of the Year & Sixth Form College of the Year for Academic Excellence: King’s Maths School, London
• State Faith Secondary School of the Year: Tauheedul Islam Girls’ High School and Sixth Form College, Blackburn
• State 11-16 Secondary School of the Year: Sawston Village College, Cambridgeshire

2025 Parent Power National Awards (independent secondary schools)

• Independent School of the Year: Reigate Grammar School, Surrey
• Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence: St Paul’s Girls’ School, London
• Independent Boarding School of the Year & School of the Year for A-levels: Brighton College, East Sussex
• Independent International Baccalaureate School of the Year: King’s College School, London
• Independent School of the Year for GCSEs: Westminster School, London
• Independent 11-16 Secondary School of the Year: Palmers Green High School, London

2025 Parent Power National Awards (primary schools)

• Primary School of the Year: Hampden Gurney CofE Primary School, London
• Small Primary School of the Year: Springwell School, Hartlepool

Top state secondary schools (grammar and comprehensive) in the Southeast

thetimes.com/best-schools-league-table