Sunday Times Parent Power: Three Sheffield schools make list of North's best 10 secondary schools

Three Sheffield secondary schools have made it into the Sunday Times' Parent Power list of 'best 10 in the North' for 2024.

Although the data for which schools did the best in their exams or their Progress 8 scores is already available, the measure many parents wait for is the annual Sunday Times Parent Power Guide.

Referring to itself as "widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s top schools," the national paper uses its own ranking system based on 2023 GCSE & A-Level exam results, an analysis of its curriculum and its ethos to create its own list of the top 1,000 schools in the country.

For example, along with grades, this year's guide notes "conversations around mental health are now ingrained in the top schools".

The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2024 can be viewed from their website.

This year shows three Sheffield secondary schools - High Storrs, Silverdale School, and Tapton School - have made the best 10 list for "top state secondary schools (grammar & comprehensive) in the North.

High Storrs came 6th, Silverdale 7th and Tapton in 10th. The list also published their national rank - 201st, 2018th and 244th respectively.

And, after last year claiming the number one spot for 'Independent schools in the North', Sheffield High School for Girls this year took second place, losing out to Queen Ethelburga's College in York. Birkdale School also made an appearance and came in 8th place.

Strangely absent from the Top 10 list is Mercia School, which in November came first out of all of Sheffield's schools for its Attainment 8 scores as well as one of the top three in the whole country for its Progress 8 scores.

The guide states if a school does not appear on the Parent Power league table it is "most likely because it did not respond to our requests for its A-level and GCSE results."

Helen Davies, Editor of Parent Power, said: “The educational landscape continues to be challenging across both the state and independent sectors, and this is the first true assessment of post-pandemic exam results.

"We believe these rankings – and all the additional information on offer in Parent Power – provide parents with a more reliable guide to academic achievement in schools today. 

“The guide showcases academic excellence but also celebrates schools who may not be right at the top but are rising, innovating and helping pupils flourish. Being a teenager is hard enough, and the past few years since Covid have made life even harder.

"It is heartening to highlight the achievements of so many students and schools across the UK."