Four schools across Southend have been named among the best in East Anglia as part of The Sunday Times schools guide for 2024.

The UK’s highest-achieving secondary schools have been ranked by the first true set of post-pandemic examination results in the 31st edition of The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide. 

Incredibly, eight Essex schools have been named the best state secondary schools in East Anglia.

Westcliff High School for Boys, Southend High School for Boys, and Westcliff High School for Girls have been crowned the fifth, sixth and seventh best in the region respectively with all three listed in the top 100 in the country.

Southend High School for Girls has also been hailed in the top ten list for East Anglia, coming ninth in the entire region.

Additionally, one Essex school made it among the top ten comprehensive schools and two were named among the top independent schools.

The Sunday Times guide is widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s top schools with more than 1,600 schools being able to be searched by name, local authority, town and postcode.

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. 

“This year Parent Power includes details on extracurricular clubs, wellbeing initiatives and school lunch menus – chicken katsu seems to be the dish of the day.”

Top secondary state schools (grammar and comprehensive) in East Anglia

  1. Colchester Royal Grammar School
  2. King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford
  3. Chelmsford County High School for Girls
  4. Colchester County High School for Girls
  5. Westcliff High School for Boys
  6. Southend High School for Boys
  7. Westcliff High School for Girls
  8. Impington Village College
  9. Southend High School for Girls
  10. The King's (The Cathedral) School

Top comprehensive schools in East Anglia

  1. Impington Village College
  2. Saffron Walden County High School
  3. Comberton Village College
  4. St Benedict's Catholic School, 
  5. Arthur Mellows Village College

Top independent schools in East Anglia

  1. The Perse School
  2. The Leys School
  3. Chigwell School
  4. Norwich High School for Girls GDST
  5. Stephen Perse Foundation
  6. Ipswich School
  7. Norwich School
  8. St Mary's School
  9. Woodbridge School
  10. Brentwood School