ESSEX grammar schools have continued to prove they are top of the class, both in the region, and nationally.

The Sunday Times’s table of the top state schools, based on GCSE and A-level results, shows all but one of the top ten secondaries in East Anglia are in Essex.

The highest-ranking was Colchester Royal Grammar School, which also came ninth nationally. It saw 91.5 per cent of A-level pupils getting A* to B grades and 86.6 per cent of GCSE pupils with A* or A grades.

Headteacher Ken Jenkinson said: “The newspapers vary in the criteria they use to rank schools, so we will not know until the Department for Education tables are published in January what the official school placing is.

“To be ranked in the top ten nationally on the basis of the GCSE and A-level results by the Sunday Times is an achievement we are extremely proud of. The pupils and their teachers deserve great credit for their commitment to excellence.”

Second, third and fourth place were taken by King Edward VI Grammar School, in Chelmsford, Chelmsford County High School for Girls and Colchester County High School for Girls, respectively.

The next best performer was Westcliff High School for Boys, which was ranked fifth in East Anglia and 51st nationally.

Westcliff High School for Boys headteacher Andrew Baker said: “We had a year of exceptional public examination results, which explains our good grading, and I congratulate all staff and pupils.

“Such tables do, naturally, reflect the strength of grammar school representation in a given area. We take a very broad band of abilities and, in that respect, the achievements of Southend and the success across all four schools is remarkable.

“At our school we make every effort to try to make sure all pupils have the opportunity to come to the school, with our Gifted and Talented programme, which is going very well.”

Southend High School for Boys was sixth, followed by Southend High School for Girls.

Westcliff High School for Girls was also in the top 100.

The Sunday Times Parent Power is available by visiting www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/ parentpower. It has details of 2,000 top state and independent schools.

Included in the top ten state primary schools in East Anglia were Woodville Primary School, South Woodham Ferrers; St Peter’s Primary School, Brentwood; Hamilton Primary School; Colchester, and Tendring Primary School, Clacton.