Ealing Sixth Formers Deliver Another Year of Strong Performances

New records set at St. Benedict's and Greenford High

Sixth formers at St. Benedict's after receiving their results.
Sixth formers at St. Benedict's after receiving their results. Picture: St. Benedict's School

August 13, 2026

Sixth Formers across Ealing are celebrating one of their strongest A Level years on record, with schools across the borough reporting exceptional outcomes, record-breaking performances and an impressive range of university destinations this Thursday (13 August). From high-performing independent schools to large comprehensive sixth forms, students have achieved results that surpass pre-pandemic benchmarks and reflect years of determination, ambition and expert teaching.

Across the borough, schools have highlighted not only academic excellence but also the resilience, character and community spirit shown by the Class of 2026—many of whom began their Sixth Form studies still feeling the aftershocks of disrupted GCSE years.

St Benedict’s School has announced its strongest A Level results in the school’s history, excluding the Covid assessment years. Among the 114 Upper Sixth students, more than 350 A Levels were sat, with 53% graded A or A* and 82% awarded A*, A or B.

The school reports that the “vast majority” of students secured their preferred university destinations, including places at Oxford, St Andrews, King’s College London, LSE, Durham, Bristol, Warwick, Manchester and Bath.

Standout achievements include:

  • Lydia R – A*A A A, Medicine at King’s College London
  • Zach P – A* A* A*, Economics at Bristol
  • Evie S – A* A* A* A, Economics at Warwick
  • Adam AC – A* A* A, Economics at Manchester
  • Ruby S – A* A* A*, Management with Marketing at Bath
  • Jake B – A* A* A A, Mathematics at St Andrews
  • Nicolae D – A*A A, Classical Archaeology & Ancient History at Oxford
  • Lettie S – A* A* A*, Design at Loughborough
  • Aidan T – A* A* A, Psychology at LSE
  • Maria S – A*A A, PPE at Durham
  • Zac B – A* A* A* B, Automotive Engineering at Warwick

Students praised the school’s support and teaching culture, with many expressing gratitude for personalised guidance and encouragement.

Headmaster Joe Smith said the results represent “the school’s best-ever A Level results, excluding the Covid years,” adding:

“I want to pay tribute to this remarkable year group… Everyone involved deserves to celebrate today.”

Director of Sixth Form Alex Heald highlighted the cohort’s “commitment to supporting one another and contributing so positively to school life.”

Greenford High School reported its strongest Post-16 results to date, with:

  • 33% A*–A
  • 60% A*–B
  • 236 students sitting exams

Exceptional individual achievements include:

  • Vashaani Rajesegaram – 4 A*
  • Ayuub Ali, Kareem Marey, Mohammad Qadri, Tanvi Sharma, Krianshu Yadav – 3 A* each

A long list of students achieved A*–A across all subjects, reflecting the school’s academic strength across its large cohort.

Subject highlights include:

  • Maths – nearly 50% A*–A
  • Further Maths – 71% A*–A
  • Computing – 40% A*–A
  • History – 42% A*–A
  • Physics – over one-third A*–A

BTEC results were also exceptional, with multiple students achieving triple Distinction* and many more achieving triple Distinction.

Students will progress to Oxford, Imperial, UCL, LSE and other Russell Group universities.

Headteacher Mia Pye said, “I am immensely proud of each and every student… these are our best ever results.”

Greenford High sixth formers show off their results
Greenford High sixth formers show off their results

Notting Hill & Ealing High School (NHEHS) students achieved another outstanding set of results, with:

  • 22% of entries awarded A*
  • 64% achieving A or A*
  • 90% achieving A–B*

Nearly half the cohort achieved AAA or better, and 45% secured at least one A* grade.

Headteacher Allison Saunders praised the “intellectual curiosity, perseverance and collaborative spirit” of the students, noting that the school continues to offer a broad curriculum at a time when many institutions are narrowing subject choice.

Top-performing departments included:

  • Art & Design, Ancient Greek and Mandarin – 100% A*
  • Further Maths, Drama, Latin, Spanish, Religious Studies – 100% A*–A
  • Classical & Modern Languages – 78% A*–A
  • Economics – 78% A*–A
  • History – 79% A*–A
  • STEM subjects – 28% A; 60% A–A
  • Biology – tripled its number of A* grades

Students will progress to a wide range of courses including Medicine, Liberal Arts, Biomedical Engineering, International Development, Neuroscience, Psychology, Performance Design, Law with German Law and Linguistics. Popular destinations include Durham, Imperial, UCL, Leeds, Newcastle, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge.

Head Girl Olivia Fanthorpe-Collings said NHEHS had given her “the confidence to pursue Biomedical Engineering,” and she will now study at Sheffield.

Notting Hill and Ealing students express delight at their outcomes
Notting Hill and Ealing students express delight at their outcomes

St Augustine’s Priory celebrated another year of excellent outcomes, with:

  • 48% A*–A
  • 84% A*–B
  • 96% A*–C

Students secured places in competitive subjects across leading universities. Among them:

  • Natania (AAA) – Medicine at Leeds
  • Satoko (A*AA) – International Management at King’s College London
  • Mahika (A*AA) – Sociology & Philosophy at Manchester

Other destinations include Modern Languages at Bristol, Philosophy at Edinburgh, Classical Archaeology at UCL, Biomedical Sciences at King’s, Marketing & Management at Exeter, and Politics & Criminology at Manchester.

Headteacher Mrs Macallister said, “Today is about much more than grades… each student has her own success story to celebrate.”

Parents also praised the school’s Sixth Form support, with one mother saying her daughter’s decision to stay for Sixth Form “has been absolutely worth it.”

The school is inviting families to upcoming open events to learn more about its Sixth Form provision.

This year, the gap between the highest and lowest-performing regions in England reached a record 9.6 percentage points. London led the country with 32.7% of A-level grades at A* or A, compared with just 23.1% in the North East and East Midlands—the largest regional divide since the A* grade was introduced in 2010.

Notting Hill and Ealing students express delight at their outcomes
St Augustine's Priory sixth formers react to their results

Nationally, top A-level grades have risen for the third year running, with 28.5% of all grades across England, Wales and Northern Ireland awarded at A* or A, up slightly from 28.3% last year. Although still far below the inflated results of 2020 and 2021, when exams were cancelled and grades were based on teacher assessment, the proportion of top grades has been slowly climbing since the return to pre-pandemic grading standards in 2023.

There was also a notable differences in outcomes between boys and girls again. While more A* and A grades were awarded to girls overall—137,000 compared with 120,900—the percentage of top grades favoured boys, who achieved A–A in 28.9% of entries compared with 28% for girls. This continues a reversal first seen last year, though girls still outperform boys across the broader A–C range, with 79.8% of their grades falling within that band compared with 76.8% for boys. Ucas also reported a record number of 18-year-olds securing a place at their first-choice university.

 


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