Best schools for Ancient History GCSE in England
Ranked by the share of Ancient History GCSE entries graded 5 or above in summer 2025, highest first. Across England 55% of the 1,217 entries reached grade 5 and 28% reached grade 7. Only state secondaries with 20 or more entries are ranked. This is a plain pass rate: it doesn't allow for which children a school takes in, or which ones it puts in for the exam, so grammar schools and schools that only enter their strongest pupils will sit near the top. 27 schools listed.
| # | School | Entries | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 7 | Low income | Ofsted | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reading SchoolReading · Academy (grammar) | 23 | 100% | 83% | 5% | Outstanding 2023 | 99 |
| 2 | The Judd SchoolTonbridge, Kent · Voluntary (grammar) | 27 | 96% | 85% | 3% | No overall grade 2025 | 99 |
| 3 | Bexley Grammar SchoolWelling, Bexley · Academy (grammar) | 20 | 95% | 50% | 4% | Outstanding 2022 | 97 |
| 4 | Levenshulme High SchoolManchester · Academy | 22 | 91% | 32% | 55% | Outstanding 2022 | 93 |
| 5 | Wycombe High SchoolHigh Wycombe, Buckinghamshire · Academy (grammar) | 28 | 86% | 57% | 9% | Outstanding 2024 | 98 |
| 6 | Nower Hill High SchoolPinner, Harrow · Academy | 42 | 79% | 41% | 19% | Outstanding 2023 | 90 |
| 7 | Bohunt SchoolLiphook, Hampshire · Academy | 51 | 78% | 31% | 11% | Good 2024 | 82 |
| 8 | Weaverham High SchoolNorthwich, Cheshire West and Chester · Academy | 38 | 76% | 45% | 20% | Report card 2026 | 66 |
| 9 | St Peter's Catholic High SchoolWigan · Roman Catholic | 27 | 74% | 37% | 12% | Good 2024 | 59 |
| 10 | Hitchin Girls' SchoolHitchin, Hertfordshire · Academy | 26 | 69% | 39% | 7% | No overall grade 2024 | 89 |
| 11 | Parrs Wood High SchoolManchester · Academy | 36 | 67% | 36% | 30% | Not inspected | 46 |
| 12 | Aldridge School - A Science CollegeWalsall · Academy | 20 | 60% | 25% | 30% | Good 2022 | 39 |
| 13 | Ash Manor SchoolAsh, Surrey · Council | 34 | 59% | 27% | 19% | Good 2022 | 70 |
| 14 | South Dartmoor Community CollegeAshburton, Devon · Academy | 41 | 56% | 34% | 25% | No overall grade 2024 | 64 |
| 15 | Budmouth Academy WeymouthWeymouth, Dorset · Academy | 27 | 56% | 22% | 27% | Requires improvement 2024 | 11 |
| 16 | Shavington AcademyShavington, Cheshire East · Academy | 21 | 52% | 10% | 14% | Good 2023 | 59 |
| 17 | Robert May's SchoolHook, Hampshire · Academy | 70 | 51% | 19% | 15% | Good 2022 | 51 |
| 18 | Jack Hunt AcademyPeterborough · Academy | 25 | 48% | 16% | 38% | Good 2023 | 44 |
| 19 | Hillview School for GirlsTonbridge, Kent · Academy | 35 | 46% | 17% | 16% | Good 2023 | 64 |
| 20 | Bow SchoolLondon, Tower Hamlets · Council | 29 | 45% | 17% | 48% | Good 2023 | 31 |
| 21 | Windsor High School and Sixth FormHalesowen, Dudley · Academy | 46 | 35% | 24% | 29% | No overall grade 2024 | 74 |
| 22 | Walton HighMilton Keynes · Academy | 94 | 29% | 5% | 27% | Good 2023 | 47 |
| 23 | St Peter's SchoolHuntingdon, Cambridgeshire · Academy | 49 | 29% | 10% | 33% | Report card 2026 | 26 |
| 24 | Redbridge Community SchoolSouthampton · Foundation | 22 | 23% | 9% | 59% | Good 2023 | 6 |
| 25 | Cromwell Community CollegeChatteris, Cambridgeshire · Academy | 21 | 19% | 14% | 28% | Good 2023 | 37 |
| 26 | Longdean SchoolHemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire · Academy | 68 | 18% | 6% | 26% | Not inspected | 28 |
| 27 | The Appleton SchoolBenfleet, Essex · Academy | 24 | 8% | 0% | 18% | Not inspected | 14 |
Other rankings for England
Secondary results
- Average GCSE score Attainment 8
- Progress from age 11 Progress 8
- Strong pass in English and maths Grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs
- Standard pass in English and maths Grade 4 or above in English and maths GCSEs
- Core subjects score EBacc average point score
- Taking the core subjects Entering the English Baccalaureate
- Staying in education or work after GCSEs Sustained education, employment or apprenticeship after KS4
Primary results
- Reached the expected level at 11 Reading, writing and maths: expected standard
- Working above the expected level Reading, writing and maths: higher standard
- Reading score Average reading scaled score
- Maths score Average maths scaled score
- Grammar and spelling score Average grammar, punctuation and spelling scaled score
- Reading progress Reading progress (KS1 to KS2)
- Maths progress Maths progress (KS1 to KS2)
Sixth form
- Average A level points per entry A level average points per entry
- AAB or better in subjects universities like AAB or better in at least 2 facilitating subjects
Attendance and behaviour
- Sessions missed (fewest first) Overall absence rate
- Pupils missing a lot of school (fewest first) Persistent absence (10% or more sessions missed)
- Suspensions (fewest first) Suspensions per 100 pupils
Staff
- Pupils per teacher (fewest first) Pupil to teacher ratio
- Teachers who left in the year (fewest first) Teachers leaving the school in the year
GCSE results by subject
Share of entries graded 5 or above.
How to read this
Source: Department for Education, GCSE results by subject for the summer 2025 exams, published in Explore Education Statistics. A school's figure is the share of its entries in the subject that got grade 5 or above (a "strong pass"). Schools with fewer than 20 entries are left out, because one or two pupils would swing the percentage. Independent schools, special schools and alternative provision are left out too; most independent schools sit IGCSEs, which the government doesn't report. Combined science counts as the lower of its two grades.