ILKLEY Grammar School's record breaking A level and GCSE results this summer have propelled it into the Sunday Times Parent Power listings as the top ranked comprehensive school in the North of England.

The accolade tops off a truly amazing year for IGS - a year which has included an Outstanding Ofsted inspection in March.

Head teacher Helen Williams said not only was the school ranked as the top comprehensive school in the north by the Sunday Times, but also ranked in the top 10 of all mixed comprehensive schools in the entire country.

She said: "We are absolutely thrilled to learn that following our record breaking A level and GCSE results this summer, Ilkley Grammar school has now been named in the Sunday Times Parent Power listings as the top ranked comprehensive school in the North of England.

“I am extremely proud of this latest achievement for Ilkley Grammar School. As always, this honour has come as the result of the tremendous hard work and effort of all of our students and staff over the last two years in particular, and it is an accomplishment that our school community will celebrate and relish together.”

Bradford Grammar School was named as the North's independent secondary school of the year, in the Parent Power, the Sunday Times Schools Guide 2018. As well as taking the title, the Frizinghall school is also ranked second in the North for results.

Bradford Grammar School Headmaster, Simon Hinchliffe, said: “Naturally, we are all thrilled that the hard work and achievements of our students have been recognised in such a special way. League tables of any kind do not tell families everything they need to know about an extraordinary school like Bradford Grammar, but it is wonderful to receive such a prestigious accolade nonetheless.

"This is great news for BGS and for Bradford. It also shows what can be achieved when students, teachers and families work together and pull in the same direction. Learning is enjoyable and enriching at Bradford Grammar School and this is why our young people thrive.”

Other schools which make up the guide's top ten state secondary schools in the North include Skipton Girls' High School and Ermysted's Grammar School in Skipton.

The 25th edition of Parent Power identifies the 2,000 highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their recent examination results.

As well as assessment of all academic results on a school-by-school basis, Parent Power enables parents to compare the performance of a given school with other schools in the same town, local authority or nationally. There are also live links to school websites and schools’ most recent inspection reports.

The rankings in the secondary school league tables are determined by the percentage of examination entries gaining A* to B grades at A-level this summer and the percentage of entries returning A* and A grades at GCSE.