Four London boroughs are in the top 10 local areas in England with the largest percentage of 2026 GCSE entries receiving the highest grades.
Some 43.4% of exam entries within Richmond upon Thames were awarded grade 7 or above, up from 43.2% in 2025, according to data published by Ofqual. It was the second best performing local authority in the country.
It was followed by Sutton (43.0%) and Kingston upon Thames (42.5%) in third and fourth places nationally.
Barnet made it into the top 10 with 37.4% of entries getting grade 7 or above.
London students have continued the capital’s run of producing the best GCSE results in the country widening the gap with other regions.
Scroll down for a full list of the ranking of London boroughs, and a separate list of how they rank nationally.
The top performing local authority in the country was Cambridge with 53.5% of exam entries getting top grades, up from 50.3% in 2025.
The local area in England with the lowest proportion of GCSE entries getting an 7 or above this year is Tamworth in Staffordshire, on 6.7%, followed by Knowsley in Merseyside (8.3%), Burnley in Lancashire (9.2%), Havant in Hampshire (9.5%) and Pendle in Lancashire (9.5%).
Within London the lowest ranked were Barking & Dagenham (20.4%) and Havering (19.0%).
How do London boroughs rank for percentage of entries getting top grades?
Below is a list of how London boroughs rank for the percentage of entries getting grade 7 or above
The City of London has been excluded from the list due to its small population size.
1. Richmond upon Thames - 43.4%
2. Sutton - 43.0%
3. Kingston upon Thames - 42.5%
4. Barnet - 37.4%
5. Hammersmith & Fulham - 35.2%
6. Wandsworth -33.4%
7. Southwark - 33.3%
8. Merton - 31.8%
9. Hackney - 31.2%
10. Kensington & Chelsea - 30.5%
11. Ealing -30.2%
12. Redbridge - 30.1%
13. Westminster - 29.5%
14. Bexley - 29.0%
15. Camden - 28.8%
16. Bromley - 28.3%
17. Brent - 27.8%
18. Harrow - 27.1%
19. Haringey - 26.9%
20. Newham - 26.8%
21. Hillingdon - 24.6%
22. Hounslow - 24.6%
23. Islington - 24.6%
24. Greenwich - 24.2%
25. Waltham Forest - 23.8%
26. Enfield - 23.3%
27. Lewisham - 23.1%
28. Tower Hamlets - 22.5%
29. Lambeth - 21.0%
30. Croydon - 20.9%
31. Barking & Dagenham - 20.4%
32. Havering - 19.0%
How did each London borough rank in England for pupils getting top grades?
Here is a full list for England by local area of the proportion of GCSE entries awarded 7 or above - ranked in order, with London boroughs highlighted in bold.
The list is ordered by percentage, starting with the highest, and reads from left to right: name of local authority; proportion of entries receiving grade 7 or above in 2026; proportion (in brackets) receiving grade 7 or above in 2025.
1. Cambridge 53.5% (50.3%)
2. Richmond upon Thames 43.4% (43.2%)
3. Sutton 43.0% (41.9%)
4. Kingston upon Thames 42.5% (41.6%)
5. Trafford 39.7% (39.6%)
6. Cheltenham 39.5% (38.8%)
7. Hertsmere 38.1% (36.0%)
8. Three Rivers 37.9% (38.4%)
9. Epsom & Ewell 37.8% (41.5%)
10. Barnet 37.4% (37.3%)
11. Waverley 36.6% (35.6%)
12. Mole Valley 36.4% (37.5%)
13. St Albans 36.2% (36.2%)
14. Wokingham 35.9% (33.5%)
15. Buckinghamshire 35.5% (35.1%)
16. Guildford 35.5% (33.9%)
17. Hammersmith & Fulham 35.2% (38.5%)
18. Tunbridge Wells 35.0% (33.0%)
19. Chelmsford 34.6% (34.4%)
20. Gloucester 34.4% (33.4%)
21. Winchester 33.8% (34.9%)
22. Wandsworth 33.4% (33.9%)
23. Southwark 33.3% (33.2%)
24. Stratford-on-Avon 33.3% (31.5%)
25. Tonbridge & Malling 32.6% (34.0%)
26. Oxford 32.5% (32.0%)
27. Slough 31.9% (31.8%)
28. Merton 31.8% (31.8%)
29. Elmbridge 31.6% (31.7%)
30. Dartford 31.3% (33.3%)
31. Rushcliffe 31.3% (31.9%)
32. Hackney 31.2% (28.1%)
33. Reading 30.6% (30.1%)
34. Kensington & Chelsea 30.5% (33.0%)
35. South Oxfordshire 30.4% (31.4%)
36. Southend-on-Sea 30.3% (31.7%)
37. Ealing 30.2% (29.7%)
38. Redbridge 30.1% (28.3%)
39. Watford 30.1% (32.4%)
40. South Cambridgeshire 30.0% (29.3%)
41. Mid Sussex 29.9% (26.9%)
42. Westminster 29.5% (32.5%)
43. East Hampshire 29.4% (27.2%)
44. Bexley 29.0% (30.6%)
45. Camden 28.8% (27.5%)
46. East Hertfordshire 28.8% (31.2%)
47. Runnymede 28.7% (33.3%)
48. Brighton & Hove 28.6% (28.1%)
49. Bromley 28.3% (27.4%)
50. Rutland 28.3% (31.7%)
51. Brent 27.8% (29.6%)
52. East Cambridgeshire 27.4% (25.4%)
53. Warwick 27.3% (27.4%)
54. Rugby 27.2% (28.8%)
55. Stroud 27.2% (30.9%)
56. Brentwood 27.1% (24.4%)
57. Harrow 27.1% (26.5%)
58. York 27.0% (26.2%)
59. Haringey 26.9% (25.9%)
60. Uttlesford 26.9% (27.2%)
61. Newham 26.8% (26.4%)
62. Woking 26.6% (26.7%)
63. Hart 26.4% (24.9%)
64. North Hertfordshire 26.4% (25.6%)
65. Bath & North East Somerset 26.3% (26.6%)
66. South Kesteven 26.3% (27.6%)
67. Windsor & Maidenhead 26.1% (25.6%)
68. Surrey Heath 26.0% (25.4%)
69. Colchester 25.8% (26.6%)
70. Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole 25.7% (27.0%)
71. Cotswold 25.7% (22.2%)
72. Adur 25.5% (27.3%)
73. West Berkshire 25.5% (25.2%)
74. Lancaster 25.2% (25.9%)
75. Vale of White Horse 25.1% (29.6%)
76. South Hams 24.9% (22.9%)
77. Horsham 24.8% (22.4%)
78. Stockport 24.8% (22.8%)
79. Broxtowe 24.7% (24.0%)
80. West Oxfordshire 24.7% (25.1%)
81. Hillingdon 24.6% (22.4%)
82. Hounslow 24.6% (26.0%)
83. Islington 24.6% (23.4%)
84. Rossendale 24.6% (23.8%)
85. Spelthorne 24.5% (24.9%)
86. Greenwich 24.2% (23.3%)
87. Reigate and Banstead 24.0% (25.5%)
88. Oadby & Wigston 23.9% (22.7%)
89. Eastleigh 23.8% (21.5%)
90. Waltham Forest 23.8% (23.5%)
91. Bristol 23.6% (24.9%)
92. East Devon 23.6% (25.3%)
93. Ribble Valley 23.6% (25.1%)
94. Harborough 23.4% (24.6%)
95. Preston 23.4% (20.9%)
96. Torbay 23.4% (24.9%)
97. Enfield 23.3% (23.0%)
98. Gedling 23.2% (21.6%)
99. Hinckley & Bosworth 23.1% (22.6%)
100. Lewisham 23.1% (22.7%)
101. Maidstone 22.9% (25.7%)
102. Canterbury 22.7% (22.8%)
103. Sevenoaks 22.7% (22.8%)
104. Tandridge 22.7% (24.4%)
105. Calderdale 22.6% (22.6%)
106. Manchester 22.5% (23.0%)
107. Tower Hamlets 22.5% (23.0%)
108. Warrington 22.4% (21.8%)
109. Birmingham 22.3% (22.2%)
110. Chorley 22.3% (23.6%)
111. Worcester 22.3% (23.4%)
112. Gateshead 22.2% (21.4%)
113. Bracknell Forest 22.1% (21.2%)
114. Welwyn Hatfield 22.1% (22.6%)
115. Leeds 21.9% (20.8%)
116. Wealden 21.8% (22.3%)
117. Newcastle upon Tyne 21.7% (22.1%)
118. West Lindsey 21.5% (23.4%)
119. South Norfolk 21.4% (24.0%)
120. Stockton-on-Tees 21.4% (20.4%)
121. Charnwood 21.2% (21.6%)
122. Cheshire West & Chester 21.2% (20.3%)
123. Sheffield 21.2% (19.5%)
124. Lambeth 21.0% (20.2%)
125. North Yorkshire 21.0% (20.8%)
126. Worthing 21.0% (21.6%)
127. Croydon 20.9% (19.1%)
128. Dacorum 20.9% (22.6%)
129. Wirral 20.9% (20.5%)
130. Solihull 20.8% (20.9%)
131. Norwich 20.7% (21.9%)
132. Ashford 20.6% (23.2%)
133. South Derbyshire 20.6% (19.7%)
134. Wiltshire 20.5% (21.9%)
135. Barking & Dagenham 20.4% (20.9%)
136. Huntingdonshire 20.3% (19.2%)
137.Wakefield 20.3% (19.6%)
138. Kirklees 20.2% (19.9%)
139. Rushmoor 20.2% (19.5%)
140. Bolton 20.1% (19.2%)
141. Bromsgrove 20.0% (23.5%)
142. Derbyshire Dales 19.9% (21.4%)
143. Epping Forest 19.9% (21.4%)
144. Leicester 19.8% (19.4%)
145. North Tyneside 19.8% (18.9%)
146. Exeter 19.7% (20.7%)
147. Malvern Hills 19.7% (20.9%)
148. Mid Devon 19.5% (19.2%)
149. North Devon 19.5% (19.8%)
150. North Somerset 19.3% (20.5%)
151. Plymouth 19.3% (19.3%)
152. Telford & Wrekin 19.3% (18.6%)
153. Fylde 19.1% (21.6%)
154. Gravesham 19.0% (18.7%)
155. Havering 19.0% (18.3%)
156. Lewes 19.0% (19.6%)
157. Babergh 18.9% (19.7%)
158. Stevenage 18.9% (20.2%)
159. Cherwell 18.7% (18.0%)
160. Mid Suffolk 18.7% (18.7%)
161. Cheshire East 18.6% (19.6%)
162. Erewash 18.5% (17.2%)
163. Blackburn with Darwen 18.4% (19.5%)
164. County Durham 18.4% (17.6%)
165. Lichfield 18.4% (17.2%)
166. Luton 18.4% (18.3%)
167. Rother 18.4% (19.9%)
168. Coventry 18.3% (18.4%)
169. Wolverhampton 18.3% (17.2%)
170. Cornwall 18.2% (17.9%)
171. Salford 18.1% (16.5%)
172. South Gloucestershire 18.0% (18.3%)
173. South Ribble 18.0% (18.3%)
174. New Forest 17.9% (18.3%)
175. Test Valley 17.9% (15.8%)
176. Medway 17.7% (19.3%)
177. Milton Keynes 17.6% (17.0%)
178. Basingstoke & Deane 17.5% (17.5%)
179. Chesterfield 17.4% (17.1%)
180. Herefordshire 17.4% (15.3%)
181. High Peak 17.4% (15.5%)
182. Newark & Sherwood 17.4% (16.0%)
183. Broadland 17.3% (16.4%)
184. Doncaster 17.2% (16.0%)
185. Ipswich 17.2% (18.6%)
186. Thanet 17.2% (17.7%)
187. West Northamptonshire 17.2% (16.2%)
188. Eastbourne 17.1% (16.4%)
189. Fareham 17.1% (18.0%)
190. Somerset 17.1% (16.7%)
191. Walsall 17.0% (17.7%)
192. Liverpool 16.9% (16.6%)
193. Westmorland & Furness 16.9% (17.1%)
194. Nottingham 16.8% (16.2%)
195. West Devon 16.8% (17.7%)
196. Isles of Scilly 16.7% (13.9%)
197. Oldham 16.7% (15.4%)
198. Thurrock 16.7% (16.5%)
199. Tewkesbury 16.6% (17.9%)
200. Sefton 16.5% (16.4%)
201. Southampton 16.5% (19.1%)
202. Teignbridge 16.5% (12.6%)
203. Folkestone & Hythe 16.4% (14.0%)
204. North Northamptonshire 16.4% (15.9%)
205. Northumberland 16.3% (17.3%)
206. South Holland 16.3% (16.5%)
207. Stafford 16.3% (16.6%)
208. Amber Valley 16.2% (19.7%)
209. East Riding of Yorkshire 16.2% (16.2%)
210. East Staffordshire 16.2% (16.3%)
211. Arun 16.1% (14.4%)
212. Bassetlaw 16.1% (16.1%)
213. Darlington 16.1% (15.0%)
214. Dover 16.1% (17.6%)
215. Hull 16.0% (15.7%)
216. Dorset 16.0% (16.3%)
217. North Norfolk 16.0% (18.6%)
218. Bedford 15.9% (17.0%)
219. East Suffolk 15.9% (15.2%)
220. Peterborough 15.9% (15.6%)
221. Barnsley 15.7% (16.3%)
222. Broxbourne 15.7% (17.0%)
223. Bury 15.7% (16.7%)
224. Chichester 15.7% (14.2%)
225. Derby 15.7% (14.7%)
226. North East Derbyshire 15.7% (16.8%)
227. Swale 15.6% (15.3%)
228. Tameside 15.6% (15.5%)
229. Wigan 15.6% (14.1%)
230. Bradford 15.5% (15.2%)
231. Central Bedfordshire 15.3% (14.6%)
232. Nuneaton & Bedworth 15.3% (15.4%)
233. West Suffolk 15.3% (16.6%)
234. West Lancashire 15.2% (16.4%)
235. Staffordshire Moorlands 15.1% (19.0%)
236. Sunderland 15.1% (15.4%)
237. Wychavon 15.1% (15.3%)
238. Portsmouth 15.0% (16.1%)
239. Shropshire 15.0% (16.4%)
240. Redcar & Cleveland 14.9% (18.7%)
241. Swindon 14.9% (15.3%)
242. Blaby 14.6% (12.9%)
243. East Lindsey 14.6% (16.9%)
244. North Kesteven 14.5% (13.9%)
245. Rochford 14.5% (14.1%)
246. Torridge 14.4% (15.1%)
247. Wyre 14.2% (14.6%)
248. Braintree 14.1% (12.6%)
249. Rotherham 14.1% (13.1%)
250. St. Helens 13.9% (13.1%)
251. North Warwickshire 13.6% (12.9%)
252. Breckland 13.5% (13.1%)
253. Dudley 13.4% (13.0%)
254. North West Leicestershire 13.4% (14.4%)
255. North Lincolnshire 13.3% (15.2%)
256. Rochdale 13.2% (11.8%)
257. South Tyneside 13.2% (14.4%)
258. Forest of Dean 13.1% (16.0%)
259. Sandwell 13.1% (12.8%)
260. Crawley 13.0% (13.2%)
261. Hartlepool 13.0% (14.5%)
262. South Staffordshire 13.0% (14.0%)
263. Basildon 12.9% (13.6%)
264. Hyndburn 12.3% (12.5%)
265. Melton 12.3% (14.4%)
266. Harlow 12.1% (11.4%)
267. Cannock Chase 11.9% (12.6%)
268. Great Yarmouth 11.9% (11.5%)
269. Stoke-on-Trent 11.9% (12.8%)
270. Lincoln 11.8% (12.1%)
271. Ashfield 11.7% (11.3%)
272. Middlesbrough 11.7% (13.1%)
273. Isle of Wight 11.6% (12.9%)
274. King’s Lynn & West Norfolk 11.6% (13.9%)
275. Cumberland 11.5% (14.3%)
276. Newcastle-under-Lyme 11.5% (13.1%)
277. Bolsover 11.4% (12.4%)
278. Halton 11.1% (13.8%)
279. Mansfield 11.1% (10.8%)
280. North East Lincolnshire 11.1% (10.8%)
281. Boston 10.8% (10.3%)
282. Fenland 10.7% (11.1%)
283. Blackpool 10.4% (10.4%)
284. Tendring 10.4% (10.0%)
285. Wyre Forest 10.4% (10.6%)
286. Maldon 10.3% (13.3%)
287. Redditch 10.3% (11.6%)
288. Castle Point 10.2% (10.1%)
289. Hastings 10.2% (10.6%)
290. Gosport 9.8% (9.2%)
291. Havant 9.5% (11.7%)
292. Pendle 9.5% (9.3%)
293. Burnley 9.2% (9.2%)
294. Knowsley 8.3% (8.9%)
295.Tamworth 6.7% (7.2%)
