Schools in Oxfordshire have made the cut in a newly published list which ranks the best ones in the southeast.
The Sunday Times 'Parent Power Guide' includes categories which assess top state secondary school of the year, comprehensive school of the year and independent school of the year.
Didcot Girl's School was ranked eighth in the list of top southeast comprehensives and Magdalen College School was ranked the third best independent.
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Editor of Parent Power, Helen Davies, said: “The educational landscape continues to be challenging across both the state and independent sectors, and this is the first true assessment of post-pandemic exam results.
"We believe these rankings – and all the additional information on offer in Parent Power – provide parents with a more reliable guide to academic achievement in schools today.
“The guide showcases academic excellence but also celebrates schools who may not be right at the top but are rising, innovating and helping pupils flourish.
"Being a teenager is hard enough, and the past few years since Covid have made life even harder.
"It is heartening to highlight the achievements of so many students and schools across the UK."
Ms Davies added that details on extracurricular clubs, wellbeing initiatives and school lunch menus – including chicken katsu - were also included in the guide.
Schools are ranked by performance at A-level and GCSE in summer 2023 and the list considers 400 of the best state secondary and grammar schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the top 100 state schools in Scotland, 50 11-16 schools and 50 sixth form colleges.
Parent Power also ranks the top 300 independent schools in the UK, and 35 IB schools.
Secondary school of the year in the southeast went to Reading School.
Comprehensive school of the year was Roundwood Park School in Harpenden and the Guildford High School was independent school of the year for academic performance.
The guide apparently found "conversations around mental health" to be ingrained in the top schools and that "good schools embed careers advice into the curriculum and inspire pupils by inviting visiting speakers, from industry leaders to alumni".
Top secondary school of the year nationally was Wilson’s School in Wallington.
The best comprehensive was St Mary’s College in Hull and the Guildford High School also took the biscuit on a nation-wide level as well as its topping of the list in the Southeast.
Magdalen College School educates boys aged seven to 18 and girls in the sixth form and it was founded in 1480 as part of its namesake Oxford college.
Didcot Girls' school is an academy with 1,614 students which also has a mixed sixth form.
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