Provisional results from 22 of Barnet's 28 sixth forms: 40% of A-level grades were A* or A, ahead of London (32.7%) and England (28.3%). Why school figures are not comparable, and the 20 August remark deadline.

Four in ten A-level grades awarded to Barnet students this summer were an A* or an A, according to the borough’s provisional results, well clear of both the London figure of 32.7% and the England figure of 28.3%.

The borough numbers come from Barnet Council’s results-day statement, published on Thursday 13 August, which collates returns from 22 of the 28 Barnet schools and colleges with a sixth form. On the results received so far:

  • 98% of A-level entries were graded A* to E
  • 86% were A* to C
  • 68% were A* to B
  • 40% were A* to A

The council says the A* to A share is 11.5 percentage points above the national average it quotes (28.5%) and 7.3 points above London (32.7%), and that Barnet’s A-level results have sat in the top 5% of the country for nine years running.

What Ofqual’s own tables say

The regulator’s Qualification results in England: summer 2026 data tables, published the same morning, put the share of A-level results at grade A and above at 28.3% for England (835,950 results) and 32.7% for London (168,505 results). At C and above, England stands at 78.1% and London at 80.5%. London is the highest-scoring English region on both measures, ahead of the South East at 31.5% and 79.5%.

The council’s “national” comparators (28.5% at A to A and 78.4% at A to C) are a shade higher than Ofqual’s England figures, which suggests it is quoting the UK-wide totals rather than England alone. The gap does not change the picture: on either baseline Barnet is well ahead.

Nationally the top-grade share crept up again: England’s A and above figure was 26.6% in 2023, 27.6% in 2024, 28.2% in 2025 and 28.3% this year. London rose from 30.0% to 32.7% over the same four summers.

Bar chart of the percentage of A-level results at grade A or above in summer 2026: independent schools 48.6%, grammar schools 43.4%, Barnet (provisional, council collation) 40%, London 32.7%, England 28.3%, all state-funded centres 25.4%, academies 23.5%, further education 12.8%
Graphic by Barnet Live

Why you should not line a school up against the borough figure

Ofqual’s tables also split results by the type of centre that entered them, and that is the fairer yardstick for any individual school. In summer 2026 the share of results at A and above was 48.6% at independent schools, 43.4% at grammar schools, 25.6% at sixth form colleges, 23.5% at academies, 23.0% at local-authority comprehensives and 12.8% at further education colleges. All state-funded centres together scored 25.4%.

Barnet has all of those in the mix, including selective and independent sixth forms, and Ofqual notes that results are attributed to the postcode of the exam centre in the National Centre Number register, not to where the student lives. A borough figure is therefore an average of very different institutions, and a comprehensive posting 30% at A* to A is doing something a bare comparison with the borough’s 40% will not show.

Two more cautions. The council’s figures are a collation of what schools reported, not an Ofqual publication, and six of the 28 sixth forms had not returned data when the statement went out. And when schools publish their own headline percentages they usually include vocational “equivalents”, while Ofqual’s tables count A-levels only, so an A* to B figure from a school has no like-for-like national comparator at all.

Vocational and T Level results

The statement says some Barnet schools reported their highest number of Distinction* and Distinction grades in Applied General and Technical qualifications. This is also the second year of T Level results in the borough, offered at Saracens High School and Barnet and Southgate College; the council says students from both are going on to university and that several have already found work through their placements.

Among the schools quoted, Clarion School in Cricklewood reported year-on-year growth in its average grade scores across A-level and vocational routes. Charlotte Hammond, its deputy headteacher, said the results were “a direct reflection of their hard work and the remarkable resilience they built up throughout their preparation and during the exam season”.

Councillor Pauline Coakley Webb, cabinet member for Family Friendly Barnet, said the achievements were “a testament to the tremendous dedication of staff and the whole school community”.

What it means for you

  • Unhappy with a grade? The priority deadline is Thursday 20 August. Under the JCQ post-results timetable, a priority review of marking for A-level, T Level and Level 3 vocational grades must be requested by 20 August 2026 and is completed within 15 calendar days; the standard review of marking and a clerical re-check both close on 24 September 2026. Requests go through the school’s or college’s exams officer with the student’s written consent, and there is no grade protection: a reviewed mark can go down as well as up.
  • Copies of scripts for AS and A-level have been available since 13 August, with 24 September the final date for copies to support teaching and learning.
  • Advice line: the council’s Barnet Education and Learning Service runs an information line on 020 8359 2011, open daily, for young people weighing education, employment and training options after results.
  • Wellbeing: the council points to Kooth (free, anonymous online counselling for 11 to 24-year-olds) and its own BICS support line on 020 8359 3130, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
  • GCSE results follow on Thursday 20 August, the same day as the A-level priority review deadline.