A Kent school has been named the top state secondary in the south east - and one of the best in the country.

Tonbridge Grammar School was fifth nationally in The Sunday Times Parent Power guide, which produces rankings based on the latest academic results.

The Deakin Leas establishment, which has consistently improved in the UK league table, is up five places from last year.

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Of all GCSE exam entries, 90% gained an A or A*, while 92% of International Baccalaureate (IB) entries achieve the equivalent of A* to B at A-level.

The sixth form only offers the IB, which are viewed by many as tougher than A-Levels.
The school is a former winner of our IB School and State Secondary School of the Year awards, lifting both titles in 2014.

The Judd School in Tonbridge was ranked fifth in the south east and 22nd nationally, while The Skinners’ School and Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School, both in Tunbridge Wells, followed in sixth and seventh place in the region.

The Rochester Grammar School was named the 10th best state secondary in the south east.

Meanwhile Dartford Grammar School in West Hill has been named the IB School of the Year, having risen nine places in the national rankings to 17th place. Famous for being Mick Jagger’s old school, the selective grammar also only offers the IB in the sixth form.

Alastair McCall, editor of The Sunday Times Schools Guide, said: “Dartford Grammar has a far more diverse intake than many schools with a wholly academically selective intake. Many of the children who routinely go on to university from the school are the first in their families to do so and this year’s record-breaking examination results are testament to the quality of the education on offer here.

“The school that gave us Mick Jagger and his extensive back catalogue of iconic music continues to turn out children who make a distinctive mark on the world in their own special ways.”

Meanwhile, Sevenoaks School in Sevenoaks High Street was the top ranked independent secondary school in Kent, coming ninth in the south east with a 92% of GCSE exam papers being graded A and above. Nearly 95% of all A-levels achieved were Bs and higher.

Parent Power, which is published several weeks ahead of the official government tables for secondary school performance, enables parents to compare schools’ performances with others in the same town, local authority or nationally and read inspection reports.

The full list will be published in The Sunday Times and online, this Sunday.