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%).

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%

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%)