The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025: Recognition is ‘wonderful early Christmas present’ for top Heckmondwike school

The school, on High Street in the town, was recognised as the North’s best State Secondary School, as well as coming top in the State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence in the North category.

The UK’s highest-achieving primary and secondary schools were revealed on Friday in the 32nd edition of the prestigious guide.

Heckmondwike Grammar School headteacher Peter Roberts said: “We are delighted to once again be recognised in the Sunday Times and this year absolutely thrilled to have received two awards.

“We knew our recent exam results at GCSE and A-Level were very strong indeed and so we were crossing our fingers we had been recognised.

“However, to receive two awards is beyond anything we could have hoped for and is a wonderful early Christmas present for the whole school community.

“I must give great thanks to the staff and students for the incredible work they have done together over a number of years.

“At the end of the day, we are all in education to benefit our wonderful students and it is gratifying enough to witness their successes and career journeys they go on.

“However, to receive national awards towards the end of a very busy term is a real fillip for all of us and will mean a lot to everyone.”

Mr Roberts also added that the guide said the school was “head and shoulders above the other schools in the north of England.”

Nationally, the setting was ranked as the 80th top state secondary school.

The guide includes a fully searchable national database of over 2,000 schools by name, local authority, town and postcode.

As well as an assessment of all academic results on a school-by-school basis, Parent Power enables parents to compare the performance of a given school with other schools in the same town, local authority or nationally.

For the full guide, visit: thetimes.com/best-schools-league-table