Key Points
- Croydon High School: Achieved its best-ever performance, with 62% of all entries receiving A*/A grades and nearly one-quarter awarded the top A* grade. All pupils across eight subjects secured straight A*/A grades.
- Whitgift School: Reported 25% of all entries at A* grade and almost 60% at A*/A, double the national average. 40% of students achieved at least one A* grade, and 22% earned two or more A*s.
- Whitgift International Baccalaureate: Pupils achieved an average score of 40.4 points (against a global average of 30), with 12% reaching the maximum possible 45 points.
- Oasis Shirley Park: Recorded 52% A*-B grades, 80% A*-C grades, and a 99% overall pass rate. Leavers are progressing to higher education courses including medicine, engineering, politics, and history.
- Coulsdon Sixth Form College: Announced its “strongest results to date” across academic and vocational courses, though without releasing specific numerical data.
Croydon (South London News) August 13, 2026 –Schools across both the independent and state sectors in the London Borough of Croydon are claiming historic academic milestones as students gathered to collect their A Level and vocational qualification outcomes.
At Croydon High School, an independent girls’ school located in Selsdon, the Class of 2026 recorded the highest grades in the institution’s history. As reported by Inside Croydon, 62% of all A Level entries at the school were awarded top A* or A grades.
This margin slightly surpassed the proportion of top-tier grades recorded at neighbouring independent institutions. Official figures released by Croydon High School confirmed that nearly one-quarter of all individual exam entries attained the maximum A* grade.
Furthermore, 92% of all results were marked at A*-B grades, representing an 8% increase compared to the previous academic year. In eight separate subject departments, every enrolled Croydon High pupil achieved straight A* or A grades.
Annabel Davies, Head of Croydon High School, stated:
“I am exceptionally proud of each and every member of the Class of 2026”.
In an official statement following the release of the data, the school announced:
“The school is enormously proud that nearly one-quarter of this year’s grades are at this highly aspirational level of A*”.
At Whitgift School, a £30,000-per-year independent boys’ school situated in South Croydon, one in four (25%) of all A Level results achieved the A* grade. Close to 60% of all entries were awarded A* or A grades, a figure standing at approximately double the national average. Nearly 40% of Whitgift pupils obtained at least one A* grade, while 22% secured at least two A* grades.
These A Level results follow earlier success for Whitgift’s International Baccalaureate (IB) cohort. The school’s IB students achieved an average score of 40.4 points out of a possible 45, compared to the global average of approximately 30 points. Within the Whitgift cohort, 12% of IB candidates achieved the maximum score of 45 points.
As reported by Inside Croydon, Toby Seth, Headmaster at Whitgift School, stated:
“These achievements reflect the hard work, determination and talent of a cohort of young men who have embraced not only academic study but every aspect of Whitgift life”.
Seth added:
“We are proud to provide exceptional opportunities for our pupils and equally delighted to see them make the most of all that the School has to offer”.
In the state sector, Oasis Shirley Park—part of the Oasis Community Learning multi-academy trust—reported that 52% of its A Level entries achieved A* to B grades. A total of 80% of entries received A* to C grades, and the overall pass rate reached 99%.
Andy Booth, Executive Principal at Oasis Shirley Park, stated:
“We are delighted with this year’s results and the many success stories we have seen today. Our students have worked incredibly hard and their achievements are a testament to their dedication, perseverance and ambition”.
Booth further commented:
“These outcomes reflect both the determination of our students and the unwavering commitment of our staff”.
Sixth-form leavers from Oasis Shirley Park are set to matriculate into higher education courses spanning medicine, engineering, politics, and history.
Coulsdon Sixth Form College announced that it was celebrating its “strongest results to date” across A Level and vocational programmes. However, as noted by Inside Croydon, the institution was unable to provide verified numerical data to substantiate the claim at the time of publication.
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What Is the Background of This Particular Development?
The 2026 examination results arrive against a backdrop of broader structural shifts within Croydon’s local educational landscape.
In recent years, the borough’s secondary schools and sixth-form colleges have faced distinct demographic and financial pressures, alongside nationwide efforts by exam regulators to return grade distributions to pre-pandemic benchmarks following years of grade inflation.
In the independent sector, institutions such as Whitgift School and Croydon High School have maintained high academic standing amid evolving governance frameworks. Whitgift School, managed under the umbrella of the historic Whitgift Foundation—Croydon’s largest private landowner—has undergone administrative transitions, including the appointment of Toby Seth as headmaster.
The region’s independent landscape has also experienced consolidation, evidenced by the permanent closure of the 136-year-old Old Palace of John Whitgift School in July 2025.
Concurrently, state-funded academies across Croydon, including those run by large national operators like Oasis Community Learning, have focused resources on narrowing the attainment gap between independent and state educated pupils.
Modern sixth-form provision in the borough has increasingly placed equal emphasis on STEM fields (such as medicine and engineering) alongside humanities, alongside expanding vocational qualifications to accommodate diverse post-16 pathways.
What Does This Development Mean for Local Students and Educational Institutions?
The latest examination outcomes are expected to exert tangible influences across several key stakeholder groups within the borough:
For graduating sixth-formers, high proportions of top A*/A grades ensure a elevated rate of direct entry into competitive Higher Education Tariff courses, including Russell Group universities and specialized medical or engineering programmes.
High performance in alternative pathways, such as the International Baccalaureate and vocational diplomas, broadens access to global institutions and higher-tier apprenticeships. However, the lack of published numerical metrics from certain providers may require prospective applicants in future cohorts to evaluate course performance on a subject-by-subject basis.
For independent schools like Croydon High and Whitgift, strong academic headlines serve to reinforce pupil recruitment and retention in an increasingly competitive private education market.
For state academies such as Oasis Shirley Park, demonstrating strong A*-B percentages (52%) strengthens local confidence, potentially driving higher intake numbers for internal Year 11 progressors choosing local sixth forms over external further education colleges.
