A-level results 2026: Altrincham grammars double England

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys awarded the highest proportion of A* grades in its history this morning, and three of the town’s schools published grade profiles more than twice as strong as the national picture. Sixth formers across Altrincham, Bowdon and Timperley collected A level results on Thursday 13 August, the date Ofqual set for A level, AS and T Level results this summer.

Across England as a whole, 28.3% of the 835,950 A level results issued were graded A or above and 78.1% reached grade C or above, according to Ofqual’s own summer 2026 results release, published the same day. Every Altrincham school that put a grade percentage into the public domain cleared that national A*-A figure by a wide margin.

Altrincham Grammar School for Boys: 31% at A*, a school record

AGSB, on Marlborough Road in Bowdon, reported that 85% of grades were A-B, 63% of all grades were A or A, and 31% were awarded at A, which the school says is the highest proportion of A* grades ever achieved at AGSB. Twenty-one students took a clean sweep of A grades, and 78 students, which the school puts at 42% of the year group, earned A*/A in every subject they sat.

“These are exceptional results, and I am particularly delighted that our students have achieved the highest proportion of A* grades in AGSB’s history,” said Head Master Graeme Wright. “They are a testament to the hard work, determination and commitment of the students, alongside the dedication and expertise of their teachers.”

Mr Wright is on his way out. AGSB announced on 12 August that students and staff said goodbye to him at the end of the summer term, after eight years leading the school, as he moves to Old Swinford Hospital School in the West Midlands.

Altrincham Grammar School for Girls: 70% of entries at A* or A

AGGS published a full grade table alongside its statement. From 539 entries, 28.8% were graded A* and 41.4% A, giving 70% at A-A, with 90% at A-B and 97% at A-C. Seventy-four students achieved an A or A in all their subjects and 19 picked up three or more A* grades.

The subject table is worth a look if you are choosing options. Biology produced 34 A grades from 108 entries and chemistry 25 from 100, the two biggest cohorts in the school. Psychology returned 33 A grades and maths 23.

“We are delighted that our students have achieved such excellent outcomes as the culmination of their years of study with us,” said Principal Stephanie Gill. “They are a fitting reward for the hard work, determination and resilience our students have shown during the last two years.”

Loreto Grammar School: seven places at Oxford and Cambridge

Loreto Grammar, on Dunham Road, called its results record-breaking: 21.7% of all grades at A and 57.7% at A-A, with 43 students in the cohort achieving three A or A grades and eight taking straight A grades. The school reports that 93% of the year group secured their preferred choice of university, seven students are heading to Oxford or Cambridge, and 12 are taking up apprenticeships.

Headteacher Jane Beever said the school was “thrilled that the girls have achieved such excellent outcomes”, adding that the year carries extra weight because the school is marking 175 years of Loreto education in the United Kingdom, which began in Manchester in 1851.

Altrincham College: best progress scores the sixth form has recorded

Altrincham College Sixth Form, on Green Lane in Timperley, did not publish a grade percentage, but reported its best results to date in terms of student progress and said the outcome keeps it among the top 25% of sixth forms and colleges nationally. The school notes that the results follow an Ofsted inspection in which the sixth form was judged to be of “Strong” standard, with inspectors praising the curriculum and the depth of students’ subject knowledge.

Students named by the college are heading to Leeds for law and for midwifery, Edinburgh for English and linguistics, Manchester for sociology, Nottingham for economics and York for English. Head of Sixth Form Mr Mahmood said students had “shown remarkable resilience over the last two years, particularly throughout the exam period”.

Read the comparison carefully

Putting three selective schools next to a national average flatters the schools, and it is worth saying so plainly. AGSB, AGGS and Loreto all select on an entrance test, so their intake is not the intake England as a whole sits with. The Ofqual figure also covers every A level result in the country, including students in colleges and sixth forms with open admissions.

What the comparison does show is the scale of the gap, and it is the reason families move into WA14 and WA15 and pay for the privilege. The council’s own advice to Altrincham residents is blunt about the consequence: high schools in Altrincham are significantly oversubscribed, and every year some children in the catchment area miss out on their preferred school. Our page on Altrincham house prices sets out what that demand does to the cost of a family home here.

The other caveat is comparability between the schools themselves. Each publishes what it chooses to publish. AGGS gives a full entry-by-entry table, AGSB gives grade shares plus student counts, Loreto gives grade shares plus destinations, and Altrincham College gives progress rather than grades. Ranking them off a single number would be false precision.

What it means for you

If your results were not what you hoped. Places at universities are still moving through clearing this week, and the National Careers Service runs an exam results helpline you can call for free advice on the alternatives, including apprenticeships and resits. Speak to your own sixth form first: they hold your marks and can advise on whether a review of marking is worth requesting, and there are deadlines on that.

If you are collecting GCSE results. Ofqual has set GCSE results day for Thursday 20 August 2026, a week today. AGSB has said publicly that places may be available in its sixth form on that day, so if you are unplaced or want to change course, it is worth a call rather than an assumption.

If you are choosing a secondary school for 2027. Trafford advises Altrincham residents to list all their catchment schools, not just one. Three of the four Altrincham high schools, Altrincham College, North Cestrian and Wellington, allocate places by straight-line distance, and families who name only one have in past years been allocated a place at Broadoak, Lostock High or Wellacre Academy instead. The council has just bought the former Loreto Prep site on Dunham Road to add up to 300 more places at North Cestrian, though the first of those are not expected until September 2027.