Children in care in Wandsworth have passed GCSE English and Maths at twice the national rate for their age group, for the second year running.
Twenty-seven per cent of them got a grade 5 or better in both subjects this summer, against 13.7 per cent nationally.
“Receiving GCSE results is an important milestone, and we’re delighted to celebrate this moment with our care experienced young people,” said Nova Levine, who runs the council team responsible for the education of children in its care.
Nationally, children in care are among the lowest-attaining group in the country. In Wandsworth they finished level with disadvantaged pupils across England as a whole.
Wandsworth says its results overall are the best it has ever recorded, with improvements in average grades and in English and maths. It has not published the figures behind that.
English and maths pass rates fell again
Fewer teenagers passed GCSE English this year than last, the fifth annual fall in a row. Maths fell further and faster.
was 22% last year
was 18.1% last year
Anyone who misses a grade 4 must keep sitting the exam until they are 18. Both subjects have fallen every year since 2021.
Nationally, little else moved: 22 per cent of UK entries were graded 7 or above, and both that figure and the overall pass rate sit within a fraction of last year’s.
The gap between regions is wider. London schools got 30.2 per cent of entries at grade 7 or above; in the North East the figure was 17.7 per cent. London is the only part of England where results are now better than before the pandemic.
Girls still outperform boys, but by less than last year.
The schools
GCSE 2026 — Every school at a glance Every school, at a glanceEach school’s headline figure, in the measure it chose to report, against the national mark for that measure.Putney High Schoolindependent53%of grades at 9National: 5% at grade 992% at grade 9–7. Twenty-three girls got nine or more 9s.Emanuel Schoolindependent40%+of grades at 9National: 5% at grade 9Over 70% at grade 8–9, from its biggest ever Year 11.Ibstock Place Schoolindependent33%of grades at 9National: 5% at grade 984% at grade 9–7. Every music pupil in the top band.Ashcroft Technology Academystate95%passed English and mathsNational: 67% pass both52% of all grades at 7 or above.Bolingbroke Academystate95%passed EnglishNational: 59.5% pass English90% passed maths. Every pupil taking a language passed. Over a quarter of grades at 8–9.Chestnut Grove Academystate57.3average points per pupilNational average: about 4682% passed both English and maths. 36% of grades at 7 or above.Still to report Ark Putney Academy · Burntwood School · Ernest Bevin Academy · Graveney School · Harris Academy Battersea · Saint Cecilia’s · Southfields Academy · St John Bosco CollegeSchools report in different measures and take different intakes, so the figures are not comparable with one another. Each is shown against the national mark for the measure that school reported. Listed alphabetically within type, not ranked.
Source: schools’ own announcements and Wandsworth Council, 20 August 2026; JCQ national figures.
Putney High School had its best year yet. Twenty-three girls — more than one in five of the year — got nine or more grade 9s.
Gina HS got ten of them while performing in the West End in Matilda. Isabel B got straight 9s, including Italian and Mandarin, and won a travel scholarship for languages. Audrey DR got 9s across science and maths and won two scholarships. Hannah, Panya and Zuzanna were also among the 23.
Every girl taking Italian, Mandarin, Latin, Russian, Japanese or Persian got an 8 or a 9. In art, every one of them got a 9.
Ibstock Place School beat its own record for the second week running, after its A-level results did the same.
Sammy, who has an esports scholarship, got seven grade 9s — eight days after his brother Matthew got four A*s at A-level. Sophie and Gaby, both at the school since they were four, got straight 9s. So did Michael, who said he was looking forward to the freedom of sixth form.
Emanuel School got more than 40 per cent of grades at 9 for the third year running, from its biggest ever Year 11.
Headmaster Ravi Kothakota pointed out where this year group started. They sat their entrance exams online during the pandemic and joined the school while restrictions were still in force. “To have overcome that disruption during such formative years and achieve these outcomes speaks volumes about their character.”
Chestnut Grove Academy in Balham beat the national average by eleven points, its pupils averaging 57.3 points across their best eight subjects against a national mark of about 46. Eighty-two per cent passed both English and maths.
One of its pupils told the council she was off to do an electrical installation course. Another, staying on to do geography, maths, psychology and biology, said: “I’m looking forward to sixth form here at Chestnut Grove. Mostly because all of my friends are coming here.”
Ashcroft Technology Academy in Putney got 95 per cent of its pupils through both English and maths, against a national figure of 67 per cent, and 52 per cent of all its grades were at 7 or above.
Bolingbroke Academy in Battersea got 95 per cent through English and 90 per cent through maths. Every pupil taking Chinese, French, Italian or Portuguese passed.
Burntwood School has published nothing, but one of its pupils, Raphaelle, told the council: “I passed everything. I was really happy I passed Science as I was really worried about that, and I got my highest grade in History.”
