Southend High School for Girls published 72% of grades at 9 to 7 and 20% at grade 9, while the East of England slipped on both headline measures.
When we previewed GCSE results day we said we would report what the national figures showed for this part of the country once Ofqual published them. They landed at 9.30am on Thursday, and they carry an awkward line for the East of England: the region slipped on both headline measures in a year when England as a whole went up.
Among 16-year-olds in the East of England, 23.1% of GCSE entries were graded 7 or above this summer, down from 23.2% last year. The share graded 4 or above fell from 70.8% to 70.7%. Across England both measures moved the other way, from 23.0% to 23.1% and from 70.5% to 70.7% (qualification results in England, summer 2026, Ofqual).
The practical effect is that the East of England, which sat above the England average on both measures a year ago, is now level with it to the decimal point. Only the West Midlands and the South West also fell on both.
The only Southend figures published so far
Two days after results day, one Southend school has put its own numbers out. Southend High School for Girls reported that (Southend High School for Girls):
- half of all grades were awarded at grade 9 or 8
- 20% of grades were grade 9
- 72% of grades were in the 9 to 7 range
- 77 students achieved an average grade of 9 to 8
Headteacher Jason Carey said: “These results are truly outstanding. We couldn’t be prouder of our students. It has been a wonderful morning celebrating with them and their families.” He added that, with the school’s A level results the week before, “we are heading into September with real momentum.”
For scale, 72% at grades 9 to 7 sits against 23.1% for 16-year-olds across the East of England. SHSG is a selective grammar school, so the comparison shows the gap between a selective intake and a whole region, not the performance of Southend’s schools generally.
No other Southend school had published its own 2026 figures when we checked on Friday. Westcliff High School for Boys and Southend High School for Boys both put out detailed results day arrangements in advance but no outcomes. Westcliff High School for Girls still has 2024 as the most recent year on its exam results page. St Thomas More and The Eastwood Academy had nothing for 2026 either. We report figures only where a school has published them itself, so this page will stay one-sided until more schools do.
Watch the benchmark you are given
When school and council results claims start circulating, the number they are compared with matters more than it looks. Ofqual publishes two different England figures for GCSE:
| Measure | Grade 7 and above | Grade 4 and above |
|---|---|---|
| England, all entries, all ages | 21.8% | 67.0% |
| England, 16-year-olds only | 23.1% | 70.7% |
| East of England, 16-year-olds only | 23.1% | 70.7% |
The all-ages figure includes resits by older students, which drags it down. A school comparing its 16-year-olds against 67.0% is not comparing like with like, and the difference is 3.7 percentage points, enough to turn a below-average result into an above-average one. Southend-on-Sea City Council had not published a city-wide GCSE figure for 2026 when we checked.
What it means for you
- If your child missed a grade 4 in English or maths, a resit is not automatic. Sixth forms and colleges must keep them studying towards the subject, and a full-time student holding a grade 3 must be put on a GCSE course, but the institution decides whether to enter them for the November series (condition of funding, Department for Education). Ask the school what it has decided before term starts.
- If you think a grade is wrong, you cannot ask the exam board yourself. Almost all boards take requests only from the school or college, which needs your permission first (Ofqual). Boards aim to finish priority reviews by 3 September, so raise it this week rather than in September.
- If you are still looking for a sixth form place, Southend High School for Boys takes external applications until 14 September and Southend High School for Girls until 30 September, dates we set out in full here.
- We will add each Southend school’s figures as it publishes them. If your school has published results and we have missed it, tell us and we will check the school’s own page.
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