Two Northern Ireland schools feature in a new guide to the UK’s top schools.
Aquinas Diocesan Grammar School in Belfast and Friends’ School, Lisburn are named in The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025.
Friends’ School was crowned Secondary School of the Year in Northern Ireland for academic excellence. It appears 126th on the overall UK list.
Meanwhile, Aquinas was named Secondary School of the Year in Northern Ireland. It appears 130th on the overall list.
The two schools feature in the 32nd edition of the guide, which describes itself as the most authoritative survey of the UK’s top schools.
The guide was published online on Friday ahead of appearing in The Sunday Times this weekend.
Helen Davies, editor of Parent Power, said: “The educational landscape is challenging – teacher shortages, rising student mental health issues and special educational needs and the Vat rise – but there is also so much to celebrate from the hard work of passionate and committed teachers who are finding ever more innovative and impactful ways to boost their students and give them the very best start in life.
“As well as celebrating the academic excellence of the top schools it is fantastic to see how they are shaping their students to be ready for the 21st century.”
Parent Power ranked schools by performance at A-level and GCSE in summer 2024.
Across the UK, Henrietta Barnett School (HBS), a girls-only grammar school in north London, was named State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence 2025.
The overall UK ranking is headed by St Paul’s Girls’ School in London, which takes the title of Independent School of the Year for Academic Excellence 2025.
The Sunday Times said its analysis was based on schools that responded to requests for its A-level and GCSE results.