Winstanley College ranked 6th in the country

We are thrilled to share the extraordinary news of Winstanley College’s Class of 2025 results, which place us among the very best Sixth Form Colleges in the country.

A-level success

This year, we are celebrating our best-ever A*-A grades – 33.3% (28.3% UK average).  Our A*-B grades are 65%, almost ten percentage points above the national figure (55.2%).

The Times’ (August 2025) table of A*-B grades shows how highly Winstanley performs in relation to other leading Sixth Form Colleges.  We are ranked sixth nationally, in comparison to other large, non-selective, state Sixth Form Colleges with over 500 students.

The figures show:

• Woodhouse College A*-B – 81.6% (726 students)
• Brighton Hove & Sussex Sixth Form A*-B – 69.5% (1852 students)
• The Sixth Form Farnborough A*-B – 68.9% (1744 students)
• Durham Sixth Form Centre A*-B – 67.6% (647 students)
• Cardinal Newman College A*-B – 66.3% (1443 students)
• Winstanley College A*-B – 65% (1042 students)
• Carmel College A*-B – 64.7% (955 students)
• Richard Huish College A*-B – 62.0% (760 students)

Vocational success

We are also celebrating outstanding achievements across our vocational courses, with an average of 75.6% of grades at Distinction*-Distinction.  Winstanley College is one of the highest performing Colleges in the North-West and the second highest performing College in Greater Manchester for vocational outcomes. 

Overall results

This year, across both A-level and vocational courses, Winstanley students achieved exceptional results, with a 99.0% pass rate.  65.8% of all grades were in the top tier (A*-B / Distinction*-Distinction), with 87.5% of all grades rated highly (A*-C / Distinction*-Merit).  This is a testament to the resilience and determination of our students, many of whom are now progressing to leading universities, top apprenticeships or directly into employment. 

Principal of the College, Simon Lett, said: "These results are a wonderful achievement for our students, their parents/carers and our staff.  To be recognised as one of the leading Sixth Form Colleges in the country speaks volumes about the hard work and commitment of everyone in our College community.  The Class of 2025 leave a wonderful legacy and set the bar high for future year groups.”

These amazing results round off an incredible year for Winstanley College.  Last year, the College was rated ‘Outstanding’ in all areas by Ofsted; won ‘Most Inspirational Sixth Form and College’ at the Educate Awards; secured the prestigious STEM Assured Status in recognition of its Science provision; and attained Cyber First recognition from the National Cyber Security Centre.