ELEANOR HARDING, EDUCATION EDITOR and JULIE HENRY and ANTONIO JARNE CUBERO, DATA JOURNALIST.
Published: 19:01 EDT, 20 August 2026
Britain's strictest head mistress has proved her critics wrong yet again with top GCSE results to rival Eton despite serving one of the capital's most deprived areas.
Katharine Birbalsingh, head of Michaela Community School in Brent, north London, is celebrating more than 50 per cent of her entries being grade 9 – ten times the national average of 5 per cent.
In addition, 82 per cent of all grades were at least a 7 – the equivalent of the old A – compared with around 22 per cent nationwide.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, she said: 'I'm delighted. The teamwork at Michaela between the teachers and the kids, and the love that the staff have for the children, is what pulls them through.
'It means the kids are able to really hit their potential in ways that people wouldn't possibly imagine.
'Every year I'm astonished by how well we do. It seems so unbelievable, for example, that it's possible to get 50 per cent grade 9s. I feel really proud to be leading a school which is able to demonstrate what's possible in the inner city.'
Eton College, in Windsor, has not published its results today, but in 2025 61.9 per cent of its grades were 9, and 94 per cent were at least a 7.
The fact that Michaela's results are not far behind is all the more remarkable because, unlike Eton, it has no entrance exam and has a completely 'comprehensive', mixed ability intake.
Britain's strictest head mistress has proved her critics wrong yet again with top GCSE results to rival Eton despite serving one of the capital's most deprived areas (pictured: Katharine Birbalsingh)
.jpg)
