Every summer, schools publish a familiar collection of examination statistics. A* grades, pass rates, university offers and individual success stories fill websites and social media feeds.
For parents comparing Sixth Forms, however, the biggest number does not necessarily tell the whole story.
Understanding what results say about a school means looking at the wider picture: how consistently students perform, the range of pathways available, where those pathways lead and how well individual students are supported to make decisions about what comes next.
Look Beyond the Top Grades
The percentage of A* and A grades is an obvious place to start, but looking further down the grade distribution can give families a better understanding of performance across an entire cohort.
At Arbor School, for example, the school's first A Level results in 2026 saw 26% of entries achieve A* and 46% achieve A*-A. Looking more broadly, 80% achieved A*-B, 92% A*-C and the cohort achieved a 100% pass rate.
Together, these measures provide a more complete picture than any single statistic.
Subject performance can add another layer. Strong outcomes across different disciplines can help parents understand whether academic success is concentrated in particular areas or reflected across the curriculum.
Consider Different Pathways
Not every student's most appropriate route through Sixth Form will look the same.
A Levels remain an important pathway into higher education, but vocational qualifications can offer an equally appropriate route for students whose strengths, interests and future plans are better suited to a different style of study.
At Arbor, students following BTEC pathways alongside the school's first A Level cohort achieved a 100% pass rate in 2026, with 63% of entries awarded Distinction or Distinction*.
For families, the important question is therefore not simply what qualifications a school offers, but how effectively it supports students to select pathways appropriate to their strengths and future plans.
Follow the Journey After Results Day
Examination grades matter partly because of what they enable students to do next.
University offer numbers can be impressive, but parents may find it more useful to look at the breadth of institutions, countries and courses students are considering.
Arbor's Class of 2026 received more than 200 offers from universities across 16 countries, spanning 96 courses, alongside more than AED 27.5 million in scholarship offers.
The breadth is significant. Students have pursued interests across science, engineering, medicine, psychology, business, design and the creative arts, reflecting very different ambitions within one relatively small graduating cohort.
Good university guidance should help students identify the path that is right for them rather than directing everyone towards the same definition of success.
Ask How Students Are Supported to Get There
Results day is the visible end point of a much longer process.
When exploring a Sixth Form, parents may therefore want to ask how subject choices are made, how progress is monitored, what university and careers guidance looks like, and how well teachers know individual students.
At Arbor, Sixth Form students receive personalised university and careers guidance through the school's Futures Programme alongside A Level and BTEC pathways and the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).
The aim is to help students understand the options available to them and make informed decisions about university, careers and other future pathways.
Results Are One Part of the Picture
Academic outcomes are an important consideration when choosing a Sixth Form, and families should expect schools to be open about them.
But the most useful questions often go further than asking how many A*s were achieved.
How did the cohort perform as a whole? Is there strength across different subjects? Are different academic pathways valued? Where do students go afterwards? And how does the school help each young person work out what comes next?
Taken together, those answers can tell families considerably more about a Sixth Form than a headline statistic alone.
