Sixth form colleges are traditionally ranked in league tables based on their exam results. New league tables are published each year by the national media. In 2009, The Times newspaper published its top 50 state sixth forms. These are government funded schools charging no fee for entry. The top 10 U.K. state sixth form school were:
1. Greenhead College, Huddersfield
2. King Edward VI College, Stourbridge
3. Winstanley College, Wigan
4. The Sixth Form College, Farnborough
5. Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge
6. Peter Symonds College, Winchester
7. Hereford Sixth Form College, Hereford
8. Cardinal Newman College, Preston
9. Holy Cross College, Bury
10. Sir John Deane's College, Northwich
For those who can afford to send their children to independent colleges, separate league tables are available. These schools receive little government subsidy and charge parents a fee to educate their children. The academic year is split into three terms and fees are usually payable before each of these begins. The best of these colleges are extremely prestigious and offer the chance for teenagers to join an elite club in addition to gaining an excellent education. Private schools and colleges still produce disproportionally large numbers of representatives in the boardrooms of large British companies and other institutions such as Parliament. According to the website best-schools.co.uk, the top 10 independent sixth form colleges are:
1. Concord College, Shrewsbury
2. Albermarle Independent College, London
3. Hurtwood House, Dorking
4. Duff Miller College, London
5. Chelsea Independent College, London
6. Brampton College, Hendon
7. D'Overbroeck's College, Oxford
8. Cambridge Tutors College, Croydon
9. Abbey College, Cambridge
10. Bosworth Independent College, Northamptonshire
In addition to league tables, the British government inspects all schools and colleges through the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED). The performance of all colleges is regularly assessed and at the end of an inspection period OFSTED rates the college on a four-point scale. Colleges may be ranked outstanding, good, satisfactory or inadequate. OFSTED does not rank schools or colleges but does publish detailed reports on its website, ofsted.gov.uk.