Five secondary schools in Elmbridge made an appearance in the Sunday Times’ annual league table of the top 440 independent schools in England and Wales.

The results showed a mixed picture, with two schools slipping down the rankings since last year, two improving their position, and one appearing for the first time.

Reed’s School in Sandy Lane, Cobham, fell to 178th place from 159th last year, with 12.9 per cent of A-levels at the new A* grade, and 60 per cent of GCSEs at A* or A grade.

St George’s College, Addleston, also appeared on the list, but fell to 189th place from 180 in 2009.

In contrast, Cobham’s Notre Dame School achieved one of the biggest increases, rising 90 places to 245 from 335 last year.

Claremont Fan Court School in Esher, and Cobham Hall School also appeared on the list, the latter for the first time, in 323rd and 342nd places.

Two Kingston schools also appeared prominently in the Sunday Times Schools’ Guide, published on November 14.

Kingston Grammar School was the most successful, moving up 18 places to 62nd on the list, helped by the 55th-best GCSE results in the country.

Surbiton High saw its position fall 39 places to 116th, but was ranked 102nd best for GCSEs and 134th for A-levels.

The highest-ranking independent school in country was Wycombe Abbey School in High Wycombe, where more than half of A-levels results were at A* grade.