School standards rising in North East - but still behind

Tyne Tees
Tyne and Wear
Teesside
Durham
Thursday 1 December 2016 at 2:21pm

Acklam Grange in Middlesbrough has improved from 'requires improvement' to 'good.' Credit: ITV News Tyne Tees

Three quarters of secondary school pupils in the North East now attend good or outstanding schools, but the education watchdog Ofsted has warned that standards here are still behind the south and east of England.

Our region's primary schools are performing better - with nine out of ten pupils attending one rated as good or better, the joint highest proportion in the country.

Last year, Chief Inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw warned of a "deeply troubling north-south divide" in the quality of secondary education.

Today, he said "the gap has widened slightly", and the North West was said to be "of particular concern."

In the North East:

75% of pupils attend good or outstanding secondary schools - that's risen from 62% in 2012, but is behind the national average of 81%

92% of pupils attend good or outstanding primary schools - up from 68% in 2012 - 90% national average

Other findings:

The North East has shown the largest improvement in early years education
Further education colleges in the North East are among the best in the country

The government said Ofsted had recognised improved standards across the country, and it is focused on attracting and retaining high-quality teachers in the North of England.

We want every child to have access to an excellent education, regardless of their background or where they live. Thanks to the government’s reforms over the last six years, there are now almost 1.8 million more children in good or outstanding schools than in 2010. But we know there is more to do, and that’s precisely why we have set out plans to make more good school places available, to more parents, in more parts of the country - including scrapping the ban on new grammar school places, and harnessing the resources and expertise of universities, independent and faith schools. As part of the Northern Schools Strategy we are exploring a range of approaches to attract and retain high-quality teachers in the North and we want to work with the Opportunity Areas to help raise educational outcomes for pupils.