As the collective voice of all 1,150 schools in the North East, Schools North East is a trusted source for regional and national media on a wide range of education issues.
Outlets including BBC, Sky News, and ITV regularly seek our insight on key developments, from exam outcomes to wider challenges facing schools.
Exams 2025
Most recently, regional and national outlets looked to us for authoritative insight on A Level, T Level, BTEC, and GCSE outcomes for 2025.
A-Level, T-Level, and BTEC – 14 August
This year, 22.9 percent of North East students achieved top grades (A* or A), with 6.8 percent securing an A*. However, the region is one of only two (alongside the West Midlands) to see a decline in A and A* grades compared to 2024, and the only region where results have fallen below pre-pandemic levels (23 percent in 2019).
As a result, the gap between the North East and London, the highest performing region, has widened to 9.2 percent — the largest on record. While A* grades in the North East have risen since 2019, the divide with London has more than doubled, from 2 percent to 4.8 percent.
These growing disparities reflect long-standing, systemic inequalities that continue to hold back our region’s young people — outcomes that are both predictable and preventable.
GCSE – 21 August
In the North East, 64.9 percent of GCSE students achieved a grade 4 or above (marking a slight decline compared with 2024), while 17.8 percent secured a grade 7 or higher—unchanged from last year, but a significant improvement on pre-pandemic levels, when just 16.4 percent of students reached this benchmark.
Despite this progress, the region still records the lowest proportion of top grades nationally, and the gap between London and the North East at grade 7 and above has widened since the pandemic, increasing from 9.3 percent to 10.6 percent.
Once again, these outcomes are both predictable and preventable, highlighting the need for targeted action to close the attainment gap.
On 14 August, Chris Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, appeared live on Sky News to share key statistics and commentary on the region’s post-16 performance. Critical insight from both days were also shared across the nation through:
- The Guardian
- LBC News
- Capital Radio
- The Times (A Level)
- BBC Look North
- Heart/Smooth Radio
- The Chronicle
- The Times Radio (49:19)
- Talk TV
- Tes
- ITV News (2:45)
- Schools Week
- The Times (GCSE)
We are The Voice, Glue, Bridge of North East schools
Schools North East will continue to advocate tirelessly on behalf of all 1,150 schools in our network and the thousands of pupils they serve. We are the collective voice of our schools, championing their needs, highlighting the challenges they face, and ensuring that preventable disparities in achievement do not go unnoticed.
We will keep banging the drum for targeted, meaningful action to close the gap at the top grades. Together, we will drive change, shine a light on inequalities, and fight for an education system that leaves no learner behind.
For every child, for every school, for the future of our region.
