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The Royal Grammar School Newcastle is enjoying further success after jumping an impressive 22 spaces in the national league table for Independent Schools.

Huge congratulations to all pupils and staff involved in this stellar performance. Leaping from 73rd place to 51st place in the space of a year is certainly something worth celebrating.

Despite the national picture of ‘grade deflation’, RGS students marked record breaking achievements with 89 percent of A-Levels at A*-B, and 85.2 percent of GCSEs at 7-9. 

These efforts were recognised and celebrated beyond the direct school community too; the school secured the award for North East Independent School of the Year for Academic Performance 2024.

But wait, it didn’t stop there.

RGS’s overall impact, both inside and outside of the school, also scooped the very top overall award of North East Independent School of the Year 2024. Double the achievement, double the celebration!

Chriz Zarraga, Director of Schools North East, said: “Well done, RGS! We all know our region’s schools are full of talented, hard working pupils and staff, and so it’s always a pleasure to see when this has been recognised outside of our immediate community.

“You should all be extremely proud of yourselves – not only for producing such impressive grades, but also for all the work you do beyond the school gates. They’re both as important as each other. We know we’re certainly proud of you.”

The coveted accolade is from The Sunday Times’ Parent Power schools guide, which is now live online, and was even printed in a special pull-out supplement with The Sunday Times on Sunday 3 December.

Chris Quayle, RGS’s Academic Head, said: “The award for top academic performance is richly deserved by our students who, supported by dedicated teachers and parents, have worked tirelessly to succeed in their GCSE and A-Level exams.

This particular generation of students have faced pandemic-related disruption during such formative years of their education. Throughout, they have shown resilience and tenacity, rewarded by these results.”

Pushing past the region’s unique challenges

Geoffrey Stanford, Head Master, said: “To be recognised with both of the top regional awards is a huge achievement, and we are even more proud that our academic performance has risen so significantly in the national tables.

“It demonstrates that with the right support, children from the North East are as infinitely capable as any child.

“Our region has unique challenges and we are acutely aware that the gap between academic performance between North and South has never been greater. 

“At RGS we are determined to work shoulder to shoulder alongside hardworking teachers in our partner State Schools, to change this current picture.

“It is rewarding to know that doing well within our school, and doing good in the broader North East, are wholly compatible.  We are ambitious about what more we can achieve for our 1,340 students in the school, and the 10,000 students we work with in our partner schools.”

Well done, RGS! The future is certainly bright, and we can’t wait to see what else you achieve. We’re with you every step of the way.

Royal Grammar School Newcastle is a Schools North East Partner School.. If you’d like to find out more about our Partner School Programme click here.

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