The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2020
Earlier this week The Sunday Times released this year’s edition of Primary Parent Power a list of the ‘Top 500 English State Primary Schools’. This list is based on an analysis of outcomes for Sats taken by Year 6 pupils.
In the rankings, 21 North East schools made the top 500, with 5 schools in the top 100, including:
- St Joseph’s RC Primary School, Sunderland
- Thornhill Primary School, Shildon
- St Charles’ RC Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne
- Throckley Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne
- St John Vianney RC Primary School, Hartlepool
It is very positive to see a number of North East schools on the list, and when comparing this to the proportion of primary schools by region, the North East is fairly well represented compared to other regions.
London, however continues to dominate the list, with over a third of schools on the list from the region, well above London’s overall share of the country’s primary schools. This evidence illustrates again the huge disparity in education funding and the impact that this has on outcomes, and the ability to combat the levels of disadvantage that students suffer.
Schools North East Director Chris Zarraga said ‘Congratulations to all of the schools on this achievement, this list is testament to the brilliant primary schools within our region. The list does also go to show that there is still a huge national divide in the way we approach funding in our schools and how we judge their outcomes. Not enough is being done to take into account the specific context of the North East, specifically the high levels of disadvantage that our schools and students face here compared to other ares.’
Schools North East would like to extend our congratulations to all schools in the region for the amazing work they do every year.