The 32nd edition of the annual Parent Power, the official league table of UK schools’ performance, has been unveiled once again – and the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle (RGS), has again been awarded the title of North East Independent Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence.
It is a well-deserved accolade for Newcastle’s oldest school, which is approaching its 500th anniversary in 2025.
As the region’s consistently highest performing school, RGS has been honoured with this title for its commitment to academic achievement and its role in shaping future leaders. With over 1,330 students, of which 350 are in the Sixth Form, the school’s scale enables it to offer an extraordinary 26 different A-Level options.
This year, RGS students once again celebrated record breaking achievements with 91.1% of A-Levels at A*-B and 85.7% of GCSEs at 7-9, ranking RGS as 56th in the country and making RGS the highest performing independent school north of Manchester.
More than three-quarters of this year’s RGS leavers have headed to Russell Group Universities; the courses students are studying vary from aerospace engineering to Egyptology, from law to landscape architecture, from theoretical physics to zoology.
RGS Newcastle joins an esteemed group of North East schools recognised for their outstanding achievements, with County Durham Schools fairing particularly well.
Durham High School, is crowned North East Independent Secondary School of the Year, having leapt sixty two places to 126th in the UK’s independent schools’ league table.
Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, is named North East State Secondary School of the Year and North East State Secondary School of the Year for Academic Excellence, ranking the 155th state school in the UK.
Springwell School, Co Durham, is awarded National Parent Power Small Primary School of the Year and St Charles’ RC Primary School, Northumberland is honoured as Primary School of the Year in the North East.
Geoffrey Stanford, Headmaster of RGS, said: “For RGS to be recognised again is a huge achievement. It demonstrates that children from the North East are as infinitely capable as any child with the right support.”
“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 1,330 students in the school, and the 10,000 students we work with in our partner schools.”
Helen Davies, editor of Parent Power, said: “The educational landscape is challenging…but there is so much to celebrate from the hard work of passionate and committed teachers who are finding ever more innovative and impactful ways to boost their students.”
Founded in 1525, Royal Grammar School Newcastle has a long-standing tradition of academic excellence, innovation, and a commitment to holistic education. Its recognition in The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide 2025 reflects its role as a leading institution shaping the future of education in the North East.
The accolade is from the Sunday Times’ Parent Power schools guide, which is now live online at thetimes.com/schools-league-table and was printed in a special pull-out supplement with The Sunday Times on Sunday, December 8.
