Best secondary schools in Tyne and Wear (2026)
Tyne and Wear has 56 ranked secondary schools with published results. The top-ranked is Kings Priory School, in the top 9% in England. The average Attainment 8 here in 2025 was 45.0, against 46.1 for England. 1 are in England's top 10%, and 3 are rated Outstanding by Ofsted. Tyne and Wear has no grammar schools.
| Rank | School | Attainment 8 (2023–2025 average) | Attainment 8 2025 | Trend | Grade 5+ Eng & maths | Ofsted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Top 9% in England |
Kings Priory School Tynemouth |
58.3 | 57.1 | 74% | No rating | |
2 Top 12% in England |
St Mary's Catholic School Newcastle upon Tyne · Roman Catholic |
56.9 | 58.9 | 69% | Outstanding | |
3 Top 14% in England |
Gosforth Academy Newcastle upon Tyne |
55.5 | 54.4 | 63% | Good | |
4 Top 14% in England |
Whitley Bay High School Whitley Bay |
55.3 | 54.2 | 63% | Outstanding | |
5 Top 15% in England |
Marden High School Tynemouth |
55.0 | 55.1 | 60% | No rating | |
6 Top 17% in England |
Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead Gateshead · Roman Catholic |
54.6 | 53.2 | 55% | Outstanding | |
7 Top 20% in England |
Sacred Heart Catholic High School Newcastle upon Tyne · Girls · Roman Catholic |
54.2 | 52.1 | 54% | Not judged | |
8 Top 21% in England |
St Thomas More Catholic School, Blaydon Blaydon · Roman Catholic |
52.4 | 51.9 | 60% | Good | |
9 Top 22% in England |
St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy Sunderland · Girls · Roman Catholic |
52.6 | 50.7 | 48% | Good | |
10 Top 22% in England |
St Aidan's Catholic Academy Sunderland · Boys · Roman Catholic |
51.9 | 51.2 | 63% | Not judged | |
11 Top 23% in England |
Whickham School Whickham |
52.6 | 53.0 | 60% | Not judged | |
12 Top 29% in England |
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington · Roman Catholic |
50.5 | 48.9 | 49% | No rating | |
13 Top 31% in England |
Jesmond Park Academy Newcastle upon Tyne |
50.0 | 51.4 | 55% | Good | |
14 Top 32% in England |
Whitburn Church of England Academy Whitburn (South Tyneside) · Church of England |
50.7 | 51.6 | 50% | Good | |
15 Top 33% in England |
Hetton Academy Hetton-le-Hole |
48.0 | 51.8 | 57% | Not judged | |
16 Top 35% in England |
St Thomas More Catholic High School Tynemouth · Roman Catholic |
49.6 | 49.6 | 46% | Good | |
17 Top 36% in England |
Thorp Academy Ryton |
47.7 | 47.2 | 54% | No rating | |
18 Top 41% in England |
St Wilfrid's RC College South Shields · Roman Catholic |
48.1 | 48.2 | 50% | Not judged | |
19 Top 44% in England |
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy Birtley |
46.3 | 46.6 | 49% | Report card | |
20 Top 45% in England |
Farringdon Community Academy Sunderland |
45.2 | 44.6 | 50% | Report card | |
21 Top 47% in England |
Southmoor Academy Sunderland |
46.9 | 49.0 | 49% | No rating | |
22 Top 48% in England |
Monkwearmouth Academy Sunderland |
46.2 | 45.8 | 45% | Good | |
23 Top 48% in England |
Kepier Houghton-le-Spring |
46.8 | 43.6 | 37% | Good | |
24 Top 49% in England |
St Cuthbert's High School Newcastle upon Tyne · Boys · Roman Catholic |
46.8 | 49.0 | 52% | Good | |
25 Bottom 49% in England |
George Stephenson High School Killingworth |
46.7 | 48.0 | 42% | Good | |
26 Bottom 46% in England |
St Joseph's Catholic Academy Hebburn · Roman Catholic |
45.6 | 45.5 | 41% | Good | |
27 Bottom 44% in England |
Walbottle Academy Walbottle |
42.8 | 46.6 | 58% | Good | |
28 Bottom 41% in England |
Harton Academy South Shields |
44.0 | 42.6 | 38% | Good | |
29 Bottom 39% in England |
Red House Academy Sunderland |
42.1 | 44.8 | 51% | Good | |
30 Bottom 37% in England |
Biddick Academy Washington |
43.0 | 42.5 | 39% | Report card | |
31 Bottom 37% in England |
Hebburn Comprehensive School Hebburn |
43.1 | 44.2 | 44% | Report card | |
32 Bottom 32% in England |
Burnside College Wallsend |
43.6 | 44.2 | 30% | Good | |
33 Bottom 32% in England |
Castle View Enterprise Academy Sunderland |
41.7 | 41.9 | 39% | Good | |
34 Bottom 31% in England |
Oxclose Community Academy Washington |
42.9 | 41.8 | 31% | Not judged | |
35 Bottom 31% in England |
Christ's College Sunderland |
41.6 | 43.2 | 43% | Good | |
36 Bottom 31% in England |
Jarrow School Jarrow |
43.1 | 42.6 | 36% | Good | |
37 Bottom 28% in England |
North Gosforth Academy Seaton Burn |
41.4 | 43.9 | 40% | Not judged | |
38 Bottom 25% in England |
Sandhill View Academy Sunderland |
39.2 | 38.6 | 49% | Report card | |
39 Bottom 25% in England |
Longbenton High School Longbenton |
41.5 | 41.7 | 28% | Good | |
40 Bottom 23% in England |
Venerable Bede Church of England Academy Sunderland · Church of England |
41.2 | 44.1 | 39% | Not judged | |
41 Bottom 23% in England |
Kingsmeadow Community School Gateshead |
40.9 | 42.9 | 36% | Report card | |
42 Bottom 21% in England |
Norham High School Tynemouth |
41.9 | 42.7 | 24% | Good | |
43 Bottom 20% in England |
John Spence Community High School Tynemouth |
41.0 | 41.0 | 29% | Requires improvement | |
44 Bottom 20% in England |
Boldon School Boldon Colliery |
39.8 | 37.1 | 24% | Not judged | |
45 Bottom 19% in England |
Monkseaton High School Whitley Bay |
40.3 | 41.0 | 34% | Not judged | |
46 Bottom 18% in England |
Thornhill Academy Sunderland |
39.5 | 41.4 | 33% | Good | |
47 Bottom 17% in England |
Mortimer Community College South Shields |
39.8 | 41.9 | 35% | Not judged | |
48 Bottom 17% in England |
Grace College Gateshead |
38.7 | 42.9 | 41% | Report card | |
49 Bottom 16% in England |
Kenton School Newcastle upon Tyne |
37.7 | 38.7 | 40% | Not judged | |
50 Bottom 11% in England |
Heworth Grange School Gateshead |
37.4 | 36.4 | 26% | Not judged | |
51 Bottom 5% in England |
Walker Riverside Academy Newcastle upon Tyne |
35.3 | 35.5 | 22% | Not judged | |
52 Bottom 4% in England |
Benfield School Newcastle upon Tyne |
33.1 | 33.5 | 24% | Not judged | |
53 Bottom 2% in England |
Excelsior Academy Newcastle upon Tyne |
31.8 | 33.4 | 24% | Requires improvement | |
54 Bottom 2% in England |
Washington Academy Washington |
32.4 | 33.1 | 22% | Report card | |
55 Bottom 2% in England |
Academy 360 Sunderland |
31.3 | 31.7 | 19% | Good | |
56 Bottom 1% in England |
Studio West Newcastle upon Tyne |
29.0 | 30.9 | 28% | Not judged |
Best secondary school in each town
- Tynemouth · best: Kings Priory School
- Newcastle upon Tyne · best: St Mary's Catholic School
- Gateshead · best: Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead
- Sunderland · best: St Anthony's Girls' Catholic Academy
- Washington · best: St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington
- South Shields · best: St Wilfrid's RC College
Also see
Questions
What is the best secondary school in Tyne and Wear?
On exam results over the last three years, Kings Priory School is the top-ranked secondary school in Tyne and Wear, in the top 9% of schools in England.
How are the schools ranked?
By published Department for Education exam results averaged over three years: for secondary schools, Attainment 8 plus a quarter of the share getting grade 5+ in English and maths; for primary schools, the share reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths plus half the share reaching the higher standard. The order uses the three-year average, so a school can rank above one with a higher single-year result. Schools with fewer than 10 pupils taking the tests are not ranked. Exam results are only part of the picture: visit, read the Ofsted report and check admissions rules, as living nearby does not guarantee a place.