Tyneside schools named among nation's best by the Parent Power guide from Sunday Express
A series of Tyneside schools have been listed as the best in the nation by the Sunday Times.
The publisher has released its Parent Power Guide for the year.
The list is recognised as one of the definitive rankings of the UK’s top schools and remains an essential source for parents seeking the very best education for their children.
The guide includes a fully searchable national database of more than 2,000 schools by name, local authority, town and postcode, with a series of Newcastle, Gateshead and North Tyneside sites among the top names.
Emmanuel College was ranked as the third best state school on the North East, as well as placing 239th nationally.
Gosforth Academy in Newcastle takes the fourth local slot and ranks 260s across the UK while, elsewhere in the city, Sacred Heart RC High School is sixth locally and 265th across the nation.
Rounding off the local names in the top ten across the region is seventh placed Whitley Bay High School and its 306th UK ranking.
Newcastle’s Royal Grammar School was ranked as the North East’s top independent school and 81st across the country.
In the same list Dame Allen’s Girls’ School took the second local spot and was ranked 155th nationally, while Dame Allan’s Boys’ School was fourth locally and 176th in the UK.
Newcastle High School for Girls was fifth with a national ranking of 178th.
In the primary school rankings St Charles' RC Primary School took the number one spot in the North East as well as an impressive national ranking of 20th.
St Oswald's RC Primary School was fourth locally and 125th nationally while Heddon-on-the-Wall St Andrew's CofE Primary School was 6th and 164th respectively.
The final local school listed was Gateshead’s St Peter's RC Primary School. The Low Fell site ranked ninth across the North East and 302nd in the country.
The national award for State Secondary School of the Year 2026 went to Queen Elizabeth’s School in Barnet with the primary school equivalent going to Thomas Jones Primary School, London’s Notting Hill area.
Independent Secondary School of the Year 2026 went to North London Collegiate School.
Helen Davies, editor of The Sunday Times Parent Power Guide, said:“The educational landscape is testing – budget challenges, rising student mental health issues, special educational needs and an increasingly uncertain future.
“But there is also so much to celebrate from the dedication of teachers who are finding ever more innovative and impactful ways to enrich their students and give them the very best start in life.
“As well as celebrating the academic excellence of the top schools it is uplifting to see how they are shaping their students to be ready for the 21st century, and instilling a lifelong love of learning.”