Most young people have big dreams and big plans for the future - and any parent would naturally want to send them to a school that nurtures that.
But not all schools are made equal, and with sometimes overlapping catchment areas, you and your child may be facing a tough choice. Especially so for secondary schools, which will usually see young people through their GCSE and A Level exams, and the university admission process.
We’re taking a look at the top-rated secondary schools around the country to help inform that decision, starting with the North East. While there are plenty of fantastic facilities on offer, we’ve chosen a selection of schools all rated as ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted - meaning the quality of education provided, student behaviour and attitudes, school leadership and management, and student safeguarding have all been found to be excellent.
On top of that, we’ve narrowed it down based on school’s ‘Progress 8’ ratings.
These ratings are based on GCSE results and other student achievements, to determine how quickly students at each school learn and progress compared to a nationwide average.
Any score above 0 is above average, and we’ve only included schools with positive scores overall, according to official government data.
Here’s what we we found:

1. The Academy at Shotton Hall
Shotton Hall is a mixed academy in Peterlee, County Durham. The school has an exceptionally high Progress 8 score of 0.69, marking it ‘well above average’. This is the highest band available. | Google

2. Carmel College
Carmel College is a mixed, Roman Catholic academy in Darlington. It has a Progress 8 score of 0.34, marking it firmly ‘above average’. | Google

3. The King Edward VI School
King Edward is a mixed academy in Morpeth. It has a positive Progress 8 score of 0.16. The banding is not applied because this school starts educating pupils partway through the 5-year period covered by Progress 8. | Google

4. Emmanuel College
Emmanuel College, in Gateshead, is one of the last city technology colleges in England. It specialises in science, maths and technology. Emmanuel has a Progress 8 score of 0.38, marking it ‘above average’. | Google