Higher than the national average: Schools in Stockton-on-Tees show strong performance

Schools across Stockton-on-Tees continue to show a strong overall performance to beat national trends, a report has revealed.

Figures show that 100 per cent of local authority-maintained primary schools and 97 per cent of all primary schools in the Borough have an Ofsted rating of 'Good' overall, or in all key judgements.

In Early Years, 69.5 per cent of children achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD) in 2025, higher than the provisional national average of 68.3 per cent.

And the proportion of Year 1 children meeting the standard in the phonics screening check was 80.1 per cent, beating the national average of 79.9 per cent.

Stockton-on-Tees' primary schools also continue to perform well at Key Stage 2, with 64 per cent of children achieving the expected standard for Reading, Writing and Maths compared to the 62 per cent national average - and the focus on improving standards in reading has led to a three-year trend of improvement with a 2.1 per cent improvement in 2025.

Meanwhile in secondary schools, 67.7 per cent of pupils achieved a 9-4 grade in English and Maths, which is 2.8 per cent higher than the regional average, while Post-16 A-level passes were at 98 per cent which is both higher than the previous year and the national average.

Councillor Clare Besford, the Council's Cabinet Member for Children and Young People said: "It's vitally important that children receive a great education and have the means to succeed from an early age so I'm very pleased to see our schools performing above the provisional national average.

"For parents and carers raising a family in the Borough, these results offer reassurance that children can access high-quality education close to home and grow up in a community that values learning and opportunity from early years through to post-16.

"This report is hugely encouraging but while the results are impressive, we're far from complacent. We are ambitious in our plans to further improve performance and will continue to support the Borough's children however we can.

"I would like to thank our school leaders, staff, pupils, parents, carers, governors and care providers who work so hard to achieve excellent results."

The School Performance 2024-25 report was considered by the Council's Cabinet yesterday, Thursday 13 November.