Northumberland schools included in The Sunday Times top schools list

They include King Edward VI School in Morpeth, which is fifth in the state schools list, and Longridge Towers School near Berwick, which is 10th in the independent secondary schools list.

The rankings in the secondary school league tables are determined by the percentage of examination entries gaining A*-B at A-level (which is given double weighting) and the percentage of entries returning A* and A grades, and those graded 9, 8 and 7, at GCSE.

The figures for KEVI are 63.4 per cent and 35.3 per cent respectively and the Longridge Towers figures are 55 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.

KEVI headteacher Clare Savage said: “It is great that our school has appeared in the rankings once again.

“We pride ourselves on being a fully inclusive and truly comprehensive school, and are immensely proud of the achievements of all our students.”

The latest Parent Power, widely acknowledged as the most authoritative survey of the country’s best schools, is available online at thetimes.co.uk/parentpower and was published as a supplement in the most recent edition of The Sunday Times.