Northumberland schools in numbers
How Northumberland's 175 schools compare with North East and England on every headline measure, with the council's rank out of the English councils that have data. Ranks run from best to worst for each measure (highest attendance first, lowest exclusions first, and so on).
Schools175open, all types
Pupils43,186on roll
Primary schools139
Secondary schools28
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Northumberland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 165 schools | 23.2% | 32.9% | 26.3% | 51stof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 165 schools | 23.9% | 34.5% | 27.1% | 51stof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 165 schools | 2.9% | 9.1% | 18.6% | 151stof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 160 schools | 15.5% | 16.0% | 14.5% | 40thof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 160 schools | 12.2% | 10.8% | 11.6% | 70thof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Northumberland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 149 schools | 20.9 | 23.4 | 25.0 | 2ndof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 149 schools | 5.7% | 7.6% | 10.6% | 23rdof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 163 schools | 16.6 | 18.5 | 19.0 | 3rdof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 156 schools | 14.3% | 12.5% | 15.0% | 66thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 161 schools | £51,875 | £51,780 | £51,377 | 48thof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 141 schools | 5.9 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 145thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Northumberland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 155 schools | 93.9% | 93.7% | 93.8% | 61stof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 155 schools | 14.2% | 16.1% | 15.8% | 28thof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 156 schools | 10.6 | 10.6 | 7.0 | 131stof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Northumberland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 158 schools | £10,202 | £9,261 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 158 schools | £4,785 | £4,341 | £4,229 | 27thof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 164 schools | 5.6% | 9.2% | 8.3% | 119thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 164 schools | 20.1% | 14.7% | 14.1% | 107thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Northumberland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 16 schools | 40.4% | 43.2% | 46.1% | 119thof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 16 schools | 44.5 | 44.9 | 47.0 | 107thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 70 schools | 60.3% | 64.3% | 63.1% | 119thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 70 schools | 7.0% | 8.5% | 8.3% | 105thof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Northumberland | North East | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 157 schools | 11% | 13% | 13% | 99thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 122 schools | 95% | 96% | 94% | 79thof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 141 schools | 33% | 35% | 35% | 80thof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 151 schools | 72.9% | 82.5% | 86.2% | 151stof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 173 schools | 45% | 57% | 52% | 94thof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 173 schools | 15.6% | 21.4% | 12.0% | 54thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
NorthumberlandEngland
Since 2016: -1.6%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
NorthumberlandEngland
Since 2019: +7.2%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
NorthumberlandEngland
Since 2017: +6.8%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
NorthumberlandEngland
Since 2016: +5.3%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
NorthumberlandEngland
Since 2007: +8.0