The best state and independent schools in the north west have been revealed — with Greater Manchester dominating the top 10 lists.
In the top 10s for the three categories — independent, state secondary and primary — half the schools featured are in our region.
Withington Girls’ School comes out best in the north west for the private sector, and places 24th nationally.
Another girls’ school — Altrincham Grammar School For Girls — is the best state secondary, and is in the top 10 nationally, coming eighth on the Parent Power Sunday Times Schools Guide 2022.
And in the primary sector, Ashton-in-Makerfield's Nicol Mere is best in Greater Manchester, and is second overall in the north west.
Head teachers at the top-performing schools point to a pupil-centred approach as to why they are doing so well.
“We focus primarily on pastoral care with our pupils,” says Graeme Wright, head teacher at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys.
“We have a mantra that says if they are happy, they will achieve. We make sure they are happy and safe first.”
His school is second in the region, and 28th-best in the country, adding that hard work is also a core element of the school’s success.
He adds: “Although we are a selective school, we do say the boys must work hard and have a growth mindset.
“I am very proud to be the head here. We have had two difficult years. We know we are a top school nationally, it is up to me to keep evolving.”
Pastoral care is also a focus for Katherine Ryan, head at St Peter’s RC Primary in Stalybridge — joint-fifth on the north west top 10 in that category.
“Our mission statement is that we strive for excellence in everything we do,” she says. “That’s the development of the whole child.
“We want our children… to become young people ready to make a positive contribution in modern Britain.”
Both schools also feature a jam-packed extra-curricular programme. At St Peter’s, swimming and football teams make up the core of the sports offering, with other activities available to children ‘whose first love is not sport’, Mrs Ryan says.
“We have a choir, who sing in the community,” she explains. “We have a peace garden, we have an art after school club.
“Technology is the same. We have worship leaders — young people [who are] a role model for younger children.”
Over in Altrincham, Mr Wright says the school’s extracurriculars are aimed at developing pupils’ character.
“It really builds their character,” he tells the Manchester Evening News. “We are in this business to ensure they have the best skills for the 21st century.
“You can have all the best grades you like, but it is nothing without those skills like teamwork.”
The league tables for secondary schools use the average percentage of pupils gaining A*-B grades at A-level, and the average percentage of entries returning 9-7 or A* and A grades at GCSE form 2017-19.
This timeframe was chosen to ‘provide parents with a more reliable guide to academic achievement in schools today’, Parent Power editor Alastair McCall said.
For primary schools, SAT scores from 2017-19 were used — with an aggregated scaled score produced – where 100 indicates the standard which children are expected to achieve aged 11.
