A HEXHAM school has been named the second best state secondary school in the region.

This is the third year in a row that Queen Elizabeth High School (QEHS) has come runner-up on the list by Parent Power.

Parent Power, The Sunday Times Schools Guide 2020, was published in The Sunday Times this week.

It identifies the 2,000 highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their recent GCSE and A-Level examination results.

QEHS comes behind Durham Johnston Comprehensive School in the ranking of the best state secondary schools in the North-East.

Parent Power compiles separate lists for state secondary schools and independent secondary schools, with Royal Grammar School in Newcastle coming at the top of the North-East’s independent secondary school list.

Vocational qualifications are not reflected in the tables, but the school pointed out that it was equally successful with outcomes in BTEC and OCR qualifications.

Head of school at QEHS, James Andriot, said: “We are delighted that the school continues to be recognised in this way.

“We are just as proud of our vocational success in BTECs and OCRs in Year 11 and Year 13, where students perform to an equally high standard, despite the fact that these qualifications have not been considered in the rankings. All of this is testament to the hard work of staff and students, as well as the support of our parents.”

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

They are published several weeks ahead of the official Government tables for secondary school performance.