Improvements in Peterborough primary schools celebrated - a decade after the city was bottom of league tables
Ten years ago, there were calls for major changes to Peterborough’s education system, as the city sat at the very bottom of national league tables for primary school exams.
The last place result in 2016 saw a new approach – and now Peterborough City Council has become the most improved Local Authority in the eastern region for Key Stage 2 (KS2) attainment.
The Peterborough Telegraph published a story on the major improvements following the release of the preliminary results in September last year – but now the validated results have been confirmed.
The December validated data for KS2 attainment shows that Peterborough is the most improved authority in the region for 2024/25, based on the percentage of children achieving the age expected standard in all reading, writing and maths combined.
KS2 attainment in England measures how well pupils aged 10-11 perform in national tests, with the expected standard being a scaled score of 100 or more.
The latest figures represent a stark rise for Peterborough over the past decade and are the culmination of focussed efforts from teachers, school leaders, the wider community along with support from the council’s Education team.
Back in 2016, the city was ranked at the bottom of the KS2 attainment league table. A decade ago, only 43 per cent of pupils in Peterborough met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths. However, the latest results for 2024/25 show that 61 per cent of pupils now meet the expected standard. This represents a six per cent rise since 2023/24 (the largest rise in the Eastern region) and a 32 place rise in the national KS2 attainment league table since 2022/23.
Councillor Katy Cole, cabinet member for children's services at Peterborough City Council, said: "We are absolutely thrilled with the progress our primary schools have made and will continue to work closely with all schools, whether maintained or academies, to continue this excellent work.
“This is a real team effort and I want to thank our staff, teachers, pupils, and the entire community for their tireless work. We never rest on our laurels and will strive for even greater outcomes in future."
Nick Brompton, Head of All Saints Church of England Primary School and Chair of the Peterborough Primary Heads, added: “There has been much positive change in education across Peterborough in recent years. Schools are collaborating much more, sharing best practice and there is a united front all pulling in the same direction. This is a particularly unique achievement, considering the complete range of schools we have in the city, but as a collective - we see the bigger picture and work effectively together.”
Mark Woods, CEO of Meridian Trust and Chair of the Peterborough CEO’s Group said: “Peterborough’s journey in recent years has been remarkable. Moving from the bottom of the league table to becoming the most improved authority in the region reflects big, systemic change and a lot of hard work from colleagues across the city.
“Schools, multi-academy trusts, the local authority and wider partners have come together with a shared determination to raise standards for every child.”