'Peterborough children are showing us the way' as city rockets up primary school league tables

Peterborough teachers have been praised after the city jumped up the national primary school league tables.

The city had been rooted near the bottom of the tables for years – the last time they were published, in 2018/19 before the COVID pandemic, the city ranked 148 out of 152 local authorities, and in 2016, ranked 151st.

But new figures show the city is now 123rd in the tables.

Education chiefs in the city have welcomed the jump – but vowed to continue the work to move the city even further up the tables.

Jonathan Lewis, Director of Education for Peterborough City Council, said: “The news reflects the hard work and commitment of our schools, governors, academy trusts and officers, particularly during Covid, and we should celebrate these improvements for our primary and secondary educational outcomes.

“There remains much to do on our journey to improve educational outcomes in Peterborough but we have made significant progress and I am delighted to see that collaboration and sharing best practice is now strong and is making a difference for our children.”

In 2015/16 in Peterborough just 43% of pupils were achieving the expected standard in Reading / Writing and Maths compared to the national standard of 54%, prompting a review by Cllr Lynne Ayres, Cabinet Member for Education.

Since then, Peterborough primary schools have delivered a 14% improvement in reading (from 55% to 69%), and an 8% increase in maths (from 61% to 69%). Sixty-five per cent of children are achieving the expected standard in writing, against a national average of 70%.

Cllr Ayres said: “ One of our top priorities in Peterborough is to give every child and young person the best start in life and that is why we have invested so heavily in education in the past decade, both in terms of improving buildings and facilities and in our support for schools.

“These latest attainment statistics are fantastic news and testament to the hard work of children, young people and their families and also staff in our education department, schools, governors and trustees. I would like to congratulate all involved in reaching this major step forward including head teachers, the local authority officers, parents and the pupils.”

Peterborough MP Paul Bristow said: “When I became our MP back in 2019, we all knew exam results were not where they should be. But we have made good progress.

"There is still a long way to go. We should be much nearer the top. But we are on our way. We are now placed higher than Norfolk, Suffolk, Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough in the Eastern Region.

"Our city doesn’t have to accept poor outcomes. We can do better. Our children are showing us the way.

"Our schools, teachers and support staff also deserve a big shout out.”

North West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara added: “This is good news, and shows that the hard work of our teachers is paying off. But there is still more to be done to raise pupils' attainment levels even higher, and I hope that the City Council will continue to make improvements so that local children have the best possible start in life."