Sir Keir Starmer visits the North East school on Thursday, 26 February, after the Government unveiled a new push to boost education standards across the region.
The Mission North East project was announced earlier this week, with the aim of replicating the success of a previous drive which improved pupils’ exam results in London.
The Prime Minister is expected to set out how he hopes the school improvement programme will strengthen teaching and help more pupils succeed, particularly those from white working-class backgrounds.
During the visit, which will come on the day of the Gorton and Denton by-election in Greater Manchester, Sir Keir will speak to children, parents and carers and is set to call on the North East to rise to the challenge of replicating the success of the London Challenge.
That initiative was introduced by the previous Labour government in 2003 and is credited with increasing the share of pupils achieving five good GCSEs, including English and Maths, from 32% to 54%.
The North East is the region with the fewest GCSE pupils getting top grades, with only 17.8% of youngsters receiving a grade 7 or above in 2025’s exams.
That rate has improved slightly since the last pre-pandemic GCSE results in 2019, when it stood at 16.4%, but the gap to pupils in London has grown in that time – increasing from 9.3% to 10.6%.
Ministers have also set out a raft of reforms to the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system through its Schools White Paper this week, in an effort to cope with rising demand and spiralling costs.
The changes will see only children with the most complex needs qualifying for education, health and care plans (EHCPs) by 2035, and the introduction of new individual support plans (ISPs).
The Prime Minister said: “The North East is a place with real pride in their communities. I promised to do everything in my power to deliver real and lasting change for them as Prime Minister.
“I’m pulling every lever to make that happen, and I’m proud of the change that every generation in the North East is beginning to feel. From taking £117 off energy bills to supporting retired coalminers and driving up standards in our schools, this Government is proving that action speaks louder than words.
“The North East deserves a Government on their side, working for them, and that’s exactly what we are doing.”
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said the region was “ready to work with Government on creating opportunity for all, and our schools are key to changing life chances for all”.
She added: “That means backing our great North East teachers and schools with the tools they need to support our young people. We’ll add to that in the region with our £1 bus fares for young people, lower travel costs for all and more trades and careers for people finishing education.”
