Berwick-upon-Tweed’s state schools are in the bottom tenth: lower results than 92% of towns in England
Berwick-upon-Tweed’s secondaries average an Attainment 8 score of 39.3 across eight GCSEs, below both Northumberland’s towns (45.8) and towns in England (45.9). Berwick-upon-Tweed grades D for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #17 of 19 in Northumberland. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Town figures are pupil-weighted across the schools the grade uses; England’s are the average school.
School Grade
Berwick-upon-Tweed grades D for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (39.3 and 33%)Better than 12% of towns in England
No primary school with KS2 results is in or within 3 km of Berwick-upon-Tweed, so its grade uses its secondary schools only. Berwick-upon-Tweed has 1 secondary of its own with GCSE results, too few to judge on, so the secondary figure uses the 1 graded secondary in and within 3 km of the town (154 pupils in results). Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Berwick-upon-Tweed’s 8 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Berwick-upon-Tweed’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondary (named)Special, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Getting a place
How school places work in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Northumberland Council handles applications for every state school in Berwick-upon-Tweed, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 3 of Berwick-upon-Tweed’s 7 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 1 school is at or over it.
Berwick St Mary's incl. nursery115%
St Cuthberts incl. nursery82%
Holy Trinity incl. nursery77%
Tweedmouth West67%
Berwick64%
Spittal61%
Prior Park incl. nursery52%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
8 state schools in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Berwick-upon-Tweed’s schoolsA0B0C1D07 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted inspections
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Good 2Requires improvement 1Ungraded inspection only 5
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 0 of Berwick-upon-Tweed’s 8 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Who runs them
2 academy trusts and the council
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Northumberland CouncilHoly Trinity, Tweedmouth West, Spittal, Berwick St Mary's, Prior Park, The Grove Special
6
716
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After 16
Where Berwick-upon-Tweed’s teenagers go at 16
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
The state secondary in Berwick-upon-Tweed has its own sixth form.
Secondaries with a sixth form
1 of 1
state schools in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Colleges within 12 miles
0
further-education and sixth-form colleges
Grammar schools in Northumberland
0
no selective state secondaries
Special needs
Special schools and alternative provision in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed has 1 special school (The Grove Special: 51 pupils). A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Northumberland Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Northumberland Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
355th of 364 English towns of 9,000 to 18,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns either side of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and the top and bottom of the group.
Eyemouth has the best-graded schools nearby (B). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
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Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three.
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Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
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Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
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Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
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Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Berwick-upon-Tweed
Are schools in Berwick-upon-Tweed good?
Berwick-upon-Tweed’s state schools earn a D against schools across England: secondary results beat 12% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Northumberland council.
Do Berwick-upon-Tweed secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, it has one.
How do I apply for a school place in Berwick-upon-Tweed?
Through Northumberland Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Berwick-upon-Tweed are full?
1 of 7 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Berwick-upon-Tweed?
8 open state-funded schools are located in Berwick-upon-Tweed’s built-up area: 6 primary, 1 secondary and 1 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
