Pandemic recovery policies have been “too London-centric”, an educational charity has suggested, after figures showed the gap in top GCSE grades between the capital and the North East has widened.

Overall, 28.4 per cent of GCSE entries in London were awarded a grade 7 or above this year, compared with 17.6 per cent of entries in the North East – a gap of 10.8 percentage points.

Last year, the gap was 10.2 percentage points. It has increased every year since 2017.

Read more: Darlington young carer passes 7 GCSE's and 'nearly cries'

The Northern Echo: Pupils open their GCSE results at Paddington Academy in London.

Chris Zarraga, director of Schools North East, said: “GCSE results this year highlight the hard work and dedication of school staff in delivering ‘catch-up’ support to students. This support is vital in improving the opportunities for young people in our region.

“However, it is clear that significant challenges remain, with education recovery policies too London-centric.”

The gap between London and the North East has also widened at grade 4 and above.

The figures show 72.6 per cent of GCSE entries in London were awarded a grade 4 or above this year, compared with 65.3 per cent of entries in the North East – a gap of 7.3 percentage points.

Last year, the gap was 5.5 percentage points and in 2019 it was 6.8 percentage points.

Mr Zarraga said: “If policy continues to be ‘one size fits all’, we risk a continuing widening of the gap between the North East and London.

“Recognition of the perennial contextual challenges, and the impact of the pandemic on more than just those students that had exams cancelled, is long overdue.”

Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, said: “Regional disparities in education outcomes have historically been driven by disadvantage and we are concerned that this may have persisted post-pandemic.

“The Government was right to extend pupil premium funding to 16 to 18-year-old care leavers in some local authorities but we now need to extend this to all disadvantaged children in the worst-affected areas.”

Lee Elliot Major, professor of social mobility at the University of Exeter, said: “The education playing field is becoming more unequal across the country.

“This year’s GCSE results confirm a worrying trend over recent years which has seen achievement gaps between London and the South East and the rest of the country widen.

“It is simply unacceptable that where someone is born should have such a big impact on their educational and life prospects.”

Labour’s shadow education secretary said the attainment gap demonstrates that the Conservatives’ pledge to level up education is “dead and buried”.

Bridget Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, said: “Young people who have worked so hard are being let down by a Government that has no interest in shrinking attainment gaps or raising education standards and a Prime Minister who seems to have more interest in supporting American private colleges than schools in this country.”

Highlighting growing regional divides in GCSE attainment, Ms Phillipson added: “The schools minister has confirmed that Conservative promises to level up education are dead and buried.”

Addressing the regional gaps, Myles McGinley, director of regulation at exam board OCR, said: “It is not a big change from 2019. I think exam results are just holding up a mirror to what we see in society so that people can reflect on that and think about the support and interventions that are needed.”

Some 46.6 per cent of GCSE entries at private schools in England were awarded grades 7 or above this year, down from 53.1 per cent in 2022 and 47.2 per cent in 2019.

In comprehensive schools in England, the figure was 19.1 per cent – down from 23.2 per cent last year, but up from 18.6 per cent in 2019.

The gap in top grades between private schools and comprehensive schools was still 27.5 percentage points, but it has narrowed on last year.

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Sir Peter Lampl, founder of social mobility charity Sutton Trust, said: “While it is encouraging that the gap between state and independent schools has narrowed, a considerable difference in attainment remains.”

Jo Saxton, chief regulator of exams watchdog Ofqual, said: “There are differences between results for different school and college types that we have seen prior to the pandemic and we continue to see.

“What we can absolutely see is that an examined approach is levelling the playing field for all students.”

Barnaby Lenon, chairman of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said: “The drop in independent school 7-9 grades from 2019 to 2023 is statistically insignificant: students in independent schools have still achieved excellent results overall.”