A MASSIVE North-South divide exists in the quality of secondary schools in England, according to a set of rankings released tomorrow.

All but a handful of schools rated by The Sunday Times are in the South.

But parents can take solace in the fact that the North-East and North Yorkshire boast the best secondary schools in the North of England.

The survey names Central High School, in Newcastle, as the region's top overall secondary school, while Ermysted's Grammar School, in Skipton, North Yorkshire, is listed best secondary state school.

It is the fourth time in five years that Central, an all-girl school, has achieved top spot in the North of England rankings.

Positions are determined by the percentage of A and B grades at A-level and the percentage of A* and A grades at GCSE.

The top three schools in the combined list of state and independent secondary schools are Central High, Newcastle, St Peter's, in York, and Royal Grammar, also in Newcastle.

Also in the regional top 20 are Ermysted's Grammar, in Skipton; Queen Margaret's School, York; Durham High School for Girls; Bootham School, York; Ampleforth College, Helmsley, The Mount School, York and Skipton Girls' High School.

The top ten state secondary schools in the region include Ermysted's Grammar, Skipton Girls' High School, Emmanuel College, Gateshead, Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, Durham City, and Ripon Grammar School.

The best state primary schools include Chandlers Ridge Primary School, Middlesbrough, ranked third, followed by West Park Primary, Hartlepool, and St Michael's RC Primary School, Esh Laude, near Durham.

English Martyrs' Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, in York, was ranked eighth.

Nationally, out of the top 50 secondary schools, only five are outside the South - three private schools in Manchester and two in Birmingham.