A TYNESIDE independent school has come second in a league table, for achieving value for money.

Central Newcastle High School was beaten only by Leeds Girls' High School in The Sunday Times Parent Power table for the North.

The survey claims to provide parents with the definitive guide to Britain's top 750 independent senior and preparatory schools.

Ranked 52nd nationally, Central Newcastle High School gained the highest, five-star award in the pounds-per-A-level ratings after achieving top exam results while charging some of the country's cheapest fees.

Third in the regional table was the Royal Grammar School, also in Newcastle, with a 66.1 per cent GCSE pass rate at A or A-star grades.

Queen Margaret's School, in York, which came fourth in the North, rose significantly in this year's national table, being placed 73rd compared with 222nd last year.

Alan Smithers, professor of education at Liverpool University, said: "Some parents may want their children to attend a school of a particular faith, or a school that is single-sex, or that offers boarding.

"But when it comes to ability, they will be looking for schools that cater for children like their own."