By Daniel Harrison MBE, Trustee of the Harrison Foundation
Every August, exam results give us an opportunity to recognise the achievements of young people across the country.
But results day also provides an insight into something much bigger. And this year, it should concern anyone who cares about the future of the North. The latest figures show a stubborn, and in some cases a growing divide in educational attainment between different parts of England.
At A-level, 32.7% of entries in London achieved an A or A* this summer. In the North East, that figure was just 23.1%. The North West achieved 26.5%, while Yorkshire and the Humber recorded 25.7%. The gap between London and the North East is therefore 9.6 percentage points. That’s the largest since the current grading system began in 2010.
The picture at GCSE is just as concerning. Across all entries, 28.6% of London GCSE results were at grades 7–9 this year, compared with 17.7% in the North East, 18.9% in the North West and 19% in Yorkshire and the Humber.
That means the gap between London and the North East at the highest GCSE grades has grown to 10.9 percentage points, compared with 9.3 points before the pandemic in 2019.
These are not small statistical differences. They represent thousands of young people and can have consequences for university admissions, employment and earnings that last for decades.
I do not believe they tell us that young people in London are inherently more capable than young people in Sunderland, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Leeds or Manchester. Nor do they tell us that teachers in northern schools are less committed.
They tell us something about opportunity. Through the Harrison Foundation, I have seen first-hand what happens when a young person’s potential is recognised and properly supported.
This summer, I wrote about an 18-year-old student from the Harrison Centre for Social Mobility, based at the Foundation of Light in Sunderland, who had left secondary school without qualifications after not completing Year 11.
With the right support, he rebuilt his confidence, gained qualifications and, alongside fellow students, he won the 2026 Harrison Prize with an innovative wellbeing app.
He is now considering returning to mainstream college and hopes ultimately to pursue a career in IT.
His ability did not suddenly appear at 18. It was always there but what changed was the environment around him. Someone recognised his potential, gave him opportunities and helped him build the confidence and skills to use it.
That, for me, gets to the heart of the regional attainment challenge.
We know the picture is complicated. At primary level, for example, the North East performs comparatively strongly. Government figures show its Key Stage 2 outcomes are around or above the national average. Yet by Key Stage 4, attainment is below the English average.
We therefore need to ask what happens as young people move through the education system and what wider social and economic factors are influencing their chances.
Persistent disadvantage, family income, attendance, access to extracurricular activities, careers advice, transport, digital access and the visibility of employment opportunities all influence a young person’s educational journey.
In the North East, almost a third of pupils are eligible for free school meals, compared with around a quarter nationally. Schools are being asked to overcome challenges which often begin far beyond the school gates.
That is why closing the attainment gap cannot simply mean demanding more from teachers.
The challenge is much broader than that. Of course we need excellent schools, but we also need stronger links between education and employers, meaningful encounters with the world of work, high-quality technical and vocational routes, guidance and opportunities for young people to develop confidence alongside academic knowledge.
Businesses, charities, universities and local government all have a role to play. Most importantly, we need to raise expectations without pretending that expectations alone are enough.
The North has no shortage of talented young people. I see that talent regularly through the work of the Harrison Foundation. What we too often lack is an equality of opportunity that allows every young person to turn that talent into achievement.
The 2026 exam results should therefore be a call to action. If the North is to fulfil its economic potential, improving educational attainment cannot be treated as peripheral education policy. It must be at the centre of our approach to regional growth.
Ultimately this is about much more than exam grades. It is about whether a young person’s postcode continues to have an unacceptable influence over the opportunities available to them.
We should not be prepared to accept that.
