More than 27,000 North Somerset pupils attend ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ schools according to Ofsted.

North Somerset has the second-highest percentage of pupils at highly-rated schools in the entire South West region – an improvement from last year’s third position. Some 94.5 per cent of children attend primary and secondary schools which have been rated as better than satisfactory.

The regional average of children attending good or outstanding schools is 90.5 per cent, while the figure for England is 86.6 per cent.

The figures show improvements have been made in the standard of education within North Somerset during the past year, as these previous figures showed 89 per cent of youngsters attended good or outstanding schools in the area.

A North Somerset Council spokesman said: “This figure represents the number of pupils in good or outstanding primary or secondary schools. This figure does not include schools that have not yet been inspected as an academy or our special schools.”

The figures provided by Ofsted reveal a stark difference in the number of schools which were rated as outstanding – the watchdog’s highest grade – compared to the amount rated as good. While 60 per cent of the area’s school places are ‘good’, only 35 per cent were given Ofsted’s outstanding rating.

The council’s spokesman said the results were an excellent achievement and had been made possible by the authority’s good relationships with its schools.

He said: “This great result has been achieved through a wide range of services and support provided by the council working in close partnership with the North Somerset community of schools.”