Data and Intelligence
As of November 2025 the analysis of key education and skills indicators from LG Inform provided the following insights:
Early Years
The % of children having a good level of development at foundation stage was 65% in the 2024/25 academic year which was lower than the wider North East Region (66.5%) which itself was lower than the national rate (68.3%) The % of children at expected level in Literacy, Maths, Personal, social and emotional development, Physical development, Understanding the world, Communication and Language and Expressive arts and design are all consistently lower than the regional and national rates. The average number of ELGs per child in 2024/25 academic year was 13.3 compared to 13.8 for the North East and 14.1 for England.
Primary School
The rate of exclusions increased between 2020 and 2023 following national trends but remains significantly lower than the regional and national rate. The absence rate has followed a similar trend to the regional and national rates seeing a sharp increase between 2020 and 2021 and small declines in 2022 and 2023. The absence rate in Hartlepool remains higher than the reginal and national rate. Primary school capacity is higher than the wider region and England with higher rates of unfilled places
Key stage 1 progress measures saw an improvement between 2021 and 2022 after falling between 2018 and 2021. Hartlepool had higher rates of pupils reaching the expected standards in 2022 than the wider region and England.
In the 2024/25 academic year, the % of children reaching the expected standard at KS2 in writing in Hartlepool (75%), higher than the regional rate (73%) and the national rate (73%), in Reading the rate is 75% the same as the regional rate and lower than the national rate (76%). The % reaching the expected standard in maths at KS2 is 73% which is lower than the regional rate (75%) and the national rate (75%).
Secondary School
Unlike primary school exclusions, the rate of secondary school exclusions is consistently higher than regional and national averages with the 2022 rate of 1 or more fixed period exclusions in secondary school among the worst 3% of local authorities in the country. The absence rate is also consistently higher than regional and national averages and in 2023/24 (academic year) was 10.1% which is in the worst 15% of local authorities in the country.
The number of surplus places as a % of total places in Hartlepool has remained fairly consistent between 2017 and 2023 between 13.9 and 15.0% whilst regionally and nationally this measure has seen a downward trend. Hartlepool has now gone from a rate lower than the regional and national rate in 2017 to a rate higher than both regionally and nationally in 2022 and 2023.
The % of pupils achieving 9-5 in English and Maths is consistently lower than the wider region and England fell year on year between 2020 and 2023 before seeing a rise in 2024. In 2024/25 (academic year) this was 32.7% compared to 42.9% in the North East and 45.2% in England. The % achieving 9-4 in English and Maths also fell year on year falls between 2020 and 2023 and increased slightly to 59.8% in 2024 which was lower than the regional rate (62.6%) and the national rate (64.5%). The average Attainment 8 score, Average Progress 8 score and Average Point score per pupil for the English Baccalaureate were all lower in Hartlepool in 2024 than the wider North East and England and were lower than the 2021 rates.
Further Education
Apprenticeship Achievements, Participation and Starts in Hartlepool are consistently higher than the regional and national rates. Further education and skills achievement rates and Education and Training achievement rates are also consistently higher than regional and national rates with Hartlepool in the top 5 local authorities for these indicators in 2024. Community learning achievement rates are consistently higher than the regional and national rate though has fallen in 2023 since 2020 narrowing the gap.
A level achievement rates vary with a higher percentage achieving at least 2 A levels in 2024 than the regional and national rate but lower achieving the top grades.
Higher Education
Hartlepool has a consistently lower level of Higher Education Student Enrolments than the National Rate which is consistently lower than the North East Rate. There were 49.13 enrolments in Hartlepool in 2023 for every 10,000 adults. The rate for undergraduates was higher than the national rate in 2018-2020 but since 2021 has been lower after falling despite a trend nationally of an increase. The rate of postgraduate students are significantly lower than the wider national and regional rate whilst in Hartlepool the number of part-time higher education students is consistently higher than the regional and national rate.
NEETs and School Leaver Destinations
The proportion of 16 and 17 year olds who were not in education, employment or training in Hartlepool was 4.7% which was lower than the regional rate 5.0% but higher than the national rate 3.4%. Including “Not Knowns” Hartlepool usually has a lower rate than national and regionally, but this rate grew from 3.9% in 2023 to 5.6% in 2024 before falling slightly to 4.7% in 2025 where it remains below the regional rate (6.8%) and national rate (5.6%). In 2025, 90.4% of 16-17 year olds were in education or training which was the 3 consecutive year on year fall meaning Hartlepool is lower than the national rate of 92% and closer to the regional rate of 90.2%.
Adult Skills
Annual Population Survey Estimates suggest between 2017 and 2021, Hartlepool had a consistently lower proportion of its population that were qualified to NVQ Level 4+ than the wider region and England. There has been a fall in the estimate proportion with no qualifications falling from 15.6% in 2017 to 7.7% in 2021 which is lower than the North East Rate (8.1%) but still higher than the national rate (6.4%)#
Job Seeking Universal Credit Claimants
Universal credit claimants who are seeking employment live throughout the borough but are particularly concentrated in deprived neighbourhoods.
Supporting information: