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Peterborough has risen up the national ranks in Key Stage 2 SATs results over the past decade. In 2016, the city was ranked at the very bottom of the country at 43 percent when it came to the percentage of KS2 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
The government recently released provisional national performance data for KS2 results in 2024/25 which showed Peterborough had improved this percentage to 59 percent, just three percent below the national average.
Councillor Katy Cole, cabinet member for children's services at Peterborough City Council, said: "Although the journey is not finished, this is a notable achievement for the city, which has seen a positive turnaround since 2016 when it was ranked at the bottom of the KS2 attainment league table."
There are now 36 areas in the country out of 151 with a lower percentage than Peterborough and 11 areas with the same score.
The regional average across the East of England was 59 percent, with Peterborough now ranked higher than Suffolk (58 percent), Bedford (56 percent) and Cambridgeshire (56 percent).
In Peterborough, Barnack Primary School, Orton St John's Church School, Winyates Primary School and Paston Ridings Primary School were among some of the top KS2 performers nationally and are part of a federation called Spirit.
Colette Firth, Spirit's executive head of school, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I am so delighted with the KS2 results this year not only for Spirit schools but the whole city.
"I've worked in Peterborough for a really long time and what I see now more than ever is schools working together for the greater good, improving children's lives by improving their education and attainment.
"Schools learning from one another. Peterborough is a great place to learn."
Councillor Cole added that the council was "thrilled" with the progress Peterborough primary schools had made.
"This impressive progress is a testament to the dedicated efforts of teachers, school leaders, and the wider community in Peterborough," she said.
"Several key changes have contributed to this improvement, including school leaders driving a relentless focus on achievement and high standards, developing a culture of sharing good practice and collaboration across the education community and engaging parents and carers in their children's education, fostering a collaborative approach to learning.
"The education team at Peterborough City Council works in close partnership with all schools on factors which impact on the outcomes pupils achieve including school leadership, attendance and inclusion and look forward to building further on the successes evident this year."
She assured that the council would continue to build on this success and "strive for even greater improvements in the future".
East of England results
The percentage of KS2 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Thurrock - 69% Essex - 63% Luton - 63% Hertfordshire - 61% Peterborough - 59% Southend-on-Sea - 59% Suffolk - 58% Bedford - 56% Cambridgeshire - 56% Norfolk - 55% Central Bedfordshire - 50%