A new study has revealed that Greater Manchester has officially been crowned the smartest area of the UK.
According to the research, on average, 48% more students in Greater Manchester achieve the top GCSE grade of 9 in the core subjects of Maths, English Language and Literature, Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, than the average for all the regions on the list.
Greater Manchester also has over 200% more students attaining Grade 9s on average than Kent – which is the region where students achieve the fewest Grade 9s.
The research – which has been carried out by international education providers Oxford Summer School – saw new data from the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) analysed to discover which areas in the UK achieved the highest average results for core GCSE subjects in 2021.
Following Greater Manchester, Tyne and Wear is the second most intelligent area in the UK.
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45% more students in the North East area achieved a Grade 9 in the core subjects, than the average for all regions surveyed, and Tyne and Wear also has 214% more students attaining a Grade 9 in Maths, Science, and English Language and Literature, than Kent.
Greater Manchester has officially been crowned the smartest area of the UK / Credit: Unsplash (lilartsy)
Cambridgeshire is the third smartest region in the UK, with 44% more students in the area achieving a Grade 9 in the core subjects compared to the average, while Buckinghamshire and the Isle of Wight round out the top five.
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Cheshire claims the sixth spot, while fellow Northern regions of Cumbria and West Yorkshire claim places in the top 15.
Top 15 Most Intelligent Places in the UK
Greater Manchester
Tyne and Wear
Cambridgeshire
Buckinghamshire
Isle of Wight
Cheshire
West Midlands
Essex
Greater London
Cumbria
Hampshire
Rutland
Gloucestershire
West Yorkshire
Cornwall
At the other end of the scale, as already mentioned, Kent is the area where students achieve the lowest percentage of Grade 9s in the key GCSE subjects of Maths, Science and English Language – which is 53% less than the average for all regions.
Merseyside, Suffolk, and Surrey are all places that also rank lower on the list, with students achieving 33%, 25%, and 20% fewer Grade 9s at GCSE than the average for all UK areas.
M&S launches new Too Good To Go partnership – with NINE Greater Manchester stores signed up
Emily Sergeant
M&S has finally decided to partner with food waste charity, Too Good To Go.
As of yesterday, a total of 350 M&S stores across the UK – including nine major sites in Greater Manchester – now offer new Too Good To Go ‘Surprise Bags’ that are made up of surplus bakery goodies, giving customers the chance to collect quality food at a reduced price at the end of the day directly from in-store bakeries.
The launch follows a trial in a select number of UK stores, and the Surprise Bags will include bakery treats such as pastries, cookies, and fresh bread.
The partnership with Too Good To Go is the latest move in M&S Food’s work to reduce surplus food and ensure good food doesn’t go to waste.
Greater Manchester stores that will be taking part in the new Too Good To Go partnership include Manchester Market Street, Trafford Centre, Stockport, Spinningfields, Prestwich, Wigan Robin, Bolton Middlebrook, Bury The Rock, and Ashton Moss.
Each of the Surprise Bags will include three to four bakery products to a minimum retail price of £10.20 for just £3.80.
Available Monday to Saturday, customers can order their Surprise Bags through the Too Good To Go app, and collect them one hour before their local store closes.
“It’s great to be involved in this new launch with Too Good To Go to help reduce food waste,” commented Chris Parker, who is the Store Manager at M&S Bolton Middlebrook.
“Our in-store bakeries are incredibly popular with customers, and at the end of the day, customers will now be able to order and collect surprise bags offering fantastic surplus bakery products at great value.
“By finding new ways to re-purpose surplus products, we’re helping ensure more food is enjoyed rather than wasted. This partnership is another positive step towards reaching our goal of halving food waste by 2030.”
Featured Image – Supplied
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Both Manchester United and Manchester City named as teams with the least amount of local fans
Emily Sergeant
Both Manchester United and Manchester City have been identified as being teams with the least amount of local fans, according to a new survey.
We all know that supporting a local team can be seen as a mark of credibility among a certain kind of football fan, while on the flip side of that, not following a local team is often associated with being a ‘glory hunter’. But which Premier League clubs have the highest – and lowest – proportion of supporters living close to home?
Well, YouGov decided to use its profiles data to analyse the fanbases of all 20 Premier League clubs for the 2026-27 season to get the answer to this once and for all.
And it’s fair to say that it’s not looking the best for the Manchester teams.
The study found that, overall, Brighton & Hove Albion is the Premier League’s most local team – with 56% of fans based in the South East.
Sunderland (50%) and Nottingham Forest (49%) supporters are the next-most likely to live in the same region as their teams, followed by Aston Villa, Brentford, Ipswich, Leeds, Fulham, Hull, and Crystal Palace fans rounding out the top 10.
At the other end of the table, Manchester United has the second-lowest proportion of local supporters, with only a quarter based in the North West (23%), with one in six (17%) actually living in London instead.
And then as for Manchester City – who are widely considered to be the most successful team of the modern era – it has ranked fourth-bottom for local fans, as a quarter of the club’s supporters are based in the North West, with a fifth based in London (19%).
But although both United and City have found themselves towards the bottom end of the ranking, they are not the worst offenders.
That title, unfortunately, does belong to another North West team though – Liverpool.
Liverpool is the club with the lowest proportion of ‘local’ supporters, as just a fifth are based in the North West (21%) with the next highest concentration of fans can being found in London.
Emily Sergeant -
26th January 2022 
