Barking and Dagenham secondary schools are performing above average in GCSE English and maths, according to the latest league tables that have been published.

Overall 43.1 per cent of the borough’s students achieved a Grade 5 or above in English language, English literature, and mathematics GCSEs, compared to a national average of 39.6pc.

The results are based on pupils who were the first to sit the new, tougher GCSEs in English and maths, which are graded 9 to 1 – with 9 being the highest – rather than the old A* to G method.

When it comes to the government’s new Progress 8 measure, which shows how much progress a pupil has made between the end of Key Stage 2 (aged 11) and the end of Key Stage 4 (GCSEs), the borough’s overall score is above average at 0.23.

A score of 0 is the national average and would mean students made the expected progress by the time they left, while a positive score shows further development.

This places the borough 20th out of 149 local authorities in England for the Progress 8 measurement.

‘Hard work and dedication’

Councillor Evelyn Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, said: “This is welcome news that demonstrates the hard work and dedication of our schools and their staff in helping the borough’s young people unlock their full potential.

“We have some bright minds in our borough and this is further proof that Barking and Dagenham is as good as anywhere to get and education.”