The first academic year at Stepney’s new Attlee A Level Academy with its working class ethos of aspiration has turned out top grades winning many students places at some of Britain’s elite universities.

East London Advertiser: Denisa Tanga who came to east London from Rumania hardly speaking English gets an A* and two As. Picture: Mike BrookeDenisa Tanga who came to east London from Rumania hardly speaking English gets an A* and two As. Picture: Mike Brooke (Image: Mike Brooke)

One student who came to Britain just three years ago with hardly any English has secured a place at a leading London business school with a degree course apprenticeship at KPMG accountancy firm in Canary Wharf.

Denisa Tanga, from Becton, who came to east London hardly speaking English, got an A* and two As.

"I'm from a working class family," she said. "For me to get to university is a first for us. I'm extremely proud."

A 100 per cent success rate was achieved in six subjects for the academy which was named after Britain's post-war working class Labour prime minister Clem Attlee who was also MP for Limehouse.

These were classical civilisation, English language and literature, Italian, law, film and media studies which included cultural exchange visits abroad, with 16 students recently returned from China and others from Rome.

New City college principal Alison Arnaud said: "A lot of our learners aspire to work in places like Canary Wharf and we know China is an upcoming economic market.

"The Attlee ethos is for high achievement with life skills that more privileged young people would have."

Her high achievers include Mohammed Adnan, with an A* and three As, who is to study natural sciences at Cambridge, and Meng Jie with two A*s, an A and a B to study chemistry at UCL.

East London Advertiser: Tanjuma Hussain gets a distinction in design, showing her BTec result to Attlee Academy arts tutor Denise Clendenning. Picture: Mike BrookeTanjuma Hussain gets a distinction in design, showing her BTec result to Attlee Academy arts tutor Denise Clendenning. Picture: Mike Brooke (Image: Mike Brooke)

Those on BTec courses, which are being replaced by UAL qualifications, also did well.

Tanjuma Hussain, 17, from Langdon Park in Poplar, got a distinction at Level 3 and plans to return for the final level before applying to do a BA Hons degree at Central St Martin's School of Art.

"It was a lot of hard work," she said. "I often locked myself in the living room at home to get on with my studies."

Sameeha Abdulsalam, 20, from East Ham, a Sri Lankan who came to Britain from France four years ago without any English, got three distinctions, more than she expected.

She didn't have internet when her family arrived here and found it hard having to learn English as well. She wants to study audiology at Middlesex University.