BANGLADESHI year 6 pupils are still underperforming in English and Maths but have made improvements in the last four years, the latest government figures show.

Bangladeshi students across the country fell slightly behind in the key subjects, with 72 per cent reaching Level 4 in English and Maths, compared to a national average of 74 per cent, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Education.

They have narrowed the gap significantly since 2006 though, when only 63 per cent reached the required level, compared to a 70 per cent average.

The educational abilities of the ten and 11-year-olds in Tower Hamlets as a whole, however, are deemed to be slightly better than the national average,

In 2006, East End pupils achieving the target level in English and Maths was 69 per cent but that figure rose to 75 per cent this year.

Girls continue to pull up their male peers.

This year, 78 per cent of East End girls reached the required level, while only 72 per cent of boys did.

Both girls and boys have improved since 2006, when those figures were 73 per cent for girls and 69 per cent for boys.

Pupils in the borough who do not speak English as their first language did very well compared to the average for England.

Youngsters eligible for free school meals are also outperforming.

Of the 68 primary schools in the borough, 33 participated in the study.

All of them, however, refused to give statistics on how well youngsters from different ethnic groups are performing, so there are only the national figures to go on.