Improvements to secondary schools in Tower Hamlets mean the borough is now among the top 10 best performers in the country, according to education watchdog OFSTED.

All 18 of the borough’s state schools received either ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ ratings in the latest survey published by OFSTED.

Improvements to three institutions, surveyed in August last year, elevated the borough into the top six performers in London and the top 10 nationally.

Bow School, in Fairfield Road, and George Green’s on the Isle of Dogs were both given ratings of ‘good’, while St Paul’s Way Trust School in Bow Common was rated ‘outstanding’. All three had previously been rated ‘satisfactory’.

Tower Hamlets Council’s cabinet member for children, schools and families Cllr Oliur Rahman said: “An awful lot of hard work and effort from a great many people has gone into transforming some of our schools.”

Other high performing London boroughs included Kensington and Chelsea, Sutton and Harrow. Only nine local authorities nationally saw all their schools receive ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ ratings.

George Green’s principal Mrs Kenny Frederick said: “Our school is continuing its journey of improvement and it’s pleasing that our strengths in literacy and numeracy, our good and increasingly outstanding staff and our emphasis on citizenship and mutual respect are all recognised.”

Bow School headteacher Cath Smith said she was “proud” of the findings, while St Paul’s Way Trust School headteacher Grahame Price said his school had benefitted from working with others in the borough.