Michelle Obama mobbed by pupils on visit to Whitechapel’s Mulberry School for Girls

Michelle Obama has been in London’s East End meeting pupils and teachers at Mulberry Secondary School for Girls.

The US First Lady arrived at the school in Whitechapel’s Commercial Road to discuss joint work between America and Britain to boost education for adolescent girls across the world through the Let Girls Learn programme, championed by US president Barack Obama.

Pupils at the single-sex comprehensive had a chance to grill the first lady along with Australia’s former Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who chairs the board of the Global Partnership for Education.

“The First Lady is one of the greatest, most inspiring women of our time,” the school’s head-teacher Dr Vanessa Ogden said.

“Her use of her platform as First Lady to push change for girls has helped to break down barriers in access to education for a civilised world.”

Mulberry is achieving success despite more than seven-out-of-10 pupils being entitled to ‘pupil premium’.

But social-economic disadvantage “need not prevent students achieving academic success,” the school said.

Staff were discussing “shared values” with Michelle Obama during this-morning’s visit.

Mrs Obama along with her mother and two daughters touched down at Stansted Airport last night, greeted by US military families.

She is visiting Britain to discuss her campaigns for girls’ education and better support for military families and is due to meet Prince Harry and later have tea at 10 Downing Street with David Cameron and his wife Samantha.