Nervous pupils are preparing for a day of reckoning today as GCSE results are released.

Last year’s results showed Tower Hamlets was two per cent up on the national average for the proportion of pupils achieving five A*-C grades.

Department for Education figures for 2012 showed that 61.8 per cent of pupils in the borough who sat the exams hit the target, compared to a national average of 59.5 per cent.

And the council is hoping to build on the previous year’s success.

A spokesman said: “With all the hard work and investment that has gone into local education, we are confident of another strong performance from our schools.”

Standout schools in last year’s batch of results included Redcoat Church of England Secondary in Stepney, where 165 out of 188 pupils eligible pupils achieved five A*-C grades, while at Mulberry School for Girls in Shadwell, 148 out of 200 pupils hit the target.

Since 2004/5, results in the borough have improved dramatically. In that academic year, just 34 per cent of pupils were hitting the target of five A*-Cs, compared to nearly 62 per cent this year. The improvements come despite Tower Hamlets’ continued status as the local authority with the highest levels of child poverty in the country.

For full coverage including a live blog of GCSE results in the borough on Thursday, visit www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk.