Barking and Dagenham's children and young people are continuing to achieve strong educational outcomes, with new figures showing improvements across key stages and performance that exceeds national averages in a number of important measures.
A report to Cabinet highlights the borough's education performance during the 2025/26 academic year and outlines priorities for the new Education & Participation Strategic Plan 2027-2030.
The report shows that 97 per cent of schools and settings in Barking and Dagenham are rated at least Good under the previous Ofsted framework or meet the required standards across all areas of the new inspection framework.
Children's outcomes also continue to improve across all phases of education. In Early Years, the proportion of children achieving a Good Level of Development increased to 72.7 per cent, rising above the national average for the first time and narrowing the gap with London.
At primary school level, 68 per cent of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, placing the borough in the top national performance quartile. Achievement at the higher standard also improved significantly, with the rate of improvement outpacing both London and national averages.
Strong progress is also being seen in secondary education. The proportion of pupils achieving a strong pass in GCSE English and maths increased to 49.1 per cent, while results in both English and mathematics remain above national averages.
The borough's post-16 students also recorded some of the best outcomes in recent years, with more than 3,000 qualifications achieved and improvements in key A-level measures. More young people progressed to higher education, while 40 young people secured competitive degree apprenticeships with leading organisations including KPMG, Deloitte, Morgan Stanley, Bloomberg and Shell.
The report also highlights success in supporting young people beyond the classroom. Barking and Dagenham is now among the top-performing areas nationally for reducing the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), with the figure falling to 3.2 per cent, significantly better than the national average.
Attendance across borough schools continues to outperform national figures, while suspension rates remain substantially below both London and national averages.
Alongside academic achievement, the council and its partners have continued investing in opportunities that help young people thrive. Earlier this year, The Rising Generation Youth Centre opened its doors, youth services expanded, and more than 5,000 children and young people took part in the borough's Holiday Activities and Food programme.
Councillor Jane Jones, Cabinet Member for Children's Social Care, Education and Schools, said: "These results are a real testament to the dedication and commitment of our schools, teachers, support staff, families and young people. Barking and Dagenham continues to deliver strong outcomes, with children achieving above national averages in many key areas and more young people progressing into higher education, apprenticeships and employment.
"We are particularly proud that our schools continue to be highly inclusive, that attendance remains strong, and that we are among the best-performing areas nationally for supporting young people to stay in education, employment and training. The new Education and Participation Strategic Plan priorities set out how we will build on these achievements, ensuring every child and young person has the opportunity to belong, matter and succeed."