Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

School with majority of South Asian-origin pupils tops UK league

A state-funded school in east London with majority of its students from South Asian background has beaten the UK's best known private institutions to top a prestigious primary schools league table released today.

St Stephen's Primary School in East Ham, which has mostly pupils from Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds with English not as their first language, was listed as the best in the Schools Guide 2018 released by The Sunday Times.

The Indian-origin head-teacher of the school Neena Lall, said her school's "mantra" is "every child can".


"If they can't, why can't they," she said, adding that good manners and respect were equally valued.
According to the league table, at the age of seven, St Stephen's pupils know all their times tables up to 12 and read "hard" books such as Anthony Horowitzs Alex Rider series.
By the time they are 10, they have finished the national curriculum and are ready to spend a year problem-solving.
Therefore the 11-year-olds at the school were found to be the best at reading, spelling and doing their sums.
"It is about expectation. I was privately educated, so was my chair of governors. Everyone sits the [Scholastic Assessment Tests - SATs] tests when they are 11. There is a no excuses culture; every day counts," Lall said.
Lall said she was shocked three years ago when she asked in an assembly how the children thought of themselves.
Many answered "Indian" or "Pakistani". Since then, the school has pushed the idea that they are British too, the newspaper reports.
"Everything we do here comes from our vision that every St Stephen's child blossoms into a confident, respectful, modern British citizen prepared to be an aspirational contributor in the global community," she said.
The annual School's Guide identifies the 650 highest achieving junior schools in the UK, ranked by their recent examination results, as part of a Parent Power series that will cover secondary schools next week.

More For You

F-35B jet

The UK has agreed to move the aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport.

Indian Air Force

F-35B jet still stranded in Kerala, UK sends engineers for repair

UK AVIATION engineers are arriving in Thiruvananthapuram to carry out repairs on an F-35B Lightning jet belonging to the Royal Navy, which has remained grounded after an emergency landing 12 days ago.

The jet is part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group of the UK's Royal Navy. It made the emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14. The aircraft, valued at over USD 110 million, is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ahmedabad air crash
Relatives carry the coffin of a victim, who was killed in the Air India Flight 171 crash, during a funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ahmedabad crash: Grief, denial and trauma haunt families

TWO weeks after the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, families of victims are grappling with grief and trauma. Psychiatrists are now working closely with many who continue to oscillate between denial and despair.

The crash occurred on June 12, when the London-bound flight hit the BJ Medical College complex shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and 29 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

Prime minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at The British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference in London on June 26, 2025. (Photo by EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he was wrong to warn that Britain could become an "island of strangers" due to high immigration, saying he "deeply" regrets the controversial phrase.

Speaking to The Observer, Sir Keir said he would not have used those words if he had known they would be seen as echoing the language of Enoch Powell's notorious 1968 "rivers of blood" speech.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

Sir Sajid Javid (Photo by Tom Nicholson-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

A cross-party group has been formed to tackle the deep divisions that sparked last summer's riots across England. The new commission will be led by former Tory minister Sir Sajid Javid and ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas.

The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion has backing from both prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. It brings together 19 experts from different political parties and walks of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Masum

Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)

West Yorkshire Police

Habibur Masum convicted of murdering estranged wife in front of baby

A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Bradford in front of their baby has been convicted of murder.

Habibur Masum, 26, attacked 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in broad daylight on April 6, 2024, stabbing her more than 25 times while she pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram. The baby was not harmed.

Keep ReadingShow less