It’s not just teenagers who have been taking exams this summer.

Pupils making the transition from primary to secondary school have also spent time in exam halls, with the Year 6 pupils tested on their ability in English and maths.

The standard attainment tests, better known as Sats, are taken over the course of a week and aim to ensure 10 and 11-year-olds have reached the expected level by the time they finish primary school.

And while the results aren’t as crucial to a pupil’s career prospects as GCSE or A-level grades, they are important in checking that children have a good educational foundation before taking the step to secondary school.

The Sats consist of six papers, three in English, including a spelling test, and three in maths.

Nationally, the proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was 64 per cent - up from 61pc the previous year.

Pupils in Newham outperformed the national average, with early figures showing 73pc met the expected standard.

The borough’s pupils performed well in grammar, punctuation and spelling, with 85pc meeting the expected standard, above the national average of 77pc.

In maths, the Newham figure was 85pc, while the national average was 75pc.

In reading, the borough also exceeded the nationwide figure, with 79 making the grade compared to the country’s average of 75pc.

The success was praised by Cllr Julianne Marriott, cabinet member for education, children and young people, who said: “These results are truly impressive and shows our children perform better than other children nationally.

“Our children, their parents and everyone working in our schools should be very proud and deserve to be congratulated for their hard work.”

Across Newham, 38 of 65 schools improved on last year’s results.

The biggest rise was at Selwyn Primary School in Plaistow, which went up 40 percentage points from 46pc to 86pc.

Monega Primary School, Manor Park, went up 32 percentage pointso to 78pc, while St Helen’s Catholic Primary School, Canning Town, went up 28 percentage points to 85pc.

This year’s results are the third after a more rigorous national curriculum was introduced, aiming to make the country’s primary education among the best in the world.