Three east London schools are in the top five in the country in a national survey of exam results with Mayflower Primary in Poplar at the very top for the second year running.

Newham Recorder: Mayflower Primary... one of three east London schools marked in top 5 state schools in the country. Picture: Mayflower SchoolMayflower Primary... one of three east London schools marked in top 5 state schools in the country. Picture: Mayflower School (Image: Mayflower School)

St Anrthony’s RC Primary in Forest Gate is second on the “top schools” list for the second year running, while St Stephen’s in East Ham is fifth, from last year’s fourth place.

The survey is based on the 2,000 highest-achieving schools in the UK, ranked by their most recently-published results.

But Mayflower in Upper North Street which the Queen visited in 2017 has matched Britain’s top private prep school as number one in the Sunday Times survey as “state school of the year”.

Newham Recorder: The Queen visiting Mayflower School in 2017. Picture: Mike BrookeThe Queen visiting Mayflower School in 2017. Picture: Mike Brooke (Image: Mike Brooke)

It’s not big on homework and doesn’t stream pupils by ability, with half the 386 children from deprived overcrowded homes and four-out-of-10 qualifying for pupil premium funding.

Yet despite this, their standard assessment test results are the envy of prep schools and all other state schools.

Year 6 pupils achieved 114 points last year for reading and maths and 118 for grammar, punctuation and spelling, well above the 100 mark expected by the age of 11.

Newham Recorder: Queen's visit in 2017 marks centenary of Upper North Street School bombing during German air raid, archive photo showing caretaker Benjamin Batt sifting through rubble... his son among the 18 children killed. Picture: Tower Hamlets ArchiveQueen's visit in 2017 marks centenary of Upper North Street School bombing during German air raid, archive photo showing caretaker Benjamin Batt sifting through rubble... his son among the 18 children killed. Picture: Tower Hamlets Archive (Image: LBTH)

Mayflower’s tally was the highest of the 15,000 primary schools in the survey and equals the top prep school, Guildford High Junior in Surrey.

The school was visited by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh in June, 2017, to mark the centenary of a German air raid on the docks when it got a direct hit which killed 18 infants.

A century on and the children of 2017 did a special historic project to mark the centenary.

Newham Recorder: Pupil Ayaan Ahmed chosen to read his work out to the Queen on royal visit to Mayflower School in July, 2017. Picture: Mike BrookePupil Ayaan Ahmed chosen to read his work out to the Queen on royal visit to Mayflower School in July, 2017. Picture: Mike Brooke (Image: Mike Brooke)

Year 3 pupil Ayaan Ahmed from Limehouse was chosen to read his work out to the Queen.

Headteacher Dee Bleach invited the Queen and Prince Phillip to unveil a commemorative plaque.

“The centenary has brought our community together,” she told the royal couple. “This plaque will serve as a symbol of remembrance to those lives lost 100 years ago.”

Newham Recorder: The Queen's signature in visitors' book now pride of place at Mayflower School. Picture: Mike BrookeThe Queen's signature in visitors' book now pride of place at Mayflower School. Picture: Mike Brooke (Image: Mike Brooke)

The Queen signed the visitors’ book which today has its pride of place in the school—now added to by topping the national survey two years running.

The royal visit followed a remembrance service that day at nearby All Saints, conducted by the Bishop of Stepney, at the same parish church where the original funeral service for 15 of the children was held in 1917.

Newham Recorder: History project marking centenary year in 2017 in remembrance of 18 infant schoolchildren killed in German air raid in First World War. Picture: Mayflower SchoolHistory project marking centenary year in 2017 in remembrance of 18 infant schoolchildren killed in German air raid in First World War. Picture: Mayflower School (Image: Mayflower)