Girls outshone boys in last year’s GCSEs in both the new baccalaureate and the traditional five A* to C grade measurement, according to government data released this week.

It comes as Barking and Dagenham Council celebrated a 27-place leap from 84th to 57th in the country for children achieving five or more A* to C grades including English and maths.

Female students in Barking and Dagenham out-performed their male counterparts at seven out of nine schools on the normal measure of achievement.

But in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a new standard of measuring results launched by former education secretary Michael Gove, girls beat boys in all but one school.

All Saints Catholic School, Barking Abbey School, Dagenham Park CofE School, Eastbury Comprehensive School, Roberta Clack School and The Sydney Russell School all saw between 63 and 77 per cent of girls achieve five A* to C grades including English and maths.

For boys it ranged from 71pc at All Saints down to just 33pc at Eastbrook Comprehensive.

However, boys bucked the general trend and out-performed girls in both measures at The Warren School in Whalebone Lane, which has been fighting for a year to stop being turned into an Academy following poor Ofsted ratings.

The government notes that 90,000 more students have taken the EBacc since it was introduced in 2010, a rise of 71pc in four years.

Cllr Evelyn Carpenter, cabinet member for education and schools, said: “The local authority is raising the bar on achievement in our schools even in the context of unprecedented increase in the school population and cuts to funds.”

The results data, released by the Department for Education, shows that the borough has moved closer to the top third nationally, with GCSE results of 58.2pc – nearly 2pc higher than the national average of 56.6 pc.

The borough is ranked thirteenth in the country for expected progress in English – more than 2pc above the London average and 9pc above the national average.

Cllr Carpenter added: “I am proud of the achievements of our schools, pupils and their teachers.

“We have an ambitious commitment to further raise expected standards and have a shared ambition with our family of schools for every child and young person to be well educated and realise their highest aspirations.”