A Dagenham headteacher has won a London-wide award in recognition of his school’s achievements in supporting pupils who start off behind their peers.

Simon Abeledo of Rush Green Primary School was given the award at a ceremony on City Hall on September 1.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan recognised Rush Green Primary School’s achievements as part of his Schools for Success programme.

He noted they are in the top five per cent of schools nationally in terms of improving their pupils’ attainment.

Measures which helped achieve this include one-to-one tutoring and free breakfasts.

Mr Abeledo says he is pleased that improvement is being used as a metric to judge schools by.

He said: “Sometimes I think we can be too exam results focused.

“It’s fantastic - it really is cudos for all the hard work we have put in over the last few years. Our children have worked really hard.”

As part of the scheme, Rush Green will now work with other schools to share ideas about how their success can be replicated.