Students and staff at Eastbrook School in Dagenham overcame a traumatic period to achieve record results in GCSE.
A total of 47 per cent of pupils recorded five or more A*-C grades including maths and English.
Headteacher Valerie Dennis paid tribute to the teenagers who sat the exams shortly after pupil Thomas Stone tragically died in a road crash.
Mrs Dennis said: “For the fourth year running the results have risen and consistently improved.
“It was a strong year group and they and the staff have worked really well together.
“It has been an emotional year because of the death of a popular student. The funeral was held on the same day at the maths GCSE exam.
“It was a great relief and joy to see the smiles on the faces of the students who worked their socks off.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here