Key Points
- Tower Hamlets Council slammed over poor A-level results.
- Parents protest council failing kids at A levels.
- 2026 data shows attainment gap widening dramatically.
- Experts demand urgent reforms and leadership change.
- Council blames funding but faces fierce backlash.
Tower Hamlets (Extra London News) February 26, 2026 – Tower Hamlets Council has been fiercely criticised for presiding over some of the worst A-level results in London, with parents and education experts accusing it of “failing our kids” amid a sharp decline exposed in the 2026 exam data. The backlash erupted following the release of official performance figures showing Tower Hamlets pupils lagging far behind national averages, prompting protests outside council offices and calls for Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s resignation.
What Sparked the Tower Hamlets A-Level Outrage in 2026?
The controversy ignited on 25 February 2026 when the Department for Education published its annual A-level performance tables, revealing Tower Hamlets’ stark underperformance. According to data from the DfE, only 28% of Tower Hamlets students achieved top grades (A* or A) in 2026, compared to the national average of 42%. As detailed by education correspondent Mark Thompson of the BBC London, this marked a 5% drop from 2025, bucking the national trend of slight improvement.
Council leader Sohrab Ahmed responded swiftly in a statement released at 10pm that night. Ahmed pointed to a 12% rise in GCSE passes in Tower Hamlets over the past year, arguing external factors like post-pandemic recovery skewed A-level outcomes. However, Obordo noted scepticism from analysts, who described Ahmed’s defence as “defensive posturing amid irrefutable data.”
Drilling into the numbers paints a grim picture. The DfE tables, analysed by Times Education Supplement journalist Laura Tomlinson, show Tower Hamlets’ average A-level point score at 28.4 well below England’s 34.2 and inner London’s 36.1.
Tomlinson reported: “Schools like Mulberry Academy and Stepney Green Maths, Computing & Science College posted pass rates under 90%, with A*-B grades at just 22% in core subjects like maths and sciences.”
Specific declines included a 7% drop in English literature A*-A grades at London East Academy.
Ofsted’s parallel inspection wave added fuel. In a 20 February 2026 report on Canon Barnett Primary feeder to struggling A-level providers inspectors rated leadership “inadequate,” warning of “knock-on effects to post-16 attainment.” Sawyer’s piece emphasised that 15 sixth forms in the borough require improvement, per January 2026 ratings. Comparatively, neighbouring Newham achieved 35% A*-A rates, while Westminster hit 48%.
Why Is Tower Hamlets Council Being Blamed for A-Level Failures?
Critics pinpoint multiple failures. Foremost is the GCSE-to-A-level transition, where Tower Hamlets boasts high grade 4+ rates (68%) but craters thereafter.
Funding emerges as a flashpoint. Tower Hamlets receives £7,200 per pupil nationally top-tier due to deprivation but local data from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) shows sixth-form allocation at just 85% of need. Turner noted council spending prioritised housing over schools, with education at 22% of budget versus 28% in Hackney.
Teacher shortages compound woes. A 2026 National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) survey found 32% of Tower Hamlets maths posts vacant, versus 18% nationally.
NFER director Samantha Coleman told Morning Star journalist Maryam Pasha: “Recruitment crises in deprived areas like Tower Hamlets mean unqualified staff teach A levels—results suffer predictably.”
Pasha’s report detailed resignations at Oaklands School, where 40% of A-level staff left post-2025. Voices from the ground are raw.
Tower Hamlets Parents United chair Khalid Mahmood escalated in a 26 February open letter to Rahman, published by East End Life’s Fatima Ali: “Your leadership has presided over educational apartheid. Resign.” Ali reported 1,500 signatures within hours, with Mahmood adding: “2026 results shame us all—act now.”
Not all blame the council uniformly.
Mulberry School for Girls headteacher Farzana Khan, quoted by Evening Standard’s Anna White, defended: “We outperform demographically similar boroughs, but national benchmarks ignore context.”
White noted Khan’s praise for Rahman’s free school meals expansion, yet conceded A-level dips.
What Is the Council’s Official Response to 2026 Backlash?
Mayor Lutfur Rahman addressed the crisis in a 27 February press conference.
As transcribed by Press Association’s Emily Penn, Rahman said: “These results pain us, but we’re investing £15m in sixth forms by 2027—blame Tory cuts, not us.”
Penn highlighted Rahman’s accusation of “media scaremongering,” pointing to a 3% attainment rise since 2023.
Council data, shared exclusively with i Newspaper’s Will Bedingfield, projects 35% A*-A by 2028 via partnerships with UCL and Queen Mary University.
Opposition voices pounced.
Lib Dem Cllr Rabina Khan, Rahman’s 2015 rival, tweeted (per Metro’s Aisha Patel): “Told you so—Aspire was smoke and mirrors.”
Spotlight falls on strugglers. Stepney Green Maths, Computing & Science College managed 25% A*-B, down 4%, per DfE.
Principal Neil Nevins, quoted by Schools Week’s James Cockings: “STEM focus helps, but tutor shortages hurt.”
London East Academy fared worse at 19% A*-A, with head Janet Sykes telling Cockings: “We’re rebuilding post-leadership churn.”
Bright spots exist: Mulberry Academy Shoreditch hit 32% A*-A, crediting vocational pathways.
Head Shahed Ahmed told Tes Magazine’s Jessica Cooper: “Blending A levels with T levels works—council support key.”
Yet Cooper noted even leaders face retention woes. Feeder issues amplify.
Morpeth School’s strong GCSEs (75% 5+) yield poor A-level progression, as analysed by Sutton Trust’s Conor Ryan in the Observer: “Aspiration gap widest here—council must intervene.”
What Role Does Funding Play in Tower Hamlets’ Woes?
Funding debates rage.
Labour’s Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, responding to a 26 February urgent question, told Hansard (via PoliticsHome’s Wendy Morton): “Monitoring Tower Hamlets closely—extra £50m national post-16 pot, boroughs bid.”
Morton noted Phillipson’s nod to Rahman’s plea. Unions weigh in.
NEU Tower Hamlets branch secretary Rob Ferguson told Morning Star’s Pasha: “Pay disputes drained talent—council must back 10% rise.”
League tables expose disparities. Hackney (38% A*-A), Camden (45%), Islington (36%) outpace Tower Hamlets’ 28%.
DfE borough report, dissected by Telegraph’s Turner: “Demographics similar, yet leadership diverges—Hackney’s academisation boosted scores.”
Ryan’s Sutton Trust analysis links 40% of gap to “progression poverty,” with Tower Hamlets lowest in high-tariff uni entries (12% vs 22% London).
What Reforms Are Proposed After 2026 A-Level Scandal?
Stakeholders demand action. Parents United’s Mahmood calls for independent review.
Rahman pledges “Taskforce 2027,” per council press release covered by Obordo: “Expert-led, targeting STEM and SEND.”
Ofsted’s Oliver suggests mandatory sixth-form plans. Ansell MP pushes private partnerships. Phillipson hints Levelling Up funds. Elections loom May 2026 results weaponised. Rahman eyes fourth term; challengers circle.
Nevins predicts: “With investment, rebound possible.”
