A headteacher has vowed to “never stop” inspiring pupils after her school topped the league tables.

Akiva Primary School, in East End Road, Finchley, was ranked as the best school in Barnet for Year 6 pupils, out of 125 others.

The Jewish school also came 16th out of England’s 21,370 primary state schools in the Department for Education’s league tables for 2013.

Headteacher Susy Stone said: “Once you’re at the top, you want to maintain that. We won’t be resting on our laurels with this.

“We’ll never stop challenging the pupils. We’ve got high expectations for them, and they will continue to excel. They’ve worked so hard for this and I’m incredibly proud.

“This good result is down to the school’s great teamwork skills. We’ve got an excellent team of teaching and support staff.”

Year 5 pupils also topped the league tables coming out fourth across Barnet with a 98 per cent pass rate.

The school is Barnet’s first accredited De Bono Thinking School, where children are taught thinking as a skill.

Ms Stone added: “We don’t just coast on the children who come in - we look on their strengths and add value to that.

“We challenge the children and we produce consistent hard work. There’s a constant drive for excellence here.”