LONDON’S Swaminarayan School has been ranked second in a list of top independent schools.

The GCSE results for summer 2009 for the Neasden school surpassed all previous records with 54 per cent of the grades achieved were either A* or A.

Mahendra Savjani, headteacher of the school said of the ranking, published by the Daily Telegraph: “The Year 11 students did exceptionally well last summer with some outstanding performances. For example, Tanuj Srivastava gained 8 A* grades at GCSE and 4 A grades at AS level.

"Kavit Gopaldas achieved 9 A* and 3 A grades. The secret is teamwork – pupils, parents, teachers and governors all pulling in the same direction.”

In January 2008 the school, which has been in existence only since 1992, was listed fourth in the table of top independent schools published by the newspaper.