A Guide to Living in Borough of Newham

Where is Newham?

Newham is located in east London, in the metropolitan area known as Greater London. It is bordered by the London Boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Waltham Forest, and Redbridge.

Areas in Newham

There are a number of different areas in Newham that offer something unique for residents. Some of the most popular include:

Canning Town: This area is home to a large Bangladeshi community and offers some great cultural experiences. It is also close to the city centre and has excellent transport links.

West Ham: West Ham is known for its lively nightlife and abundance of restaurants. It is also located close to the Olympic Stadium, which makes it perfect for football fans.

Green Street: This is a great shopping area with plenty of supermarkets and markets to choose from. It also has fantastic transport links and good schools in the local area.

Plaistow: This area is known for its abundance of green spaces, as well as a variety of shops and restaurants to choose from. It also has good schools in the local area.

Universities in Newham

As a part of metropolitan London, there are many universities to choose from in the borough of Newham.

Kingston University, London Campus – Kingston University’s main campus is located within the borough of Newham, although there are other campuses outside this region as well such as Uxbridge College which offers nursing degrees among others (see our guide on healthcare jobs).

The university was established by Royal Charter on April 18th 1965 making it one of only two universities founded after 1960 that still exist today (the other being City University). It was originally called Kingston Polytechnic until 1992 when its name changed to Kingston University.

Queen Mary, University of London – Queen Mary is a constituent college of the federal University of London and has three campuses in Mile End, Whitechapel and Charterhouse Square (the last two are both located within Newham).

The university was founded in 1887 as the East London College and gained full university status in 1989. It’s one of the largest colleges in terms of student numbers in the UK with around 20,000 undergraduate students and more than 11,000 postgraduates.

University of East London – The UEL was founded originally as Thames Polytechnic in 1974, gaining university status in 1992. It has four campuses across east London (Docklands, Stratford, and Barking) with a total of over 20,000 students from more than 120 countries.

The university is home to the SportsDock athletic centre which has been used for the 2012 Olympics in London.

Top Schools in Newham

There are many excellent schools around Newham including specialist language colleges such as Plashet School (for girls) and Eastlea Community School (for boys).

Primary schools in Newham include St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Ellen Wilkinson Primary School, and Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Language College.

Secondary schools in Newham include Forest Gate Community School (for boys), Rokeby Secondary School, Lister Community school (mixed), Plashet Girls’ secondary school, and Sarah Bonnell Foundation for Girls.

Population of Newham

Newham has a population of around 315,000 people with an average age of 32 years old – which is significantly lower than the national average. The median household income stands at £35k per year while the gender breakdown is 48% female vs 52% male. Ethnicity is broadly reflective of London as a whole, with 38% white British, 25% black African, 20% Indian, and 12% other Asian.