Camden’s state schools outscore 86% of towns in England
Reading, writing and maths at the expected standard: 73% of primary pupils in Camden, above both London’s towns (70%) and towns in England (62%). 56 state-funded schools are located in Camden’s built-up area. Camden grades A for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #22 of 33 in London. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Camden’s secondary results beat 68% of English towns; its primary results beat 94%. 73% of the London borough’s 11-year-olds meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England and 74% across Camden. The spread between primaries is wide: 95% at St Luke's Church of England School, 53% at Netley Primary School. Every school’s result ↓
Kingsgate beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At Kingsgate Primary School, 60% of pupils are on free school meals and 87% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 52%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Camden grades A for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (73% meet the standard)Better than 94% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (48.5 and 50%)Better than 68% of towns in England
The primary figure lifts Camden; the secondary figure holds it back.
Each of Camden’s 38 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Camden’s 10 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolCamden’s average school
The primary figure: 38 primaries in the town, 3,961 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 10 secondaries in the town, 1,499 pupils in results. Mainstream state schools only (grammar schools included); special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19 colleges are listed below but not graded. Each school’s results are compared with every school in England, then weighted by its pupils.
Map
Where Camden’s 56 state schools are
Each school at its address, coloured by its own letter and sized by pupils. Open a school for its own page. The dashed shape is Camden’s built-up area.
PrimarySecondarySpecial, nursery, 16–19Size: pupilsABCDNo letter
Most schools give places by distance once siblings are in, so the schools nearest a home matter more than any league table.
Results and intake
Which schools do better than their intake suggests
Schools with more pupils on free school meals tend to get lower results. The dashed line is the typical school in England for each level of free school meals; the band holds the middle two-thirds. A dot above the band is doing better than schools like it.
Primaries: KS2 reading, writing and maths against free school meals
Secondaries: Attainment 8 against free school meals
The share of pupils on free school meals runs from 1% at Christ Church Primary School, Hampstead to 73% at Haverstock School. Against schools with the same intake, Kingsgate Primary School does best: 87% with 60% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 52%. 37 of 38 primaries and 9 of 10 secondaries are above the line.
Free school meals: pupils eligible now, DfE January 2026 census. The typical-school line is a straight-line fit across every graded school in England. It describes; it doesn’t grade: the School Grade uses results alone.
Getting a place
How school places work in Camden
Camden Council handles applications for every state school in Camden, academies included. You apply to the council where you live, even for a school in another area.
Secondary (starting at 11)Apply by 31 October of Year 6. Offers on 1 March.
Primary (starting in Reception)Apply by 15 January before the September your child starts. Offers on 16 April.
Moving mid-yearApply to the council for an in-year place; it tells you which schools have room.
When a school is full
Every school publishes its admissions rules. Children in care come first, then, at most schools, brothers and sisters of current pupils, then those who live nearest. 20 of Camden’s 48 mainstream schools have a religious character; some of them give priority by church attendance, so check each school’s rules. Infant classes are limited to 30 by law. If you’re refused a place, you can appeal to an independent panel.
Pupils on roll as a share of the school’s official capacity. The black tick is 100%; 6 schools are at or over it.
Christopher Hatton incl. nursery109%
Fitzjohn's incl. nursery109%
Acland Burghley104%
St Mary's Kilburn incl. nursery103%
Fleet incl. nursery103%
Parliament Hill102%
Hampstead Parochial99%
Christ Church School, Hampstead99%
Eleanor Palmer incl. nursery99%
Emmanuel incl. nursery99%
Show all 48 schools
The Camden School for Girls98%
Torriano incl. nursery98%
St Eugene de Mazenod Roman97%
Regent High95%
Holy Trinity and Saint Silas95%
West Hampstead incl. nursery95%
Kentish Town incl. nursery95%
Hawley incl. nursery93%
Brecknock incl. nursery93%
St Luke's92%
Gospel Oak incl. nursery92%
Richard Cobden incl. nursery90%
Hampstead90%
Kings Cross incl. nursery89%
Edith Neville incl. nursery89%
Kingsgate incl. nursery88%
William Ellis86%
Primrose Hill incl. nursery86%
Haverstock85%
The UCL85%
Holy Trinity84%
Our Lady Roman incl. nursery83%
St Paul's83%
Rhyl incl. nursery82%
Christ Church incl. nursery81%
Brookfield incl. nursery81%
St George the Martyr incl. nursery81%
Maria Fidelis80%
Abacus Belsize80%
Netley incl. nursery80%
Rosary incl. nursery78%
St Mary and St Pancras incl. nursery75%
New End incl. nursery64%
Argyle incl. nursery62%
St Josephs incl. nursery60%
St Patrick's incl. nursery54%
La Sainte Union45%
St Alban's incl. nursery34%
DfE register of schools (GIAS), January 2026 census. Capacity often excludes a nursery class, so a school with a nursery can show over 100%.
The schools
56 state schools in Camden
Each school’s own letter compares its results with every state school in England of the same phase: Key Stage 2 for primaries, GCSEs for secondaries. Open a school for its results, how its letter is worked out, Ofsted and a map.
Letters of Camden’s schoolsA28B14C5D18 without a letter
Key result: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (GCSEs, 2025/26 provisional) for secondaries; the share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (KS2, DfE’s three-year average) for primaries. Pupils: the January 2026 school census. No letter: an infant or first school (no KS2 tests), a new school, a small cohort DfE suppresses, or a special school, nursery or college. Independent schools aren’t included.
Ofsted
Ofsted report cards
Each school’s latest inspection; report cards replace one-word judgements as schools are re-inspected.
Outstanding 12Good 10Report card 6Ungraded inspection only 28
Ofsted stopped giving one-word judgements in 2024. Until a school is re-inspected, its last overall judgement is its most recent single grade; a school judged years ago may have changed a lot since.
Since November 2025 Ofsted gives each area of a school one of five grades (exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention, urgent improvement) and says whether safeguarding is met, instead of one overall word. 6 of Camden’s 56 state schools have a report card so far; the others show their last inspection under the old framework. Ofsted is never part of the School Grade.
Academies are state schools run by a trust rather than the council: the trust employs the staff and can set its own curriculum and term dates. Admissions still go through the council.
Run by
Schools
Pupils
Their letters
Ucl AcademyThe UCL
1
972
B−
King's Cross Academy TrustKings Cross
1
399
C
Anthem Schools TrustAbacus Belsize
1
168
A+
St Luke's Church of England SchoolSt Luke's
1
97
A+
Camden CouncilAcland Burghley, Hampstead, Parliament Hill, The Camden School for Girls, Regent High, Haverstock, William Ellis, Maria Fidelis, Kingsgate, La Sainte Union, Torriano, West Hampstead, Gospel Oak, Primrose Hill, Netley, Richard Cobden, Rhyl, Brookfield, New End, Brecknock, Rosary, Argyle, Swiss Cottage, Eleanor Palmer, Emmanuel, Christopher Hatton, Fitzjohn's, Kentish Town, Hawley, St Mary's Kilburn, Fleet, Edith Neville, Hampstead Parochial, St Eugene de Mazenod Roman, Holy Trinity and Saint Silas, Our Lady Roman, Christ Church School, Hampstead, St George the Martyr, St Mary and St Pancras, St Paul's, Christ Church, Holy Trinity, St Josephs, St Patrick's, Thomas Coram Centre, St Alban's, Royal Free Hospital Children's, Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children, Harmood, Heath, Camden Pupil Referral Unit, Children's Hospital School at Gt Ormond Street and UCH
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
Every state secondary in Camden has its own sixth form. City Lit, a further-education college, is in the London borough. WM College, a further-education college, is in the London borough. Capital City College, a further-education college, is in the London borough.
Special schools and alternative provision in Camden
Camden has 5 special schools (Children's Hospital School at Gt Ormond Street and UCH, Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children, Harmood, Royal Free Hospital Children's and Swiss Cottage: 388 pupils) and 2 alternative provision schools, for pupils who can’t attend mainstream school for a time. A special-school place isn’t applied for like a mainstream one: for a child with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), Camden Council names the school in the plan, after asking the family’s preference. These schools have no letter, because their results don’t compare with mainstream schools’. Their cards ↑
Camden Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
13th of 43 English towns and cities of 147,000 to 283,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Camden, and the top and bottom of the group.
Hammersmith and Fulham has the best-graded schools nearby (A+). Small places often use the schools within 3 km, so neighbours can share schools.
How to read these numbers
What this data can and can’t tell you
•
Expected standard at Key Stage 2. The share of 11-year-olds who reach the expected standard in reading, writing and maths together, in tests and teacher assessment at the end of primary school. We use DfE’s three-year average (2023–2025) to steady small schools.
•
Higher standard. The share working at greater depth in all three. In Camden: 16% (England’s average school: 8%).
•
Attainment 8. A pupil’s GCSE grades across eight subjects, with English and maths counted twice, added up. 50 is roughly a grade 5 in every subject.
•
Grade 5+ in English and maths. A strong pass in both. Grade 4 is a standard pass.
•
Provisional. 2025/26 GCSE figures are DfE’s first release; revised figures follow in February, usually within a point.
•
Progress 8. Not shown: there is none for 2025/26, because these pupils sat no KS2 tests in 2020 (Covid).
•
Free school meals. Pupils eligible for free school meals now, from the January census: the usual measure of how many pupils come from low-income homes.
•
Independent schools. Not included: they publish no results comparable with state schools’.
Questions about schools in Camden
Are schools in Camden good?
Camden’s state schools earn an A against schools across England: primary results beat 94% of towns in England; secondary results beat 68% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Camden council.
What is the best secondary school in Camden?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, The Camden School for Girls: Attainment 8 of 65.1 and 78% with grade 5+ in English and maths, against 47.3 at the average school in England. Results are one measure; distance decides most places.
What is the best primary school in Camden?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St Luke's Church of England School: 95% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Camden secondary schools have sixth forms?
Yes, all 10 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Camden?
Through Camden Council, for every state school including academies. Secondary applications close on 31 October (offers 1 March); primary on 15 January (offers 16 April).
How many schools in Camden are full?
6 of 48 mainstream schools have at least as many pupils as places, on DfE’s January 2026 census. A full school still admits by its rules, usually distance after siblings.
How many state schools are in Camden?
56 open state-funded schools are located in Camden’s built-up area: 38 primary, 10 secondary and 8 other (special schools, alternative provision, nurseries and 16–19). Independent schools aren’t included.
Sources: DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), Key Stage 2 performance tables (2023–2025, three-year average) and Key Stage 4 (2025/26, provisional); Ofsted state-funded school inspections as at 30 September 2026 · DfE Get Information about Schools (16 October 2026), further-education and sixth-form colleges · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only. All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
