Islington’s state schools get better results than 83% of towns in England
At Key Stage 2, 69% of pupils at Islington’s primaries met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, close to London’s towns (70%) and above towns in England (62%). 64 state-funded schools are located in Islington’s built-up area. Islington grades A− for schools, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results: #25 of 33 in London. Ofsted is shown, not graded.
Islington’s secondary results beat 72% of English towns; its primary results beat 85%. 69% 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 68% across Islington. The spread between primaries is wide: 90% at St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, 36% at Hungerford School. Every school’s result ↓
St Peter and St Paul beats its intake
Schools with more pupils on free school meals usually get lower results. At St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School, 55% of pupils are on free school meals and 90% meet the expected standard; a typical school in England with that intake reaches 53%. Results and intake ↓
Written from the Department for Education and Ofsted data on this page.
School Grade
Islington grades A− for schools
Against every town in England with results; Wales publishes none.
Primary: reading, writing and maths at 11 (69% meet the standard)Better than 85% of towns in England
Secondary: Attainment 8 and grade 5+ English and maths (49.7 and 51%)Better than 72% of towns in England
Each of Islington’s 38 primaries: % meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (2023–25)
Each of Islington’s 10 secondaries: Attainment 8 (2025/26)
England’s average schoolIslington’s average school
The primary figure: 39 primaries in the town, 4,592 pupils in results over three years. The secondary figure: 10 secondaries in the town, 1,391 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 Islington’s 64 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 Islington’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 15% at Gillespie Primary School to 74% at Lift Beacon High. Against schools with the same intake, St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School does best: 90% with 55% on free school meals, where a typical school would reach 53%. 33 of 38 primaries and 10 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 Islington
Islington Council handles applications for every state school in Islington, 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. 14 of Islington’s 49 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%; 9 schools are at or over it.
St Mary Magdalene115%
Central Foundation Boys'110%
Newington Green incl. nursery106%
Moreland106%
City of London Academy Islington106%
Hugh Myddelton incl. nursery104%
St Joseph's incl. nursery103%
St Joan of Arc incl. nursery102%
Ambler School and Children's Centre101%
William Tyndale incl. nursery100%
Show all 49 schools
Yerbury incl. nursery99%
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson99%
St John's Highbury Vale98%
Winton incl. nursery98%
Pakeman incl. nursery97%
Gillespie incl. nursery96%
Canonbury incl. nursery96%
Thornhill incl. nursery95%
Hargrave Park95%
Tufnell Park incl. nursery94%
St Peter and St Paul incl. nursery93%
St Mark's incl. nursery92%
Sacred Heart incl. nursery90%
St John's Upper Holloway incl. nursery90%
Drayton Park incl. nursery89%
Vittoria incl. nursery88%
Ashmount incl. nursery87%
St Luke's incl. nursery86%
Robert Blair School and Children's Centre85%
Arts and Media School Islington84%
Grafton incl. nursery83%
St Mary's81%
Rotherfield incl. nursery79%
St John Evangelist incl. nursery79%
Duncombe incl. nursery79%
St Andrew's (Barnsbury)79%
Pooles Park incl. nursery77%
City of London Academy, Islington76%
City of London Academy Highbury Grove74%
Hanover incl. nursery72%
City of London Academy, Highgate Hill71%
Highbury Fields70%
Lift Beacon High69%
Prior Weston School and Children's Centre60%
Christ The King incl. nursery53%
Whitehall Park52%
Laycock incl. nursery49%
Hungerford incl. nursery33%
St Aloysius' College30%
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
64 state schools in Islington
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 Islington’s schoolsA23B8C14D316 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 7Good 17Report card 6Inadequate 1Ungraded inspection only 32No published grade 1
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 Islington’s 64 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
Bridge MAT LtdThe Bridge, Pooles Park, Hungerford, The Bridge Keystone, The Bridge Integrated Learning Space
5
672
D−
City of London Academies TrustCity of London Academy Highbury Grove, City of London Academy Islington, City of London Academy, Highgate Hill, City of London Academy, Islington
4
2,733
C+B−B−A
Hive Education TrustSt Mary Magdalene
1
1,561
A
Day One TrustThe London Screen
1
867
—
Islington Arts and Media TrustArts and Media School Islington
1
577
C−
William Tyndale Primary SchoolWilliam Tyndale
1
448
A
Lift SchoolsLift Beacon High
1
414
D−
All Saints' TrustSt Aloysius' College
1
341
B+
Bellevue Place Education TrustWhitehall Park
1
202
C+
Courtyard IslingtonThe Courtyard Islington
1
76
—
Beckmead TrustThe ArtsXchange
1
15
—
Pears Family Charitable Foundation SchoolThe Pears Family
1
0
—
Islington CouncilCentral Foundation Boys', Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Highbury Fields, St Joseph's, Ambler School and Children's Centre, Hugh Myddelton, Newington Green, Moreland, Tufnell Park, Yerbury, Thornhill, Canonbury, Grafton, Sacred Heart, St Joan of Arc, Ashmount, Duncombe, Pakeman, Hargrave Park, Rotherfield, Drayton Park, Prior Weston School and Children's Centre, Hanover, Christ The King, Winton, St Mark's, Gillespie, St Peter and St Paul, Vittoria, Laycock, Robert Blair School and Children's Centre, St Luke's, St John's Highbury Vale, St John's Upper Holloway, St John Evangelist, St Mary's, St Andrew's (Barnsbury), Samuel Rhodes MLD, Richard Cloudesley, North Islington Nursery, Kate Greenaway Nursery School and Children's Centre, Margaret McMillan Nursery, New River College Medical, New River College Secondary, New River College
In England young people stay in education or training until 18: a sixth form, a college, or an apprenticeship.
7 of Islington’s 10 state secondaries have sixth forms: Central Foundation Boys', City of London Academy Highbury Grove, City of London Academy Islington, City of London Academy, Highgate Hill, Highbury Fields, St Aloysius' College and St Mary Magdalene. The London Screen Academy is a state 16–19 school in the London borough. The nearest college is WM College, a further-education college 1.5 miles away.
Special schools and alternative provision in Islington
Islington has 6 special schools (Richard Cloudesley, Samuel Rhodes MLD, The Bridge Integrated Learning Space, The Bridge Keystone, The Bridge and The Courtyard Islington: 663 pupils) and 5 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), Islington 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 ↑
Islington Council’s SEND Local Offer lists support beyond these schools.
Towns its size
17th of 44 English towns and cities of 151,000 to 292,000
Ranked by School Grade, best first: the towns and cities either side of Islington, and the top and bottom of the group.
Kensington and Chelsea 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 Islington: 14% (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 Islington
Are schools in Islington good?
Islington’s state schools earn an A− against schools across England: primary results beat 85% of towns in England; secondary results beat 72% of towns in England, on Department for Education Key Stage 2 and GCSE results. School places are handled by Islington council.
What is the best secondary school in Islington?
On 2025/26 GCSE results, St Mary Magdalene Academy: Attainment 8 of 58.4 and 68% 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 Islington?
On Key Stage 2 results over 2023–25, St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School: 90% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, against 62% at the average school in England.
Do Islington secondary schools have sixth forms?
7 of 10 do.
How do I apply for a school place in Islington?
Through Islington 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 Islington are full?
9 of 49 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 Islington?
64 open state-funded schools are located in Islington’s built-up area: 40 primary, 10 secondary and 14 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.
