Highbury Fields School

Highbury Fields School continues to exemplify outstanding performance in education, maintaining a strong focus on the holistic development of its students. With high expectations from leaders and staff, the school fosters a supportive and engaging environment where pupils thrive academically and socially. Notable initiatives, such as enterprise days and cultural workshops, significantly boost pupils' ambition and self-confidence, contributing to their overall well-being and safety within the school community.

Strengths

• Leaders and staff have extremely high expectations for all aspects of school life.
• Pupils are engaged in a wide range of curriculum-linked activities and visits.
• The curriculum is broad and ambitious, with a strong emphasis on language learning.
• Pupils with SEND receive well-adapted support to achieve their goals.
• The school offers a variety of after-school clubs that promote confidence and personal development.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, ensuring pupils feel safe and supported.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Highbury Fields School attended 91.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 22.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.6% of pupils at Highbury Fields School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Highbury Fields School had 12.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.9% of pupils at Highbury Fields School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Highbury Fields School received £11,590 and spent £11,488 for each of its 734 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £240,000 (£328 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Islington · Islington local authority: places and applications

What is Highbury Fields School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Highbury Fields School is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2022.

When was Highbury Fields School last inspected by Ofsted?

Highbury Fields School was last inspected in November 2022.

How many pupils does Highbury Fields School have?

Highbury Fields School has 733 pupils on roll.

What age range does Highbury Fields School cover?

Highbury Fields School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Highbury Fields School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 56.2, and 65% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Highbury Fields School?

Highbury Fields School is at Highbury Hill, London, N5 1AR.