Sydenham School

Sydenham School is a large, inclusive secondary school that performs strongly across most areas of its provision. Inspectors found a calm and orderly environment where pupils attend well, behave positively and feel safe. Attendance overall is above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Safeguarding standards are met. The school's inclusive approach means pupils with additional needs are identified accurately and supported very well, and suspensions are declining over time. Leadership and governance are highly effective, with leaders who are ambitious for pupils and who act decisively when performance falls short of expectations. Personal development and wellbeing, and post-16 provision, are particular strengths, and the sixth form achieves outcomes above national averages in both academic and vocational subjects. Pupils benefit from a broad extra-curricular offer and strong pastoral support, and they are well prepared for their next steps.

Strengths

• Attendance is above national averages, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• The school is calm and orderly, with pupils behaving well and respecting school rules
• Pupils with SEND are supported very well through robust identification and highly detailed staff understanding
• Leaders are highly ambitious and act swiftly when subject or group performance falls short
• Governance is effective, providing support and holding the school to account
• Staff feel well supported, and leaders carefully monitor workload and wellbeing
• Personal development and wellbeing are strong, with an inclusive culture and comprehensive PSHE
• A wide range of extra-curricular activities and trips is available to all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Post-16 provision is highly inclusive, with highly effective teaching and above-average outcomes
• Careers provision is well embedded and prepares pupils and students well for their next steps
• Sixth-form students attend well, demonstrate excellent behaviour and contribute positively to school life
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement is not consistently strong across all subject areas, with some outcomes only in line with national averages
• Teachers' checking of pupils' understanding is sometimes not effective, so gaps in knowledge are not fully addressed
• Disadvantaged pupils' Progress 8 was below national average in 2022/23, and the disadvantage gap remains substantial

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 Sydenham School attended 91.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.4% 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, 4.9% of pupils at Sydenham 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 Sydenham School had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.1% 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, 16.2% of pupils at Sydenham 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 Sydenham School received £9,271 and spent £9,047 for each of its 1,468 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,695,000 (£1,154 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 Lewisham · Lewisham local authority: places and applications

What is Sydenham School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sydenham School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Sydenham School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sydenham School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Sydenham School have?

Sydenham School has 1,467 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sydenham School cover?

Sydenham School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Sydenham School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 53.4, and 58% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sydenham School?

Sydenham School is at Dartmouth Road, London, SE26 4RD.