Mossbourne Community Academy

Mossbourne Community Academy is a large secondary school in Hackney serving a highly disadvantaged community, and it is part of The Mossbourne Federation. Inspected in May 2026, it meets safeguarding standards. The school's academic performance is exceptional: pupils achieve highly across all year groups and subjects, disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND make rapid progress, the curriculum and teaching are exemplary, and post-16 provision is of the highest quality. Attendance is excellent, behaviour is impressive, and inclusion is a notable strength. However, not all areas are equally strong. Leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, are less well developed than the school's academic and inclusive strengths. Some pupils, particularly in Years 7 to 11, do not feel a strong sense of belonging, are not always fully aware of pastoral or mental wellbeing support, and would like more ways to share their views. Behaviour systems are applied strictly, but pupils can take longer than necessary to return to lessons after consequences or suspensions, and suspension rates for pupils with SEND are higher than for other groups. Some parents and carers have also been frustrated by complaint handling and communication. Leaders, trustees, governors and the local authority are working together to address these issues, with an implementation committee already in place and early signs of progress. Staff are proud to work at the school, most parents would recommend it, and leaders recognise there is more to do to strengthen trust, pupil belonging and the consistency of pastoral support. Overall, this is a highly effective school academically and inclusively, but with clear improvement priorities around leadership oversight, pupil wellbeing and community relationships.

Strengths

• Exceptional pupil achievement across all year groups and subjects, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.
• Exemplary, ambitious curriculum that balances academic rigour with preparation for life after school.
• Consistently expert teaching, with assessment used well to address misunderstandings promptly.
• Outstanding post-16 provision with excellent teaching, strong progress and high A-level outcomes.
• Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils feel safe.
• Excellent attendance supported by high expectations, personalised plans and early intervention.
• Impressive pupil behaviour, clear routines and very rare bullying.
• Strong inclusion, with vulnerable pupils and those in the autism resourced provision well supported and integrated.
• Highly effective use of pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils.
• High-quality careers advice, Bourne Scholar programme and wider personal development opportunities.
• Staff are proud to work at the school and feel supported and well led.

Areas for Improvement

• Governors and trustees are less well informed about behaviour systems and pupils' lived experience.
• Some pupils, particularly in Years 7 to 11, do not feel a strong sense of belonging at school.
• Some pupils are not fully aware of pastoral or mental wellbeing support and can be hesitant to seek it.
• Reintegration into lessons after poor behaviour or suspensions can take longer than necessary.
• Suspension rates for pupils with SEND are higher than for other groups.
• Parental complaints and concerns are not always handled efficiently or in a timely, constructive manner.
• Some parents, carers and wider community members do not feel as positive about the school as others.
• Governance oversight and analysis of lesson removals, suspensions and consequences need to be more detailed.
• Pupils have limited opportunities to share their views on life at school.
• Pastoral support is effective for many but inconsistent for some pupils.
• The extra-curricular offer is still being reviewed to ensure it reflects all pupils' interests and talents.

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 Mossbourne Community Academy attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 7.8% 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, 16.6% of pupils at Mossbourne Community Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 Mossbourne Community Academy had 13.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.2% 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, 14.4% of pupils at Mossbourne Community Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 10 pupils.

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 2024–25 Mossbourne Community Academy received £10,479 and spent £10,606 for each of its 1,441 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,087,000 (£2,142 per pupil).

Across all 7 schools of The Mossbourne Federation, income was £8,460 and spending £8,579 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Mossbourne Community Academy is part of The Mossbourne Federation, which runs 7 schools. The nearest others:

• Mossbourne Parkside Academy London
• Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy London
• Mossbourne Riverside Academy London
• Mossbourne Port Side Academy Stanford-Le-Hope
• Mossbourne Fobbing Academy Stanford-Le-Hope
• Mossbourne Herd Lane Academy Stanford-Le-Hope

What is Mossbourne Community Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Mossbourne Community Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Mossbourne Community Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Mossbourne Community Academy was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Mossbourne Community Academy have?

Mossbourne Community Academy has 1,432 pupils on roll.

What age range does Mossbourne Community Academy cover?

Mossbourne Community Academy for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Mossbourne Community Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 67.2, and 81% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Mossbourne Community Academy?

Mossbourne Community Academy is at 100 Downs Park Road, Hackney, London, E5 8JY.