Skinners' Academy

Skinners' Academy is a secondary school in a highly deprived part of London, with a pupil population close to the national average but a well-above-average proportion eligible for free school meals and an above-average proportion with EHC plans. It is part of Skinner's Academies Trust and was being led by an acting principal at the time of the inspection, following a recent leadership change. Inspectors found the school meeting expected standards across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding met, and a broadly positive picture of pupils' achievement, behaviour, inclusion and personal development. Strengths include an inclusive ethos, effective support for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, calm and orderly behaviour, and a broad curriculum with a notable focus on subject-specific vocabulary. Disadvantaged pupils often achieve well above disadvantaged pupils nationally, and the school's Learning Centre and wider pastoral systems help pupils overcome barriers. Leaders have also tackled a recent rise in persistent absence, with attendance improving this year, and enrichment and careers provision are developing well. Areas for further work include persistent absence, which remains above average even though it is falling; curriculum planning that is not yet complete in a small number of subjects; and teaching that does not consistently stretch the most able or adapt quickly enough for pupils needing extra help, particularly in mathematics and spelling. Careers guidance and sixth-form wider participation need tighter oversight, and progress in the sixth form is uneven between subjects. Overall, pupils are well prepared for their next steps and feel safe and well supported.

Strengths

• Inclusive culture with effective identification and support for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and other vulnerable groups
• Disadvantaged pupils often achieve well above other disadvantaged pupils nationally
• Effective support for pupils in the early stages of learning English as an additional language
• Calm, safe and orderly school environment with consistently applied behaviour routines
• Strong pastoral care and positive relationships; pupils feel safe and bullying is rare
• Effective safeguarding culture with concerns actively identified and managed
• Broad and ambitious curriculum with clear expectations in most subjects
• Strong focus on subject-specific vocabulary and an emerging oracy programme
• Well-established provision for basic reading and writing
• The Learning Centre provides effective short-term intensive support so pupils can return to mainstream classes
• Well-designed, evidence-informed use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils
• Attendance improvements and a clear, sustained reduction in persistent absence this year
• Extensive enrichment activities with good participation from disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND
• Careers education is broad and improving, with employer encounters and impartial guidance
• Supportive leadership with attention to staff wellbeing and professional development
• Trust and local governing body provide appropriate support and challenge
• Post-16 students receive appropriate support and progress is positive overall, with significantly above-average progress in some A-level and applied A-level examinations in one of the last two years

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains significantly above average, although it has reduced this year
• Overall absence was above the national average in 2024/25
• Curriculum thinking is not yet complete in a small number of subjects
• Teaching does not consistently stretch pupils who could deepen their knowledge and understanding
• Adaptations for pupils needing extra help are occasionally ineffective
• Basic mathematics and spelling provision is less embedded, and weaknesses are not always identified quickly enough
• Some pupils are not fully secure in recalling their learning about fundamental British values
• Careers education lacks tighter quality assurance and consistent oversight, particularly in the sixth form
• Sixth-form participation in wider opportunities beyond the academic curriculum is less extensive and not rigorously overseen
• Sixth-form progress is uneven between subjects, with attainment still needing to rise, especially for students with higher starting points
• The quality of pupils' work is not consistent in a small number of cases
• Disadvantaged pupils' English and maths attainment gap compared with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally remains large

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 Skinners' Academy attended 89.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 36.5% 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, 7.0% of pupils at Skinners' Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 6 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 Skinners' Academy had 47.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 29.2% 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, 12.2% of pupils at Skinners' Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.3% 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 2024–25 Skinners' Academy received £11,234 and spent £10,718 for each of its 989 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £3,525,000 (£3,564 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Skinners' Academies Trust, income was £8,679 and spending £8,730 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

Skinners' Academy is part of Skinners' Academies Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Skinners' Kent Primary School Tunbridge Wells
• The Skinners' School Tunbridge Wells
• Skinners' Temple Grove Tunbridge Wells
• Skinners' Kent Academy Tunbridge Wells
• The Marsh Academy New Romney

What is Skinners' Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Skinners' Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Skinners' Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Skinners' Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Skinners' Academy have?

Skinners' Academy has 939 pupils on roll.

What age range does Skinners' Academy cover?

Skinners' Academy for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Skinners' Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 50.9, and 53% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Skinners' Academy?

Skinners' Academy is at Woodberry Grove, London, N4 1SY.