Lift Aylward
| Type | Secondary / Academy sponsor led |
| Age Range | 11-19 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Windmill Road Enfield London N18 1NB |
| Phone | 02088031738 |
| Reference Number | 136147 |
Lift Aylward is a large, diverse secondary school in Enfield with a disadvantaged intake: nearly half of pupils are eligible for free school meals, SEN support is well above average, and the area is deprived. It is part of Lift Schools Academy Trust. Following recent leadership changes, the school is performing well overall. Inclusion is a standout strength, safeguarding standards are met, and pupils are well supported. Attendance is close to national, with disadvantaged and SEND pupils attending well above average and persistent absence falling significantly. Behaviour is calm and purposeful, and pupils generally learn without disruption. Most areas are at the expected standard. The new leadership team has improved curriculum and teaching, with an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum, strong staff development and effective inclusion. Pupils typically start from low academic points but progress well; disadvantaged pupils often achieve above national disadvantaged averages, and all 2025 Year 11 pupils moved into further education. However, published GCSE attainment in some measures remains below national averages, and highly effective teaching is not yet embedded in every subject and year group. Personal development and wellbeing are a strength, with clear values, effective careers guidance and enrichment, though club uptake could be higher. Post-16 provision is expected standard: vocational students make strong progress, but A-level attainment is below national and higher-attaining students do not progress as well. The trust provides robust support and accountability. The main next step is to ensure consistently excellent teaching across all subjects and year groups so all pupils achieve excellent outcomes.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 1324 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 51.81%
Girls: 48.19% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 50.5% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 63.5% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 23.2 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 105 | 106 | 211 |
| 8 | 109 | 96 | 205 |
| 9 | 117 | 113 | 230 |
| 10 | 123 | 103 | 226 |
| 11 | 121 | 109 | 230 |
| 12 | 38 | 60 | 98 |
| 13 | 73 | 51 | 124 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, Other | 33.5% |
| African | 27.9% |
| White, British | 5.5% |
| Unclassified | 3.4% |
| Caribbean | 3% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.9% |
| Pakistani | 1.4% |
| Asian, Other | 1.4% |
| Indian | 1.1% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1% |
| White & Black (African) | 0.5% |
| White & Asian | 0.3% |
| Chinese | 0.2% |
| Irish | 0.2% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Expected standard |
| > Leadership & Governance | Expected standard |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Expected standard |
| > Achievement | Expected standard |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Expected standard |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Expected standard |
| > Inclusion | Strong standard |
| > Post-16 Provision | Expected standard |
| Last Report Date | 09 Dec 2025 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 09 Dec 2025 | School inspection |
| 01 Jul 2021 | School inspection |
| 06 Jul 2016 | Short inspection |
| 08 May 2013 | Curriculum and development visit |
| 06 Nov 2012 | Full inspection |
| 25 Jan 2012 | Monitoring visit |
Strengths
- Highly skilled inclusion leaders and staff who identify and meet individual needs effectively.
- Strong support for disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND, looked-after children, young carers and pupils known to social care.
- Effective use of pupil premium funding to improve literacy, attendance and behaviour.
- Pupils make good progress from typically low starting points, with disadvantaged pupils often above national disadvantaged averages.
- Attendance is close to national average, and disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND attend well above average.
- Persistent absence has fallen significantly.
- Calm, purposeful behaviour culture with clear expectations and support rather than suspension.
- New leadership has made substantial improvements to curriculum, teaching, behaviour and attendance.
- Ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with strong professional development, including trust support.
- Strong personal development programme, clear values and effective impartial careers guidance.
- All Year 11 pupils progressed to further education in 2025.
- Post-16 vocational students make significantly positive progress from low starting points.
- A-level value added is above national average.
- Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive culture.
Areas for Improvement
- Highly effective teaching is not yet embedded across all subjects and year groups.
- In a few instances, subject-specific expertise and pedagogy are still a work in progress.
- Published GCSE attainment in grade 5+ English and maths and Attainment 8 remains below national averages.
- Post-16 A-level attainment is below national averages.
- Students with higher starting points at A level do not progress as well.
- Uptake of school clubs is not as high as it could be.
- Sixth-form students would welcome more enrichment options.
- The school's disadvantage gap remains, although disadvantaged pupils outperform national disadvantaged averages.
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 39.8 |
GCSE Results
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 36.7% | ||
| 5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) | 48.9% |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
Sample
UnlockGCSE Results
Sample
UnlockPoints
| Points | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Points | 30.99 | ||
| Average Points (best 3) | 31.13 |
Grades
| School | Local | Nationwide | |
| Average Grade | C | C+ | C+ |
| Average Grade (best 3) | C | C+ | C+ |
| Percentage | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students getting AAB or better | 6% |
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 58 | 17 |
| Third Preference | 32 | 2 |
| From another Local Authority | 28 | 11 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock| Name | Distance |
|
Wilbury Primary School
Wilbury Way, Edmonton, London, N18 1DE |
0.38 miles |
|
Firs Farm Primary School
Rayleigh Road, Palmers Green, London, Middlesex, N13 5QP |
0.43 miles |
|
Hazelbury Primary School
Haselbury Road, Edmonton, London, N9 9TT |
0.45 miles |
|
Oakthorpe Primary School
Tile Kiln Lane, London, N13 6BY |
0.56 miles |
|
The Devonshire Hill Nursery & Primary School
Weir Hall Road, Tottenham, The Devonshire Hill Nursery & Primary School, London, N17 8LB |
0.73 miles |
|
Latymer All Saints CofE Primary School
41 Hydethorpe Avenue, Edmonton, London, N9 9RS |
0.78 miles |
|
Starks Field Primary School
167 Church Street, Edmonton, London, N9 9SJ |
0.8 miles |
|
St John and St James CofE Primary School
Grove Street, Edmonton, London, N18 2TL |
0.81 miles |
|
Brook House Primary School
881 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 8EY |
0.85 miles |
|
Fleecefield Primary School
Brettenham Road, London, N18 2ES |
0.86 miles |
|
Rowland Hill Nursery School
White Hart Lane, London, N17 7LT |
0.87 miles |
|
Hazelwood Junior School
Hazelwood Lane, London, N13 5HE |
0.92 miles |
|
Hazelwood Infant School
Hazelwood Lane, London, N13 5HE |
0.92 miles |
|
Raynham Primary School
Raynham Avenue, London, N18 2JQ |
0.94 miles |
|
Brettenham Primary School
Brettenham Road, London, N18 2ET |
0.95 miles |
|
Highfield Primary School
Highfield Road, Highfield Primary School, London, N21 3HE |
0.97 miles |
|
Churchfield Primary School
Latymer Road, Edmonton, London, N9 9PL |
1.04 miles |
|
St Michael at Bowes CofE Junior School
Tottenhall Road, London, N13 6JB |
1.12 miles |
|
Tottenhall Infant School
Tottenhall Road, Palmers Green, London, N13 6HX |
1.14 miles |
|
St Francis de Sales RC Junior School
Church Road, Tottenham, London, N17 8AZ |
1.15 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
West Lea School
Haselbury Road, Edmonton, London, N9 9TU |
0.43 miles |
|
The Latymer School
Haselbury Road, London, N9 9TN |
0.66 miles |
|
Haringey Sixth Form College
White Hart Lane, TOTTENHAM, London, N17 8HR |
0.84 miles |
|
Winchmore School
Laburnum Grove, Winchmore Hill, London, N21 3HS |
0.86 miles |
|
Edmonton County School
Little Bury Street, Edmonton, London, N9 9JZ |
1.06 miles |
|
Alternative Centre of Education
45/51 Market Square, Edmonton Green, London, London, N9 0TZ |
1.08 miles |
|
London Academy of Excellence Tottenham
Lilywhite House, 780 High Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0BX |
1.11 miles |
|
Palmers Green High School
|
1.13 miles |
|
St Anne's Catholic High School for Girls
Oakthorpe Road, Palmers Green, London, N13 5TY |
1.14 miles |
|
Vale School
Trulock Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0PG |
1.18 miles |
|
Duke's Aldridge
Trulock Road, Tottenham, London, N17 0PG |
1.18 miles |
|
Riverside School
White Hart Lane, Wood Green, London, N22 5QJ |
1.28 miles |
|
Mulberry Academy Woodside
White Hart Lane, Wood Green, London, N22 5QJ |
1.29 miles |
|
St Thomas More Catholic School
Glendale Avenue, Wood Green, London, N22 5HN |
1.48 miles |
|
Greek Secondary School of London
22 Trinity Road, Wood Green, London, N22 8LB |
1.81 miles |
|
AIM Academy North London
34 Turin Road, London, N9 8DQ |
1.85 miles |
|
Laurel Park School
Wilmer Way, London, N14 7HY |
1.88 miles |
|
The Grove
Downhills Park Road, Tottenham, London, N17 6AR |
1.98 miles |
|
Harris Academy Tottenham
Ashley Road, Tottenham, London, N17 9LN |
2.04 miles |
|
Heartlands High School
Station Road, Wood Green, London, N22 7ST |
2.14 miles |