The Charter School North Dulwich

The Charter School North Dulwich is an exceptional school where inclusion and post-16 provision are of the highest standard nationally. Leaders have an unwavering commitment to disadvantaged pupils, ensuring they are central to every decision, and this has led to them flourishing academically and personally. The school's 'disadvantaged first' policy and 'excellence programme' have had a transformative impact on attendance, engagement and wider development. Pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceedingly well and are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps. The sixth form is a shining example of academic excellence and inclusive practice, with students excelling from their starting points and progressing to prestigious destinations. Across the other areas inspected, the school reaches a strong standard. Achievement is high, with pupils attaining well above the national average in national examinations; disadvantaged pupils achieve significantly better than their peers nationally. Attendance is high and continues to improve, and behaviour is excellent, underpinned by the school's values. The curriculum is broad, ambitious and well-designed, and teaching is consistently high-quality. Leadership and governance are strong, with trustees and governors providing sharp oversight. Personal development and wellbeing are also strong, with a well-designed programme that equips pupils with the knowledge and experiences they need. The school is a beacon in the heart of the community, with a motto of 'Together we ...' that is lived out daily. Pupils are proud to belong, and parents are enthusiastic in their praise. The inspection found no areas of concern; the only next step is for leaders and trustees to sustain the effectiveness of their work so that all pupils continue to benefit from consistently high-quality experiences of school.

Strengths

• Exceptional inclusion: disadvantaged pupils are central to every decision and flourish academically and personally.
• Exceptional post-16 provision: the sixth form is a shining example of academic excellence and inclusive practice.
• Pupils achieve exceedingly well, including those with SEND, with strong outcomes across the curriculum.
• High attainment in national examinations, well above the national average and sustained over time.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve significantly better than their disadvantaged peers nationally.
• High attendance rates, above the national average and improving each year.
• Excellent behaviour and positive attitudes to learning, underpinned by the school's values.
• Broad, ambitious and well-designed curriculum delivered by expert teachers.
• Strong leadership and governance with a clear appetite for excellence and sustained improvement.
• High-quality personal development programme that equips pupils with knowledge and experiences for adult life.
• Outstanding pastoral care and support for pupils' wellbeing.
• Strong partnership with parents, particularly those of pupils with SEND.
• Staff are proud to belong and feel valued, with consideration for workload.
• Sixth-form students' outcomes rank among the highest nationally.

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 The Charter School North Dulwich attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 14.0% 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, 3.2% of pupils at The Charter School North Dulwich 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 The Charter School North Dulwich had 18.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.9% 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, 20.0% of pupils at The Charter School North Dulwich were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 5.0% 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 2024–25 The Charter School North Dulwich received £8,787 and spent £8,493 for each of its 1,361 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £417,000 (£307 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of The Charter Schools Educational Trust, income was £9,364 and spending £8,986 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 Southwark · Southwark local authority: places and applications

The Charter School North Dulwich is part of The Charter Schools Educational Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• The Charter School East Dulwich London
• Dulwich Hamlet Junior School London
• The Belham Primary School London
• Lyndhurst Primary School London
• Loughborough Primary School London
• Streatham Wells Primary London
• The Charter School Bermondsey London
• Charles Dickens Primary School London

What is The Charter School North Dulwich's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Charter School North Dulwich is Strong standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was The Charter School North Dulwich last inspected by Ofsted?

The Charter School North Dulwich was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does The Charter School North Dulwich have?

The Charter School North Dulwich has 1,393 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Charter School North Dulwich cover?

The Charter School North Dulwich for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Charter School North Dulwich's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 62.5, and 72% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Charter School North Dulwich?

The Charter School North Dulwich is at Red Post Hill, London, SE24 9JH.