The Olive School, Hackney

The Olive School, Hackney is a highly successful primary school where pupils are exceptionally proud, safe and respectful. Inspectors found the school outstanding in every judged area: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Pupils achieve highly, including in national assessments, and are well prepared for the next stage of their education. The curriculum is highly ambitious and carefully sequenced from early years onwards, with expert teaching and a strong focus on reading and phonics.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum across all areas
• Expert teachers who explain clearly and address misconceptions promptly
• Strong reading and phonics provision with well-matched books and early support
• Swift identification and inclusive support for pupils with SEND
• Impeccable pupil behaviour and harmonious playtimes
• High attendance supported through work with families
• Extensive enrichment opportunities including universities, debating and choir
• Well-designed PSHE curriculum covering safety and British values
• Strong staff development, workload reduction and well-being support
• Trust and governance know the school well and share high expectations
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Early years provision builds strong foundations, including through ballet and vocabulary development

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 Olive School, Hackney attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.6% of pupils at The Olive School, Hackney were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Olive School, Hackney had 22.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 14.8% of pupils at The Olive School, Hackney were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Olive School, Hackney received £8,694 and spent £8,847 for each of its 624 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £847,000 (£1,357 per pupil).

Across all 36 schools of Star Academies, income was £8,430 and spending £8,333 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

The Olive School, Hackney is part of Star Academies, which runs 36 schools. The nearest others:

• Eden Girls' School, Waltham Forest London
• Eden Girls' School, Slough Slough
• Eden Girls' School, Coventry Coventry
• The Olive School, Birmingham Birmingham
• Eden Girls' Leadership Academy, Birmingham Birmingham
• Starbank School Birmingham
• The Olive School, Small Heath Birmingham
• Small Heath Leadership Academy Birmingham
• Eden Boys' Leadership Academy, Birmingham East Birmingham
• Star King Solomon Academy Birmingham

What is The Olive School, Hackney's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Olive School, Hackney is Outstanding, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was The Olive School, Hackney last inspected by Ofsted?

The Olive School, Hackney was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does The Olive School, Hackney have?

The Olive School, Hackney has 629 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Olive School, Hackney cover?

The Olive School, Hackney for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Olive School, Hackney's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 87% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Olive School, Hackney?

The Olive School, Hackney is at 32 St Johns Church Road, Hackney, London, E9 6EJ.