Sarah Bonnell School

Sarah Bonnell School is performing overall at a good level, with notable strengths in behaviour and personal development, both rated as outstanding. The school demonstrates a strong commitment to providing a high-quality education, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Classroom experiences are engaging, with teachers showcasing strong subject knowledge, which facilitates effective learning. Pupils exhibit excellent behaviour and positive attitudes, reflected in their high attendance rates and the respect they show towards one another.

Strengths

• Engaging lessons delivered by knowledgeable teachers.
• Strong support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• High expectations of behaviour leading to excellent conduct.
• Pupils actively participate in school activities and decision-making.
• Effective careers education and additional support for vulnerable pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Lack of breadth in the Year 9 curriculum, limiting access to creative subjects for some pupils.
• Inadequate processes for checking the well-being of pupils in alternative provision.

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 Sarah Bonnell School attended 92.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 21.9% 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, 5.1% of pupils at Sarah Bonnell School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Sarah Bonnell School had 15.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.2% 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, 11.1% of pupils at Sarah Bonnell School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.7% 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 Sarah Bonnell School received £9,865 and spent £9,595 for each of its 1,275 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £782,000 (£614 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Newham Community Learning, income was £11,131 and spending £10,987 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 Newham · Newham local authority: places and applications

Sarah Bonnell School is part of Newham Community Learning, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Portway Primary School London
• Selwyn Primary School London
• Lister Community School London
• Eastlea Community School London
• Rokeby School London

What is Sarah Bonnell School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sarah Bonnell School is Good, from an inspection in December 2022.

When was Sarah Bonnell School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sarah Bonnell School was last inspected in December 2022.

How many pupils does Sarah Bonnell School have?

Sarah Bonnell School has 1,202 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sarah Bonnell School cover?

Sarah Bonnell School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Sarah Bonnell School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 51.3, and 54% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Sarah Bonnell School?

Sarah Bonnell School is at Deanery Road, Stratford, London, E15 4LP.