City of London Academy Highbury Grove

City of London Academy Highbury Grove is performing well overall, achieving a Good rating across all domains during its first ever inspection. The school provides a positive environment where pupils feel happy and safe, supported by a strong focus on diverse community engagement and extracurricular activities. Leaders have established a broad and balanced curriculum that effectively supports students' learning and personal development, with high expectations set for both students and staff. Notable efforts have been made to improve behaviour, leading to a calm atmosphere for learning, although occasional minor disruptions still occur. Despite its strengths, the school faces challenges in its support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), where some teachers struggle to adapt lessons adequately. Additionally, there is a recognized need to enhance reading support, especially in light of difficulties faced by some students post-pandemic. Overall, while the school is on an upward trajectory, these areas require focused attention to ensure all students can thrive.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe in a supportive school environment.
• The school fosters a diverse community and engages positively with local initiatives.
• Teachers deliver engaging and challenging lessons with high expectations.
• The curriculum is ambitious, broad, and well-structured, supporting all pupils.
• Effective feedback and support help students improve their work.
• A comprehensive range of extracurricular activities is offered.
• Prioritization of staff career development and well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teachers do not make adequate adaptations for pupils with SEND, affecting their progress.
• Reading support does not currently include face-to-face phonics instruction, which is needed for some students.

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 City of London Academy Highbury Grove attended 89.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.1% 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, 17.8% of pupils at City of London Academy Highbury Grove 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 City of London Academy Highbury Grove had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.0% 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, 15.8% of pupils at City of London Academy Highbury Grove were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.5% 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 City of London Academy Highbury Grove received £12,531 and spent £12,494 for each of its 1,061 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £44,000 (-£41 per pupil).

Across all 11 schools of City of London Academies Trust, income was £10,807 and spending £10,846 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 Islington · Islington local authority: places and applications

City of London Academy Highbury Grove is part of City of London Academies Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• City of London Academy Islington London
• City of London Academy, Shoreditch Park London
• City of London Primary Academy, Islington London
• City of London Academy, Highgate Hill London
• The City Academy, Hackney London
• London Nautical, City of London Academy London
• Redriff Primary, City of London Academy London
• City of London Academy (Southwark) London
• Galleywall Primary, City of London Academy London
• Plashet, City of London Academy London

What is City of London Academy Highbury Grove's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for City of London Academy Highbury Grove is Good, from an inspection in June 2022.

When was City of London Academy Highbury Grove last inspected by Ofsted?

City of London Academy Highbury Grove was last inspected in June 2022.

How many pupils does City of London Academy Highbury Grove have?

City of London Academy Highbury Grove has 892 pupils on roll.

What age range does City of London Academy Highbury Grove cover?

City of London Academy Highbury Grove for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are City of London Academy Highbury Grove's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 44.0, and 39% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is City of London Academy Highbury Grove?

City of London Academy Highbury Grove is at 8 Highbury Grove, Islington, London, N5 2EQ.