Rokeby School

Rokeby School is a boys’ secondary academy in Newham and part of the Newham Community Learning trust. This was its first routine section 5 inspection, although its predecessor school had previously been judged good. Pupils are well supported, staff have very high expectations, and pupils typically achieve well, including in national examinations. Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent, behaviour is exceptionally positive, disruption is rare, and attendance is high. The school’s personal development offer is a considerable strength, with an exceptional enrichment programme, varied opportunities for responsibility, and a comprehensive careers programme starting in Year 7. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed, teachers generally have strong subject knowledge, and reading is promoted well, including targeted support for pupils with low literacy. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and trust and school leaders work closely together with clear improvement plans. The main areas for improvement are that, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding or address misconceptions, so some pupils do not build knowledge as securely as they could. In addition, curriculum delivery is not consistently well adapted for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, meaning some of these pupils struggle to access the intended ambitious curriculum.

Strengths

• Staff have very high expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour.
• Pupils typically achieve well, including in national examinations.
• Relationships between pupils and staff are excellent.
• Behaviour across the school is excellent, with rare disruption.
• Pupils maintain high levels of attendance, with effective support for those who struggle.
• The curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed to build essential knowledge, vocabulary and skills.
• Teachers generally have strong subject knowledge and use discussion to strengthen pupils’ thinking.
• Reading is promoted across subjects, with focused support for pupils with low literacy.
• Personal development is a considerable strength, preparing pupils well for life in modern Britain.
• The enrichment offer is exceptional, with varied opportunities in gardening, music, dance and sport.
• Pupils enthusiastically take on leadership roles such as mentors, ambassadors and council representatives.
• A comprehensive careers programme starts in Year 7.
• Trust and school leaders work effectively together and have clear improvement plans.
• Staff feel highly regarded and appreciate the priority given to their well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding, so misconceptions are sometimes not addressed.
• Some pupils develop gaps in knowledge that remain unaddressed because misconceptions are not identified effectively.
• The curriculum is not consistently well adapted for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Some pupils with SEND struggle to access the ambitious intended curriculum because their needs are not always well considered in curriculum delivery.

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 Rokeby School attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 27.9% 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, 3.4% of pupils at Rokeby 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 Rokeby School had 12.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.0% 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, 11.8% of pupils at Rokeby School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.0% 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 Rokeby School received £13,437 and spent £13,224 for each of its 588 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £1,369,000 (£2,328 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

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

• Eastlea Community School London
• Portway Primary School London
• Lister Community School London
• Selwyn Primary School London
• Sarah Bonnell School London

What is Rokeby School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rokeby School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Rokeby School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rokeby School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Rokeby School have?

Rokeby School has 473 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rokeby School cover?

Rokeby School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Rokeby School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.4, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Rokeby School?

Rokeby School is at Barking Road, London, E16 4DD.