Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #3 in Islington public Top 7% UK

Central Foundation Boys' School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMr Jamie Brownhill

location_onLondon, EC2A 4SH

language Visit Website phone 2072533741

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Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

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Students

1,106

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Attainment 8

55.2

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GCSE Rank

#3 in Islington

#458 of 3,216 nationally

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Central Foundation Boys' School is a Voluntary aided school secondary school in London, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Central Foundation Boys' School is a voluntary aided school in London, Islington, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,133 pupils on roll, of whom 47% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55.2, placing the school #3 in Islington and #458 of 3,216 nationally. 68.80% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 29.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 20 A-level subjects. 61.5% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 27.5% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.2 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 14.2:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 4.2 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

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Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

55.2

Grade 5+ E&M

68.80%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)29.9%

Entering EBacc59.40%

EBacc APS5.09

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.56

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc61.30%

EBacc APS5.1

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.55

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc54%

EBacc APS5.28

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.83

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

61.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc46%

EBacc APS5.62

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.48

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc47%

EBacc APS5.12

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.7

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36%

EBacc APS5.04

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships3%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)98%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.2

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

115

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.5%

Achieving A*–A27.5%

Achieving A*–B61.5%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate97.4%

A-level subjects offered20

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.15

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

118

Retention rate95.80%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate91.50%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate94.7%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

11 March 2025

Inspection Report

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03 February 2015

Inspection Report

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17 November 2010

Inspection Report

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29 January 2009

Inspection Report

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20 September 2006

Inspection Report

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24 March 2003

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-03-11

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2015-02-03

S5 Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2010-11-17

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

5.4%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.5%(40 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,133 pupils. During this period, there were 61 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 5.4%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,133	61	5.4%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,136	34	3.0%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,120	34	3.0%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,132	50	4.4%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,137	56	4.9%	8.2%	2
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,103	14	1.3%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,106	36	3.3%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,118	36	3.2%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,040	9	0.9%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,047	1	0.1%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,061	3	0.3%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,029	10	1.0%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,035	8	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,036	58	5.6%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	995	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	995	17	1.7%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,009	24	2.4%	4.2%	2
2018/19 (Summer term)	961	23	2.4%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	978	21	2.1%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	986	11	1.1%	3.8%	2
2017/18 (Summer term)	934	22	2.4%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	943	33	3.5%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	959	22	2.3%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	916	13	1.4%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	919	9	1.0%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	935	15	1.6%	3.1%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 106 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 79 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 51 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 27 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 26 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 10 pupils

Physical Disability 6 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Multi-Sensory Impairment 2 pupils