Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #4 in Lewisham public Top 12% UK

Sydenham School

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

personMrs Emma Wijnberg

location_onLondon, SE26 4RD

language Visit Website phone 2086996731

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2017

groups

Students

1,441

trending_up

Attainment 8

50.8

leaderboard

GCSE Rank

#3 in Lewisham

#835 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

Sydenham School is a Community school secondary school in London, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted.

article

School Summary

Sydenham School is a community school in London, Lewisham, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,507 pupils on roll, of whom 29% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 50.8, placing the school #3 in Lewisham and #835 of 3,216 nationally. 48.60% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 28.7% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 23 A-level subjects. 67.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 31.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: 0.09 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2017. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.8× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 17.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.0 per 1,000 pupils per term.

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

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

50.8

Grade 5+ E&M

48.60%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)28.7%

Entering EBacc67.90%

EBacc APS4.64

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.1

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc67.10%

EBacc APS4.55

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.02

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc78%

EBacc APS4.81

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.2

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc73%

EBacc APS4.99

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc84%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.17

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc73%

EBacc APS4.63

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.22

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc64%

EBacc APS4.73

explore

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

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

94%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

99%

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

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

workspace_premium

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

+0.09

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*10.7%

Achieving A*–A31.7%

Achieving A*–B67.6%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate96.5%

A-level subjects offered23

2024

A-Level Value Added

+0.13

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate98.30%

2023

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate97.80%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate98.7%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

21 June 2022

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

14 March 2017

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

18 April 2013

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

17 January 2012

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

23 June 2010

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

03 December 2008

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

22 February 2007

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

24 September 2001

Inspection Report

picture_as_pdf Download PDF

Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2017-03-14

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-04-18

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2010-06-23

None EIF

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

gavel

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

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

Suspension Rate

3.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.6%(39 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 1,507 pupils. During this period, there were 48 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 3.2%, 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)	1,507	48	3.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,506	42	2.8%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,435	61	4.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,445	58	4.0%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,446	85	5.9%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,433	71	5.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,441	76	5.3%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,442	65	4.5%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,454	41	2.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,450	60	4.1%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,457	44	3.0%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,446	45	3.1%	3.6%	1
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,455	17	1.2%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,451	29	2.0%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,412	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,412	24	1.7%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,400	22	1.6%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,403	25	1.8%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,418	28	2.0%	3.8%	3
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,423	32	2.2%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,384	43	3.1%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,392	51	3.7%	3.0%	2
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,403	45	3.2%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,334	54	4.0%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,333	32	2.4%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,318	26	2.0%	3.1%	0

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

accessibility_new

psychology_alt

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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 72 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 31 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 29 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 26 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 10 pupils

Physical Disability 4 pupils

Hearing Impairment 2 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 2 pupils