Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #2 in Lewisham public Top 10% UK

Forest Hill School

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

personMr Michael Sullivan

location_onLondon, SE23 2XN

language Visit Website phone 2086999343

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Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2023

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Students

1,094

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Attainment 8

52.3

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GCSE Rank

#2 in Lewisham

#685 of 3,216 nationally

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

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School Summary

Forest Hill 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 1,072 pupils on roll, of whom 31% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 52.3, placing the school #2 in Lewisham and #685 of 3,216 nationally. 58.70% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 28.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 21 A-level subjects. 52.4% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 20.5% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.31 — students made below-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2023. The school's current overall rating is Good. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Good, behaviour and attitudes Good, personal development Good, and leadership and management Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.6× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 18.9:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 2.6 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

52.3

Grade 5+ E&M

58.70%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)28.6%

Entering EBacc39.10%

EBacc APS4.81

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.3

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

50.5

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc39.90%

EBacc APS4.65

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.25

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc22%

EBacc APS4.29

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.09

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc18%

EBacc APS4.54

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc23%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.71

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS3.77

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.35

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

45.8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc35%

EBacc APS4.03

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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

92%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

91%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)89%

Apprenticeships1%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)6%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

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

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

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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

-0.31

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*4.9%

Achieving A*–A20.5%

Achieving A*–B52.4%

VA Banding Below average

Retention rate98.1%

A-level subjects offered21

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.21

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

Retention rate96.80%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate98.4%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

13 December 2023

Inspection Report

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20 June 2023

Inspection Report

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07 October 2021

Inspection Report

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06 December 2017

Inspection Report

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12 November 2013

Inspection Report

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08 June 2011

Inspection Report

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18 January 2010

Inspection Report

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18 September 2007

Inspection Report

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11 November 2002

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

4 Evaluations

2023-12-13

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 2 EIF

Good

Education

Good

Behaviour

Good

Development

Good

Leadership

Good

2021-10-07

Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 EIF

Requires improvement

Education

Requires improvement

Behaviour

Requires improvement

Development

Good

Leadership

Requires improvement

2017-12-06

S5 Inspection Legacy

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Requires improvement

2013-11-12

None Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

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

2.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.1%(22 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 1,072 pupils. During this period, there were 24 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.2%, 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)	1,072	24	2.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,077	32	3.0%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,097	27	2.5%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,093	24	2.2%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,107	46	4.2%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,101	33	3.0%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,094	24	2.2%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,089	34	3.1%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,114	20	1.8%	4.7%	1
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,121	24	2.1%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,121	30	2.7%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,183	18	1.5%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,188	6	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,195	67	5.6%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,214	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,214	27	2.2%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,227	61	5.0%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,233	73	5.9%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,251	182	14.5%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,267	112	8.8%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,328	35	2.6%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,334	46	3.4%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,350	27	2.0%	3.7%	3
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,380	40	2.9%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,379	25	1.8%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,381	38	2.8%	3.1%	4

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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 81 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 73 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 57 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 27 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 23 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 10 pupils

Physical Disability 5 pupils

Hearing Impairment 4 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils