Ofsted: Good trending_up Places Available emoji_events #16 in Tower Hamlets public Top 29% UK

Bow School

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

personMr Danny Lye

location_onLondon, E3 3QW

language Visit Website phone 2075365525

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

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Students

1,264

trending_up

Attainment 8

43.2

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GCSE Rank

#16 in Tower Hamlets

#2,055 of 3,216 nationally

summarize

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

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School Summary

Bow School is a community school in London, Tower Hamlets, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,173 pupils on roll, of whom 57% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 43.2, placing the school #16 in Tower Hamlets and #2,055 of 3,216 nationally. 33.20% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 10.9% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 12 A-level subjects. 64.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 37.0% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.54 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

In the most recent admissions cycle, applications were at 0.5× capacity.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 13.8:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 3.4 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

43.2

Grade 5+ E&M

33.20%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)10.9%

Entering EBacc38.20%

EBacc APS3.79

2024

Progress 8 Score

-0.39

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

43.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc36.50%

EBacc APS3.77

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.12

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

47.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc35%

EBacc APS4.15

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.05

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.6

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc30%

EBacc APS4.41

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc32%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

-0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc46%

EBacc APS3.55

2018

Progress 8 Score

-0.18

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

42.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc44%

EBacc APS3.64

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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

96%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)96%

ApprenticeshipsSP%

EmploymentSP%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

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

Apprenticeships2%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

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

Apprenticeships0%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

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

ApprenticeshipsSP%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)7%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

92%

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

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)8%

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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

+0.54

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils do significantly better than expected at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*11.0%

Achieving A*–A37.0%

Achieving A*–B64.6%

VA Banding Well above average

Retention rate93.5%

A-level subjects offered12

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.01

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2023

Avg Grade

D+

Students

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate93.3%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

12 September 2023

Inspection Report

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14 March 2018

Inspection Report

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17 November 2016

Inspection Report

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14 March 2013

Inspection Report

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09 May 2012

Inspection Report

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09 May 2011

Inspection Report

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04 March 2009

Inspection Report

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31 October 2007

Inspection Report

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03 November 2003

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2018-03-14

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2016-11-17

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2013-03-14

None Legacy

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

2.2%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

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

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

2.0%(23 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 1,173 pupils. During this period, there were 26 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)	1,173	26	2.2%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,177	53	4.5%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,266	36	2.8%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,267	25	2.0%	7.1%	0
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,275	31	2.4%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,261	34	2.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,264	27	2.1%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,265	45	3.6%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,214	56	4.6%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,205	54	4.5%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,198	27	2.3%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,249	29	2.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,234	10	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,231	47	3.8%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,241	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,241	62	5.0%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,236	53	4.3%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,123	25	2.2%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,126	45	4.0%	3.8%	1
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,124	32	2.8%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,003	23	2.3%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	989	25	2.5%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	990	40	4.0%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	871	22	2.5%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	857	26	3.0%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	872	24	2.8%	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.

Specific Learning Difficulty 105 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 46 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 27 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 17 pupils

Visual Impairment 3 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 1 pupils