Highbury Fields School[1]

Secondary · ages 11–18

Headline results

Attainment 8: A8 56 56.2 2025/26[2]
A-level average grade: AL B B 2024/25[3]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8: 56.2 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths: 64.5% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths: 20.3% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8: +0.43 2023/24[4]
Progress 8, 2025/26: Not calculated[5]
Progress 8, 2024/25: Not calculated[5]

Earlier years
Year	Attainment 8	Grade 5+ in English & maths	Progress 8
2024/25	57.4[6]	61.9%[6]
2023/24	51.4[4]	56.7%[4]	+0.43[4]
2022/23	57.1[7]	65%[7]	+0.82[7]
2021/22	55.8[8]	62%[8]	+0.60[8]

A level (16–18)

A-level average grade: B 2024/25[3]
AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects: 17.6% 2024/25[3]
All results, 2020/21: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]
All results, 2019/20: Not published (exams cancelled, COVID-19)[9]

Earlier years
Year	A-level average grade	AAB or better, at least two in facilitating subjects
2023/24	C+[10]	9.7%[10]
2022/23	C[11]	2.8%[11]
2021/22	C[12]	3.4%[12]
2018/19	C[13]	21.1%[13]

Destinations after GCSEs

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment: 93% 2022/23[14]
School sixth form: 60% 2022/23[14]
Sixth-form college: 1% 2022/23[14]
Further education college: 30% 2022/23[14]
Apprenticeship: 0% 2022/23[14]
Employment: 1% 2022/23[14]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment	School sixth form	Sixth-form college	Further education college	Apprenticeship	Employment
2021/22	92%[15]	57%[15]	7%[15]	24%[15]	0%[15]	2%[15]
2020/21	92%[16]	52%[16]	11%[16]	27%[16]	2%[16]	1%[16]
2019/20	94%[17]	57%[17]	10%[17]	24%[17]	0%[17]	1%[17]
2018/19	94%[18]	57%[18]	8%[18]	28%[18]	0%[18]	1%[18]

Destinations after 16–18 study

Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment: 76% 2022/23[19]
Education: 63% 2022/23[19]
Apprenticeship: 2% 2022/23[19]
Employment: 12% 2022/23[19]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Sustained education, apprenticeship or employment	Education	Apprenticeship	Employment
2021/22	80%[20]	68%[20]	0%[20]	13%[20]
2020/21	88%[21]	79%[21]	4%[21]	4%[21]
2019/20	91%[22]	83%[22]	0%[22]	8%[22]
2018/19	89%[23]	78%[23]	2%[23]	9%[23]

Higher education after 16–18 study

Progressed to higher education: 85% 2021/22[24]
Top third of most selective universities: 20% 2021/22[24]
Russell Group universities: 27% 2019/20[25]
Oxford or Cambridge: 0% 2019/20[25]

Earlier leavers
Left in	Progressed to higher education	Top third of most selective universities	Russell Group universities	Oxford or Cambridge
2020/21	89%[26]	40%[26]
2019/20	85%[25]	29%[25]	27%[25]	0%[25]
2018/19	71%[27]	21%[27]	19%[27]	0%[27]
2017/18	78%[28]	14%[28]	12%[28]	0%[28]

Shares of the pupils who left in the year shown. Russell Group and Oxford or Cambridge figures were published for leavers up to 2019/20 only.

Ofsted

Latest inspection: 27 Sep 2022[29]
Type: Section 8 inspection of good and outstanding schools[29]
Report published: 13 Nov 2022[29]
Safeguarding is effective: Yes[29]
Outcomes for ungraded and monitoring inspections: School remains Outstanding[29]

Earlier inspections
Inspection	Type	Overall
4 Oct 2016[30]	Maintained Academy and School Short inspection[30]	Outstanding[30]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place: 3.3 Entry Sept 2026[31]
Applications (any preference): 442 Entry Sept 2026[31]
First preferences: 98 Entry Sept 2026[31]
Places offered: 136 Entry Sept 2026[31]
First preferences per place: 0.7 Entry Sept 2026[31]

Earlier years
Entry	Applications	First preferences	Places offered	Per place	First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025	462[31]	131[31]	137[31]	3.4[31]	1.0[31]
Entry Sept 2024	456[31]	125[31]	140[31]	3.3[31]	0.9[31]
Entry Sept 2023	479[31]	144[31]	138[31]	3.5[31]	1.0[31]
Entry Sept 2022	452[31]	124[31]	138[31]	3.3[31]	0.9[31]

Character & practicalities

Type: Community school[1]
Ages: 11–18[1]
Boys / girls: Girls[1]
Admissions: Non-selective[1]
Sixth form: Yes[1]
Boarding: No boarders[1]
Capacity: 1050[1]
Local authority: Islington[1]
Website: http://www.highburyfields.islington.sch.uk/[1]
District: Islington [32]
Postcode: N5 1AR[1]
URN: 100455[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll: 729 2024/25[33]
English as an additional language: 52% 2024/25[33]
SEN support: 17.4% 2024/25[33]
EHC plan: 1.8% 2024/25[33]
Free school meals in the last 6 years: 54.1% 2024/25[33]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White: 34.2%[34]
Mixed: 14.6%[34]
Asian: 11.1%[34]
Black: 26.7%[34]
Any other ethnic group: 12.8%[34]
Unclassified: 0.5%[34]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: A level and other 16 to 18 results 2020/21. Period 2020/21. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Quote
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the summer exam series was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, and alternative processes were set up to award grades.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2023/24, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS5 (16-18) final. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2022/23, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 destinations. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2021/22, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2019/20, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2020/21, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2018/19, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: 16-18 progression to higher education. Period 2017/18, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2022/23. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2016/17. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers: school level. Period Entry Sept 2026, final, published 2026-06-29. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.