School Chooser

Abacus Belsize Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedFree school168 pupilsLondonCamden
School Chooser Score
99
Well above
similar schools
Likely range 94 to 100
Out of 100. Better than 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, June 2025
Reached the expected level at 1184%England 63%
Attendance96.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families16%Far fewer than most schools
Places42 spare168 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher18.7School workforce census

Abacus Belsize Primary School is a free school in London for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 168 pupils and room for 210. About 16 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 99 out of 100. That puts it well above schools like it, ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.

Jubilee Waterside Centre, 105 Camley Street, London, N1C 4PF020 7387 8018abacus-cfbt.orgMs Melissa Chandler headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 3 June 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Early years
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

19 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1184%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level32%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score109.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score109.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2023 to 2025
2023: 100%100%20232024: 89%89%20242025: 84%84%2025
Since 2023: -16%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023CamdenEngland
Pupils tested19910
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths84%89%100%75%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths32%44%40%17%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score109.0110.0111.0107.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score109.0111.0111.0107.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score111.0110.0110.0108.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard95%89%100%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard84%89%100%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)89%100%100%
Reading progressReading progress score+5.7
Maths progressMaths progress score+6.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged88%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged82%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
88%82%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
75%91%
Gap 16 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%32%
Gap 32 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places163 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
78% full

47 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 4% since 2021/22.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Camden council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll168Census January 2026
Places21080% full
Pupils from low-income families16%16% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English38%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support11%19 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.07 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)16%£41,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls90 / 78
White British pupils21%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 25.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 23.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (10), emotional and mental health (6), Specific learning difficulty (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll168158145153163164
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals16%19%14%12%17%13%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language38%36%32%33%32%22%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%14%10%12%6%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%1%3%1%2%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 96.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance96.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school5.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence3.9%4.1%5.0%4.7%3.2%3.8%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence2.6%2.9%3.3%3.2%2.6%2.8%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.3%1.2%1.7%1.5%0.6%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence5.3%6.3%8.8%14.5%9.3%4.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.6
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers9.0full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher18.7Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£57,825
Teachers who left in the year22%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.92024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£13,335England £7,128. Total £2.1m
Income per pupil£12,456England £7,587. Total £2.0m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,930England £3,405
Money in reserve2%Very little put by: £45k, £282 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£139kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£13,335spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m1,27412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate170 per 1,000 people86% higher than the England average
Typical house price£792,500Camden
Nearest bus stop240 mRoyal Veterinary College, 9 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Kings Cross AcademyAcademy350 m399Good 202318Compare
Our Lady Roman Catholic Primary SchoolCatholic390 m200Outstanding 202364Compare
Richard Cobden Primary SchoolCouncil450 m379Outstanding 201987Compare
Edith Neville Primary SchoolCouncil610 m211Outstanding 202387Compare
St Mary and St Pancras Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England680 m178Not inspected68Compare
Hawley Primary SchoolCouncil900 m220Good 202430Compare
Robert Blair School and Children's CentreCouncil0.6 miles214Not inspected13Compare
Brecknock Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles282Good 202340Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Abacus Belsize Primary School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats100%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
Near the very top of its group. Its score of 99 is 49 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 49 · highest 96100

No school with a similar mix of pupils within 25 km scores clearly higher.

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 99 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 99% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 94 to 100. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%above
+0.24
2025 results; 19 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%well above
+0.31
Ofsted grade, 1.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%well above
+0.44
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 19 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
+0.00
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.09
2024/25; 150 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%well above
+0.22
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 19 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Abacus Belsize Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Abacus Belsize Primary School scores 99 out of 100. That is well above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 100% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 94 to 100, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Abacus Belsize Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Abacus Belsize Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 3 June 2025.

How good are Abacus Belsize Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 84% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 32% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Abacus Belsize Primary School have?

168 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 80% full.

Is Abacus Belsize Primary School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 47 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Abacus Belsize Primary School?

Pupils were in school 96.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 5% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Abacus Belsize Primary School?

The average class had 24.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Jubilee Waterside Centre, 105 Camley Street, London, N1C 4PF
Telephone
020 7387 8018
Website
www.abacus-cfbt.org
Headteacher
Ms Melissa Chandler
Type of school
Free school (Free schools, free schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
Anthem Schools Trust (15 schools)
Local authority
Camden
Ward
King's Cross
Constituency
Holborn and St Pancras
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2013 (new provision)
URN
139837 · LAESTAB 2022001 · UKPRN 10042333

Where these figures come from