Arts and Media School Islington
similar schools
Arts and Media School Islington is a foundation school in London for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 577 pupils and room for 690. About 67 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 22 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 34% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Turle Road, London, N4 3LS020 7281 5511artsandmedia.islington.sch.ukMs Susan Service headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 20 April 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
130 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018 | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 130 | 124 | 138 | 121 | 121 | 95 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 38.3 | 45.0 | 39.7 | 46.1 | 38.4 | 36.1 | 48.7 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | +0.17 | -0.25 | +0.14 | -0.40 | -0.31 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 28% | 49% | 33% | 48% | 31% | 24% | 50% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 49% | 67% | 57% | 67% | 46% | 46% | 68% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.25 | 3.81 | 3.25 | 3.75 | 3.38 | 3.12 | 4.42 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 39% | 31% | 26% | 29% | 37% | 34% | 50% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 36.7 | 40.0 | 37.2 | 45.8 | 36.1 | 33.6 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 40.8 | 52.3 | 43.8 | 46.6 | 41.8 | 40.2 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 29.5 | 24.9 | 33.3 | 19.2 | 26.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 69.6 | 56.6 | 64.3 | 57.1 | 50.1 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 24 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Biology (25% here, 82% across England), Chemistry (28% here, 81% across England), Physics (29% here, 82% across England), Combined Science (0% here, 36% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 130 | 9% | 35% | 56% | 54% | 2,857 of 3,210 |
| Mathematics | 129 | 11% | 36% | 57% | 53% | 2,712 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 127 | 10% | 46% | 62% | 58% | 2,337 of 3,202 |
| Physics | 111 | 10% | 29% | 38% | 82% | 2,524 of 2,546 |
| Chemistry | 111 | 10% | 28% | 43% | 81% | 2,509 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 110 | 8% | 25% | 46% | 82% | 2,551 of 2,570 |
| History | 59 | 14% | 32% | 51% | 52% | 2,681 of 3,126 |
| Spanish | 37 | 24% | 38% | 46% | 54% | 1,524 of 1,941 |
| Social Studies | 37 | 5% | 32% | 54% | 54% | 899 of 1,043 |
| Geography | 27 | 15% | 22% | 26% | 51% | 2,908 of 3,116 |
| Statistics | 25 | 28% | 84% | 96% | 51% | 137 of 375 |
| Art and Design | 23 | 4% | 44% | 65% | 58% | 2,114 of 2,818 |
| Religious Studies | 22 | 46% | 68% | 77% | 60% | 693 of 1,825 |
| French | 21 | 10% | 43% | 67% | 60% | 1,569 of 1,974 |
| Computer Science | 21 | 24% | 57% | 81% | 56% | 837 of 1,861 |
| Physical Education | 19 | 16% | 53% | 68% | 56% | – |
| Combined Science | 15 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 36% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 12 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
| Music | 11 | 9% | 73% | 100% | 61% | – |
| Media / Film / TV | 11 | 9% | 73% | 91% | 55% | – |
| Food Preparation & Nutrition | 10 | 0% | 0% | 30% | 52% | – |
| Design & Technology | 9 | 22% | 67% | 78% | 50% | – |
| Drama | 8 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 60% | – |
| Dance | 7 | 0% | 0% | 29% | 58% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
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. Every gap at this school 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 GCSE, 2025
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
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
174 places were empty (22% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 9% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
How places were given out for September 2026.
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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (68), Autistic spectrum disorder (40), Other difficulty or disability (31), language and communications needs (12), Specific learning difficulty (7), Moderate learning difficulty (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 577 | 595 | 630 | 672 | 656 | 649 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 67% | 62% | 56% | 56% | 51% | 45% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 42% | 40% | 36% | 35% | 31% | 28% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 16% | 18% | 17% | 21% | 17% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 4% | 4% | 3% | 2% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 85.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 14.9% | 13.3% | 13.0% | 11.4% | 8.1% | 7.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.1% | 5.7% | 5.0% | 4.1% | 3.5% | 3.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 7.8% | 7.7% | 8.0% | 7.3% | 4.6% | 4.2% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 47.4% | 45.5% | 43.4% | 37.2% | 27.5% | 21.7% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 27.7 | 33.7 | 26.2 | 14.5 | 7.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 138 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 79%, compared with 85% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 81% | 92% | 94% | 90% |
| Education | 80% | 89% | 94% | 88% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 2% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 1% | 1% | 0% | 2% |
| Not in education, work or training | 11% | 3% | 6% | 7% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of London Academy, Highgate Hill | Free school | 940 m | 641 | Good 2024 | 60 | Compare |
| St Aloysius' College | Academy | 1.0 miles | 341 | Good 2022 | – | Compare |
| Hornsey School for Girls | Council | 1.0 miles | 560 | Good 2022 | 61 | Compare |
| Skinners' Academy | Academy | 1.1 miles | 939 | Report card 2026 | 39 | Compare |
| Lift Beacon High | Academy | 1.1 miles | 414 | Good 2022 | – | Compare |
| Highbury Fields School | Council | 1.2 miles | 733 | Outstanding 2022 | 91 | Compare |
| Highgate Wood Secondary School | Council | 1.2 miles | 1,524 | Report card 2026 | 79 | Compare |
| Acland Burghley School | Council | 1.3 miles | 1,252 | Good 2023 | 53 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Arts and Media School Islington with the 50 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 50 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 50 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Arts and Media School Islington, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of London Academy Highbury Grove | Academy | 1.4 miles | 892 | Good 2022 | 54 | Compare |
| The Excelsior Academy | Academy | 2.2 miles | 983 | Good 2024 | 64 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy South Bank | Free school | 4.8 miles | 691 | Outstanding 2024 | 95 | Compare |
| Lilian Baylis Technology School | Council | 5.6 miles | 848 | Outstanding 2023 | 76 | Compare |
| Eastlea Community School | Academy | 6.2 miles | 593 | No overall grade 2025 | 31 | Compare |
| Saint John Bosco College | Roman Catholic | 6.8 miles | 828 | Good 2022 | 43 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy Enfield | Academy | 8.3 miles | 690 | No overall grade 2025 | 37 | Compare |
| Ark Putney Academy | Academy | 9.1 miles | 746 | Good 2022 | 58 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 22 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 22% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 16 to 31. 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 at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | below | -0.15 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 130 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | +0.01 | DfE progress measure; 130 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.16 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | well below | -0.21 | 2024/25; 643 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.10 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 130 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well below | -0.09 | 138 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | 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 Arts and Media School Islington a good school?
The figures are weak. Arts and Media School Islington scores 22 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 34% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 16 to 31, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Arts and Media School Islington's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Arts and Media School Islington good at its last full inspection on 20 April 2023.
How good are Arts and Media School Islington's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 28% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 38.3, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little ahead of children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Arts and Media School Islington have?
577 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 690 places, so it is 84% full.
Is Arts and Media School Islington oversubscribed?
Probably not. 174 places were empty in 2024/25 (22% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Arts and Media School Islington?
Pupils were in school 85.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 47% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Arts and Media School Islington?
The average class had 19.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does Arts and Media School Islington have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 81% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Turle Road, London, N4 3LS
- Telephone
- 020 7281 5511
- Website
- www.artsandmedia.islington.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Ms Susan Service
- Type of school
- Foundation school (Foundation school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- Islington Arts and Media Trust (1 schools)
- Local authority
- Islington
- Ward
- Tollington
- Constituency
- Islington North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 1999
- URN
- 131690 · LAESTAB 2064325 · UKPRN 10013526
- Formerly
- George Orwell School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Islington council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2024, 2025, 2026.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.