Haberdashers' Borough Academy
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Haberdashers' Borough Academy is a free school in London for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 983 pupils and room for 1,150. About 57 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 39 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 43% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.
94B Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 0EX020 3764 1321habsborough.org.ukMr Thomas Howells headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 5 March 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
175 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 | Southwark | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 175 | 172 | 0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 47.8 | 48.6 | – | 51.4 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.23 | – | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 43% | 48% | – | 53% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 67% | 72% | – | 72% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.65 | 4.60 | – | 4.74 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 79% | 80% | – | 66% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 42.4 | 45.1 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 52.6 | 50.7 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 26.4 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 65.8 | – | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 19 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.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Physical Education (18% here, 56% across England), German (26% here, 63% across England), Music (26% here, 61% across England), Computer Science (33% here, 56% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 175 | 21% | 50% | 74% | 53% | 1,704 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 175 | 18% | 53% | 73% | 54% | 1,555 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 172 | 19% | 58% | 73% | 58% | 1,431 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 163 | 16% | 53% | 72% | 36% | 423 of 3,084 |
| History | 113 | 23% | 43% | 53% | 52% | 2,020 of 3,126 |
| French | 92 | 24% | 57% | 71% | 60% | 1,189 of 1,974 |
| Music | 65 | 5% | 26% | 52% | 61% | 344 of 395 |
| Geography | 62 | 32% | 65% | 74% | 51% | 641 of 3,116 |
| Art and Design | 56 | 27% | 66% | 84% | 58% | 1,049 of 2,818 |
| German | 51 | 4% | 26% | 57% | 63% | 548 of 571 |
| Drama | 40 | 20% | 43% | 63% | 60% | 680 of 844 |
| Physical Education | 39 | 3% | 18% | 33% | 56% | 1,482 of 1,559 |
| Computer Science | 33 | 15% | 33% | 55% | 56% | 1,503 of 1,861 |
| Religious Studies | 25 | 36% | 64% | 72% | 60% | 835 of 1,825 |
| Other Modern Languages | 12 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
| Physics | 9 | 78% | 100% | 100% | 82% | – |
| Spanish | 9 | 89% | 89% | 100% | 54% | – |
| Chemistry | 9 | 89% | 100% | 100% | 81% | – |
| Biology | 9 | 89% | 100% | 100% | 82% | – |
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.
232 places were empty (20% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 71% 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 Southwark 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.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (57), emotional and mental health (55), Specific learning difficulty (53), language and communications needs (29), Moderate learning difficulty (9), Vision impairment (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 983 | 917 | 863 | 704 | 536 | 360 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 54% | 46% | 28% | 39% | 37% | 38% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 33% | 31% | 24% | 20% | 10% | 10% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 17% | 17% | 16% | 16% | 25% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 2% | 2% | 2% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.5% 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 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.5% | 8.2% | 8.3% | 7.0% | 3.9% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.0% | 3.7% | 3.3% | 5.0% | 3.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.5% | 4.5% | 5.0% | 2.0% | 0.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.9% | 25.7% | 27.2% | 19.3% | 9.4% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 20.1 | 27.9 | 24.9 | 9.7 | 1.7 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School | Academy | 780 m | 354 | Requires improvement 2024 | 24 | Compare |
| London Nautical, City of London Academy | Academy | 860 m | 510 | Requires improvement 2023 | 6 | Compare |
| Ark Globe Academy | Academy | 870 m | 1,272 | Report card 2026 | 82 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy South Bank | Free school | 0.6 miles | 691 | Outstanding 2024 | 95 | Compare |
| St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School | Church of England | 0.7 miles | 620 | Good 2022 | 77 | Compare |
| South Bank University Academy | Academy | 1.0 miles | 405 | Report card 2026 | 24 | Compare |
| Ark Walworth Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 973 | Good 2023 | 71 | Compare |
| Harris Academy Bermondsey | Academy | 1.3 miles | 781 | No overall grade 2025 | 91 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Haberdashers' Borough Academy with the 49 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 49 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 49 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Haberdashers' Borough Academy, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pimlico Academy | Academy | 1.9 miles | 1,079 | Report card 2026 | 82 | Compare |
| Oaklands School | Council | 2.5 miles | 902 | Report card 2026 | 79 | Compare |
| The Bridge Academy | Academy | 2.6 miles | 1,070 | Good 2023 | 84 | Compare |
| City of London Academy, Shoreditch Park | Free school | 2.6 miles | 914 | No overall grade 2025 | 89 | Compare |
| Harris Academy Battersea | Academy | 3.3 miles | 890 | Outstanding 2023 | 84 | Compare |
| Ark King Solomon Academy | Academy | 3.3 miles | 1,319 | Outstanding 2023 | 91 | Compare |
| Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy | Academy | 3.5 miles | 838 | Outstanding 2023 | 100 | Compare |
| The Elms Academy | Academy | 3.6 miles | 865 | Good 2020 | 83 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 39 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 39% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 29 to 50. 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% | in line | +0.02 | 2025 and 2024 results; 175 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 2.5 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.08 | DfE progress measure; 175 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.22 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.02 | 2024/25; 878 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.05 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 175 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| 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 Haberdashers' Borough Academy a good school?
It is about average. Haberdashers' Borough Academy scores 39 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 43% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 29 to 50, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Haberdashers' Borough Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Haberdashers' Borough Academy good at its last full inspection on 5 March 2024.
How good are Haberdashers' Borough Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 43% 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 47.8, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished a little behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Haberdashers' Borough Academy have?
983 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,150 places, so it is 85% full.
Is Haberdashers' Borough Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 232 places were empty in 2024/25 (20% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Haberdashers' Borough Academy?
Pupils were in school 92.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 23% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Haberdashers' Borough Academy?
The average class had 21.2 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 7% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Haberdashers' Borough Academy have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- 94B Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 0EX
- Telephone
- 020 3764 1321
- Website
- www.habsborough.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr Thomas Howells
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Haberdashers' Aske's Federation Trust (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Southwark
- Ward
- Borough & Bankside
- Constituency
- Bermondsey and Old Southwark
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 2 September 2019 (new provision)
- URN
- 147073 · LAESTAB 2104006 · UKPRN 10083746
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, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- 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.