Harris Academy Clapham
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Harris Academy Clapham is a free school in London for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 802 pupils and room for 975. About 65 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 29 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
Clarence Avenue, 33 Clarence Avenue, Clapham, London, SW4 8LD020 4513 9350harrisclapham.org.ukMr David Astin headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 2 February 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
183 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 | Lambeth | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 183 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 42.4 | – | – | 46.7 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 32% | – | – | 42% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 53% | – | – | 64% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.98 | – | – | 4.22 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 69% | – | – | 52% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 39.2 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 48.0 | – | – | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 15 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: Drama (0% here, 60% across England), History (32% here, 52% across England), Religious Studies (41% here, 60% across England), Combined Science (20% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 183 | 17% | 41% | 62% | 53% | 2,379 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 183 | 16% | 42% | 60% | 54% | 2,450 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 181 | 16% | 46% | 65% | 58% | 2,293 of 3,202 |
| Religious Studies | 158 | 15% | 41% | 52% | 60% | 1,555 of 1,825 |
| Combined Science | 153 | 4% | 20% | 37% | 36% | 2,638 of 3,084 |
| History | 134 | 17% | 32% | 37% | 52% | 2,685 of 3,126 |
| Spanish | 97 | 34% | 55% | 68% | 54% | 990 of 1,941 |
| Geography | 46 | 13% | 35% | 41% | 51% | 2,406 of 3,116 |
| Other Modern Languages | 43 | 44% | 61% | 65% | 49% | 252 of 454 |
| Biology | 30 | 33% | 87% | 93% | 82% | 1,320 of 2,570 |
| Chemistry | 29 | 45% | 86% | 100% | 81% | 1,302 of 2,537 |
| Physics | 29 | 28% | 86% | 93% | 82% | 1,316 of 2,546 |
| Drama | 23 | 0% | 0% | 4% | 60% | 842 of 844 |
| Art and Design | 16 | 6% | 50% | 81% | 58% | – |
| Music | 12 | 25% | 75% | 92% | 61% | – |
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.
About 104 places were empty, so most families who apply get in, though a popular year group can still fill up. Pupil numbers have grown by 122% since 2021/22, so places are getting harder to come by.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.
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 (50), Specific learning difficulty (39), language and communications needs (38), Autistic spectrum disorder (29), Other difficulty or disability (7), Physical disability (7).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 802 | 891 | 764 | 582 | 394 | 193 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 65% | 61% | 59% | 54% | 54% | 52% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 33% | 27% | 25% | 39% | 34% | 31% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 18% | 16% | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 4% | 5% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.1% 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 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 7.9% | 7.7% | 7.8% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.2% | 3.6% | 2.8% | 4.2% | 3.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.7% | 4.0% | 5.0% | 1.1% | 0.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 22.3% | 24.1% | 25.9% | 13.4% | 11.2% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 20.5 | 26.8 | 27.0 | 23.6 | 17.1 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 2 | 2 | 2 | 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Elms Academy | Academy | 800 m | 865 | Good 2020 | 83 | Compare |
| La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School | Roman Catholic | 940 m | 1,197 | Outstanding 2023 | 80 | Compare |
| Trinity Academy | Free school | 960 m | 616 | Good 2022 | 34 | Compare |
| City Heights E-ACT Academy | Academy | 1.1 miles | 460 | Report card 2025 | 19 | Compare |
| Minerva Virtual Academy | Online provider | 1.1 miles | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Chestnut Grove Academy | Academy | 1.2 miles | 1,327 | Good 2024 | 80 | Compare |
| Ark Evelyn Grace Academy | Academy | 1.3 miles | 320 | No overall grade 2025 | 28 | Compare |
| Dunraven School | Academy | 1.5 miles | 1,744 | Good 2023 | 51 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Harris Academy Clapham with the 47 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 47 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 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Harris Academy Clapham, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Academy Battersea | Academy | 1.8 miles | 890 | Outstanding 2023 | 84 | Compare |
| Lilian Baylis Technology School | Council | 2.4 miles | 848 | Outstanding 2023 | 76 | Compare |
| Pimlico Academy | Academy | 2.4 miles | 1,079 | Report card 2026 | 82 | Compare |
| Chelsea Academy | Academy | 2.8 miles | 1,106 | Good 2023 | 57 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy South Bank | Free school | 3.3 miles | 691 | Outstanding 2024 | 95 | Compare |
| Ark Blake Academy | Free school | 5.4 miles | 759 | Good 2023 | 50 | Compare |
| Oaklands School | Council | 6.1 miles | 902 | Report card 2026 | 79 | Compare |
| Ark Burlington Danes Academy | Academy | 6.2 miles | 778 | Good 2022 | 67 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 29 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 29% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 39. 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 | -0.12 | 2025 results; 183 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | in line | -0.01 | Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 183 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.25 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.02 | 2024/25; 943 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | in line | -0.01 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 183 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 Harris Academy Clapham a good school?
The figures are weak. Harris Academy Clapham scores 29 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 39, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Harris Academy Clapham's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Harris Academy Clapham good at its last full inspection on 2 February 2023.
How good are Harris Academy Clapham's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 32% 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 42.4, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does Harris Academy Clapham have?
802 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 975 places, so it is 82% full.
Is Harris Academy Clapham oversubscribed?
Probably not. 104 places were empty in 2024/25 (11% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Harris Academy Clapham?
Pupils were in school 92.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 22% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Harris Academy Clapham?
The average class had 22.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 6% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does Harris Academy Clapham have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Clarence Avenue, 33 Clarence Avenue, Clapham, London, SW4 8LD
- Telephone
- 020 4513 9350
- Website
- www.harrisclapham.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mr David Astin
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Harris Federation (59 schools)
- Local authority
- Lambeth
- Ward
- Clapham Park
- Constituency
- Clapham and Brixton Hill
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2020 (new provision)
- URN
- 147543 · LAESTAB 2084007 · UKPRN 10086476
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.
- Admissions outcomes: Lambeth 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.