School Chooser

Highshore School

Special · ages 11-19MixedCouncil163 pupilsSixth formLondonSouthwark
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, March 2023
Attendance86.6%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families72%Far more than most schools
Places2 spare163 pupils, 165 places
Pupils per teacher7.0School workforce census
Pupils on roll163Census January 2026

Highshore School is a council special school in London for boys and girls aged 11 to 19. It has 163 pupils and room for 165. About 72 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

135 Farmers Road, Camberwell, London, SE5 0TW020 7708 6790highshore.southwark.sch.ukDr Evelina Dimopoulou headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 1 March 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

16 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE scoreOfficial name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and mathsOfficial name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-1.57In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2015/16, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure202520242023202220192018SouthwarkEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11161816241517

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll163Census January 2026
Places16599% full
Pupils from low-income families69%72% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English20%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%163 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)72%£83,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls98 / 65
White British pupils20%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Southwark with autism provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (61), Specific learning difficulty (28), Physical disability (21), language and communications needs (16), Other difficulty or disability (12), Moderate learning difficulty (8).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll163169155152148146
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals69%66%63%63%59%58%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language20%13%12%12%14%15%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%100%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 86.6% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance86.6%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school37.7%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission4.3%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence13.4%12.6%12.3%10.1%24.8%5.7%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence9.1%8.9%8.2%9.2%24.5%5.3%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence4.3%3.7%4.1%0.9%0.2%0.4%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence37.7%37.5%34.0%34.4%83.5%15.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 16 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training100%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers2020/21 leavers2019/20 leavers
Still in education, work or training100%100%100%94%
Education100%100%100%94%
Apprenticeship0%0%0%0%
Work0%0%0%0%
Not in education, work or training0%0%0%0%

Staff and money

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

Teachers23.2full-time equivalent, 25 people
Pupils per teacher7.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers96%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants18.9full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£62,368
Teachers who left in the year18%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher8.62024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£26,725England £32,258. Total £4.5m
Income per pupil£28,823England £32,367. Total £4.9m
Spent on teachers per pupil£10,384England £11,930
Money in reserve24%A lot put by: £1.2m, £6,903 per pupil. England 7%
Money in against money out+£355kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£26,725spent 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 m1,42312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate192 per 1,000 people111% higher than the England average
Typical house price£550,000Southwark
Nearest bus stop100 mVassall Road (SE5), 18 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Ark All Saints AcademyAcademy60 m568Good 202374Compare
PhoenixPlaceIndependent160 m30Not inspectedCompare
St John the Divine Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England170 m97Good 202318Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Junior SchoolRoman Catholic180 m209Good 202268Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Infants SchoolRoman Catholic180 m147Good 202357Compare
Saint Gabriel's CollegeChurch of England290 m581Good 202458Compare
Sacred Heart Catholic SchoolAcademy460 m950Outstanding 202396Compare
Christ Church Primary SW9Church of England540 m169Not inspected56Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Highshore School a good school?

Highshore School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in March 2023.

What is Highshore School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Highshore School good at its last full inspection on 1 March 2023.

How many pupils does Highshore School have?

163 pupils aged 11 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 165 places, so it is 99% full.

What is attendance like at Highshore School?

Pupils were in school 86.6% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 38% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Highshore School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for autism, hearing impairment, moderate learning difficulties, multi-sensory impairment, other needs, physical disability, speech, language and communication, severe learning difficulties, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does Highshore School 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
135 Farmers Road, Camberwell, London, SE5 0TW
Telephone
020 7708 6790
Website
www.highshore.southwark.sch.uk
Headteacher
Dr Evelina Dimopoulou
Type of school
Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 11-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Southwark
Ward
Camberwell Green
Constituency
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
100872 · LAESTAB 2107007 · UKPRN 10015744

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from