Ian Mikardo High School
Ian Mikardo High School is a special academy in London for boys aged 11 to 18. It has 67 pupils and room for 77. About 68 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.
60 William Guy Gardens, Talwin Street, London, E3 3LF020 8981 2413beckmeadtrust.org/ianmikardoMrs Lisa Tharpe headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 27 June 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 16 March 2022 | Ungraded | School remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
11 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† | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 10 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 5.7 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 46.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | – | -2.59 | -2.16 | -3.55 | -2.32 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.21 | 0.21 | 0.10 | 0.19 | 0.26 | 0.05 | 4.18 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 51% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 5.7 | 3.4 | – | 5.0 | 2.1 | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | – | 3.2 | – | – | 2.3 | – | – |
† These results are for Ian Mikardo School, the school this one replaced in February 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Subjects
Results came out for 3 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.
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 | 10 | 0% | 10% | 10% | 53% | – |
| English Language | 10 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 54% | – |
| Biology | 10 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 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.
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 Tower Hamlets council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health.
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 Tower Hamlets with social, emotional and mental health provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (53), Autistic spectrum disorder (5), Specific learning difficulty (5), Moderate learning difficulty (2), Other difficulty or disability (1), language and communications needs (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 67 | 50 | 49 | 55 | 43 | 44 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 72% | 80% | 82% | 51% | 70% | 91% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 19% | 22% | 14% | 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 78.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 21.3% | 20.0% | 18.1% | 14.6% | 22.2% | 20.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 10.5% | 7.4% | 10.0% | 11.3% | 8.7% | 13.8% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 10.8% | 12.6% | 8.2% | 3.3% | 13.5% | 6.9% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 56.1% | 65.0% | 57.1% | 56.1% | 66.7% | 67.4% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 10.0 | 16.3 | 3.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 12 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 92% | 86% | 75% | 75% |
| Education | 92% | 71% | 75% | 75% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 14% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 14% | 17% | 25% |
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 special 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marner Primary School | Council | 250 m | 641 | Good 2022 | 68 | Compare |
| Old Palace Primary School | Council | 290 m | 386 | Good 2023 | 89 | Compare |
| East London Arts & Music | Free schools 16 to 19 | 290 m | 292 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Bow School | Council | 320 m | 1,126 | Good 2023 | 31 | Compare |
| Childrens House Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 330 m | 145 | Outstanding 2023 | – | Compare |
| Harris Science Academy East London | Free school | 470 m | 513 | No overall grade 2025 | 91 | Compare |
| St Agnes RC Primary School | Roman Catholic | 470 m | 214 | Outstanding 2024 | 92 | Compare |
| Onelab College | Special post 16 institution | 500 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Ian Mikardo High School a good school?
Ian Mikardo High School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in June 2023.
What is Ian Mikardo High School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Ian Mikardo High School good at its last full inspection on 27 June 2023.
How good are Ian Mikardo High School's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 0% 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 5.7, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Ian Mikardo High School have?
67 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 77 places, so it is 87% full. It is a boys' school.
What is attendance like at Ian Mikardo High School?
Pupils were in school 78.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 56% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Ian Mikardo High School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Ian Mikardo High 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
- 60 William Guy Gardens, Talwin Street, London, E3 3LF
- Telephone
- 020 8981 2413
- Website
- www.beckmeadtrust.org/ianmikardo
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Tharpe
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 11-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Boys
- Multi-academy trust
- The Beckmead Trust (12 schools)
- Local authority
- Tower Hamlets
- Ward
- Bromley North
- Constituency
- Stratford and Bow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 February 2018 (academy converter)
- URN
- 143630 · LAESTAB 2117171 · UKPRN 10061516
- Formerly
- Ian Mikardo 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.
- 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.