Phoenix School
Phoenix School is a council special school in London for boys and girls aged 3 to 19. It has 533 pupils, 33 more than it has places for. About 61 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in January 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
49 Bow Road, London, E3 2AD020 8980 4740phoenix.towerhamlets.sch.ukMs Veronica Armson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 27 January 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 18 April 2024 | Ungraded | School remains Outstanding |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
28 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 | 28 | 36 | 34 | 35 | 23 | 7 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | – | 0.4 | – | 0.3 | – | 3.4 | 46.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -1.60 | – | -1.91 | – | -1.36 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | 46% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | 66% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | – | 0.04 | – | 0.02 | – | 0.14 | 4.18 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | – | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0% | 51% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | – | 0.6 | – | 0.4 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | – | 0.0 | – | 0.0 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 0.4 | – | 0.3 | – | – | – | – |
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
50 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Tower Hamlets | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 50 | 28 | 34 | 29 | 24 | 23 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 71% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 12% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 98.0 | 89.0 | – | – | – | – | 107.0 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 104.0 | 100.0 | – | – | – | – | 106.9 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 102.0 | 100.0 | – | – | – | – | 107.4 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 4% | 4% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -5.3 | -1.5 | -4.0 | -5.1 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -4.4 | -1.8 | -3.7 | -5.4 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
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 the end of primary school, 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
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 autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication.
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 autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (450), language and communications needs (73), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Severe learning difficulty (3), Hearing impairment (2), emotional and mental health (1).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 533 | 502 | 507 | 469 | 469 | 431 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 62% | 62% | 56% | 52% | 51% | 49% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 57% | 60% | 60% | 61% | 63% | 62% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 1% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 99% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.4% 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 | 9.6% | 10.0% | 11.5% | 10.9% | 9.6% | 7.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 7.4% | 7.7% | 8.4% | 9.1% | 7.3% | 5.0% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 2.2% | 2.3% | 3.1% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 2.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 33.8% | 35.7% | 41.3% | 39.9% | 27.7% | 21.5% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 1.2 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 7.4 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 34 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 100%, compared with 100% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 0% | 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 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.
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Autism Trust | Special post 16 institution | 40 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Central Foundation Girls' School | Voluntary | 140 m | 1,526 | Report card 2026 | 79 | Compare |
| Malmesbury Primary School | Council | 210 m | 453 | Good 2023 | 68 | Compare |
| Wellington Primary School | Council | 260 m | 396 | Outstanding 2023 | 87 | Compare |
| Beatrice Tate School | Council | 490 m | 134 | Report card 2025 | – | Compare |
| St Agnes RC Primary School | Roman Catholic | 550 m | 214 | Outstanding 2024 | 92 | Compare |
| Childrens House Nursery School | Local authority nursery school | 650 m | 145 | Outstanding 2023 | – | Compare |
| Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy | Academy | 750 m | 660 | Outstanding 2022 | 89 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Phoenix School a good school?
Phoenix School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from January 2026 rated its teaching as .
What is Phoenix School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 27 January 2026 it rated .
How good are Phoenix School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does Phoenix School have?
533 pupils aged 3 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 500 places, so it is 107% full.
What is attendance like at Phoenix School?
Pupils were in school 90.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 34% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Phoenix School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Phoenix 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
- 49 Bow Road, London, E3 2AD
- Telephone
- 020 8980 4740
- Website
- www.phoenix.towerhamlets.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Ms Veronica Armson
- Type of school
- Council special school (Community special school, special schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 3-19, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Tower Hamlets
- Ward
- Bow West
- Constituency
- Stratford and Bow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 100987 · LAESTAB 2117095 · UKPRN 10017197
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.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- 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, consistent financial reporting 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.