School Chooser

The Bridge Keystone

Special · ages 4-19MixedFree school56 pupilsSixth formLondonIslington
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, February 2022
Attendance80.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families75%Far more than most schools
Places34 spare56 pupils, 90 places
Pupils per teacher6.5School workforce census
Pupils on roll56Census January 2026

The Bridge Keystone is a special free school in London for boys and girls aged 4 to 19. It has 56 pupils and room for 90. About 75 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 2022.

Duncombe Road, London, N19 3DL020 7619 1000thebridgetrust.academyMr Elliot Blackmore headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 February 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

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

The government hasn't published this school's headline results. Fewer than eleven pupils sat the exams, so the figures could identify individual children.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

3 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 11Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected levelOfficial name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading scoreOfficial name: Reading average scaled score
Maths scoreOfficial name: Maths average scaled score
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure20252024202320192018IslingtonEngland
Pupils tested35461
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%13%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score99.0106.8105.6
Expected level: readingReading expected standard0%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)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.

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 Islington council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll56Census January 2026
Places9062% full
Pupils from low-income families75%75% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English11%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%56 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)86%£54,350 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls48 / 8
White British pupils50%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (51), language and communications needs (3), emotional and mental health (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll565148292935
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals75%65%67%69%59%57%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language11%10%8%7%14%23%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%3%0%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%97%100%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 80.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance80.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school42.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission9.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence19.6%18.5%14.6%14.5%10.0%6.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence10.5%17.1%14.0%11.5%5.7%6.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence9.1%1.5%0.6%3.0%4.3%0.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence42.6%57.1%52.9%44.1%24.3%18.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.6full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher6.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.1full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£71,131
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher5.62024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£31,961England £30,720. Total £1.6m
Income per pupil£41,020England £33,526. Total £2.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£13,941England £11,966
Money in reserve13%A healthy amount put by: £264k, £5,168 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£462kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£31,961spent 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 m2,23112 months to June 2026, mostly anti-social behaviour
Local crime rate128 per 1,000 people41% higher than the England average
Typical house price£665,000Islington
Nearest bus stop110 mCressida Road, 22 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
City of London Academy, Highgate HillFree school20 m641Good 202460Compare
Duncombe Primary SchoolCouncil440 m378Good 202381Compare
Whitehall Park SchoolFree school520 m202Good 202222Compare
Margaret McMillan Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school520 m76Report card 2026Compare
St John's Upper Holloway CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England640 m206Good 202254Compare
St Aloysius' CollegeAcademy660 m341Good 2022Compare
St Mark's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England730 m231Not inspected72Compare
Ashmount Primary SchoolCouncil730 m390Good 202346Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Bridge Keystone a good school?

The Bridge Keystone doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in February 2022.

What is The Bridge Keystone's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Bridge Keystone good at its last full inspection on 22 February 2022. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How many pupils does The Bridge Keystone have?

56 pupils aged 4 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 90 places, so it is 62% full.

What is attendance like at The Bridge Keystone?

Pupils were in school 80.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 43% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does The Bridge Keystone 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
Duncombe Road, London, N19 3DL
Telephone
020 7619 1000
Website
www.thebridgetrust.academy
Headteacher
Mr Elliot Blackmore
Type of school
Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The Bridge MAT Ltd (9 schools)
Local authority
Islington
Ward
Hillrise
Constituency
Islington North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2017
URN
143702 · LAESTAB 2067002 · UKPRN 10065278

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from