Waltham Forest schools in numbers
How Waltham Forest's 84 schools compare with London and England on every headline measure, with the council's rank out of the English councils that have data. Ranks run from best to worst for each measure (highest attendance first, lowest exclusions first, and so on).
Schools84open, all types
Pupils42,864on roll
Primary schools53
Secondary schools17
Who the pupils are
| Measure | Waltham Forest | London | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils from low-income familiesJanuary 2026 · 78 schools | 26.4% | 31.0% | 26.3% | 68thof 151 |
| Pupils attracting pupil premiumnow · 72 schools | 29.6% | 33.1% | 27.1% | 81stof 151 |
| Pupils learning EnglishJanuary 2026 · 78 schools | 39.4% | 43.8% | 18.6% | 26thof 151 |
| Pupils with SEN supportJanuary 2025 · 77 schools | 13.3% | 13.9% | 14.5% | 110thof 151 |
| Pupils with an EHC planJanuary 2025 · 77 schools | 9.2% | 12.8% | 11.6% | 133rdof 151 |
Classrooms and teachers
| Measure | Waltham Forest | London | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average class sizeJanuary 2026 · 67 schools | 25.4 | 24.9 | 25.0 | 79thof 151 |
| Classes with more than 30 pupilsJanuary 2026 · 67 schools | 4.0% | 6.7% | 10.6% | 7thof 151 |
| Pupils per teacherJanuary 2026 · 76 schools | 18.9 | 18.3 | 19.0 | 71stof 151 |
| Teachers leaving each year2024/25 · 76 schools | 17.9% | 17.4% | 15.0% | 136thof 151 |
| Average teacher payJanuary 2026 · 76 schools | £56,684 | £57,977 | £51,377 | 20thof 151 |
| Sick days per teacher2024/25 · 75 schools | 5.4 | 4.4 | 4.7 | 135thof 151 |
Attendance and behaviour
| Measure | Waltham Forest | London | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attendance2024/25 · 71 schools | 93.5% | 93.6% | 93.8% | 96thof 151 |
| Persistently absent pupils2024/25 · 71 schools | 18.0% | 17.6% | 15.8% | 110thof 151 |
| Suspensions per 100 pupils2024/25 · 71 schools | 6.6 | 4.3 | 7.0 | 81stof 151 |
Money
| Measure | Waltham Forest | London | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spend per pupil2024/25 · 76 schools | £11,096 | £11,652 | £9,273 | – |
| Spent on teachers per pupil2024/25 · 76 schools | £4,960 | £5,077 | £4,229 | 23rdof 151 |
| Reserves as a share of income2024/25 · 79 schools | 6.3% | 6.7% | 8.3% | 104thof 151 |
| Schools in deficit2024/25 · 79 schools | 25.3% | 20.2% | 14.1% | 137thof 151 |
Results
| Measure | Waltham Forest | London | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong pass in English and maths GCSE2024/25 · 17 schools | 47.8% | 53.2% | 46.1% | 43rdof 150 |
| Average GCSE score2024/25 · 17 schools | 47.3 | 51.1 | 47.0 | 49thof 150 |
| Reached the expected level at 112024/25 · 50 schools | 74.5% | 71.4% | 63.1% | 8thof 151 |
| Reached the higher level at 112024/25 · 50 schools | 16.4% | 13.3% | 8.3% | 6thof 151 |
Ofsted, score and places
| Measure | Waltham Forest | London | England | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspected under the new report cardsnow · 73 schools | 11% | 10% | 13% | 95thof 151 |
| Good or outstanding (old grades)now · 58 schools | 98% | 98% | 94% | 33rdof 151 |
| Scored above similar schoolsnow · 67 schools | 58% | 59% | 35% | 23rdof 151 |
| Places taken2024/25 · 67 schools | 82.3% | 83.9% | 86.2% | 116thof 151 |
| Academies and free schoolsnow · 79 schools | 46% | 41% | 52% | 92ndof 154 |
| Free breakfast clubsnow · 79 schools | 7.6% | 13.0% | 12.0% | 113thof 154 |
Trends
Trend
Attendance
2016 to 2025
Waltham ForestEngland
Since 2016: -1.4%
Trend
Pupils from low-income families
2019 to 2026
Waltham ForestEngland
Since 2019: +9.2%
Trend
Strong pass in English and maths GCSE
2017 to 2025
Waltham ForestEngland
Since 2017: +5.6%
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2016 to 2025
Waltham ForestEngland
Since 2016: +18.0%
Trend
Suspensions per 100 pupils
2007 to 2025
Waltham ForestEngland
Since 2007: +0.3