A council (local authority) in London
In short: Most primary schools here are rated Good or better, about the same as across England. Results at 11 are above England, and results at 16 were close to England in 2026. Missing school is a bigger problem than across England.
Islington at a glance
How Islington's schools compare with England, area by area.
Primary and secondary schools are ranked by Eduscope score, which weighs up results, inspections, attendance and more. Nurseries, special and independent schools aren't ranked. A high score isn't everything: always visit.
39 mainstream schools in Islington, best first
Results well above the England average.
57 first choices, 30 offers made
Met the standard at 1189%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
87 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1174%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
60 first choices, 60 offers made
Met the standard at 1180%
England 62%
9 mainstream schools in Islington, best first
Results well above the England average.
434 first choices, 171 offers made
Met the standard at 1177%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
235 first choices, 173 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1655.5
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
166 first choices, 178 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1655.0
England 46.2
82 in Islington, highest Ofsted grade first
London, N5 2LJ · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
London, N4 2DR · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
London, N19 5HE · Nursery
Nurseries don't sit tests, so there are no results to compare.
15 in Islington, by the school's Eduscope score
Results well above the England average.
434 first choices, 171 offers made
Met the standard at 1177%
England 62%
Results well above the England average.
235 first choices, 173 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1655.5
England 46.2
Results well above the England average.
98 first choices, 136 offers made
Attainment 8 at 1656.2
England 46.2
7 in Islington. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
London, N1 8RE · Special · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
London, N1 0HY · All-through · Ages 7 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
London, N7 9LD · Academy · All-through · Ages 2 to 19
Specialist provision. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
5 in Islington. Eduscope doesn't rank these.
N1 2nq · Independent · Secondary · Ages 11 to 18
Independent school. Results well above the England average.
Attainment 8 at 1670.0
England 46.2
London, N1 2QH · Independent · All-through · Ages 3 to 14
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
London, N1 4PB · Independent · Primary · Ages 2 to 11
Independent school. Results aren't published in the same way.
Results
Not published for this kind of school.
Each dot is a school or nursery, coloured by its latest Ofsted grade. Point at a dot to see its name, or use the list.
Apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council's area. Independent schools take applications directly.
Islington is a London borough with 39 mainstream primary schools and 9 mainstream secondary schools. 31.1% of secondary offers are for a school in another council, against 8.0% across England. Secondary places are in high demand: 66.2% got their first choice, against 83.6% across England.
From Islington council's website, checked 7 November 2026. Check the council's pages before you apply.
School admissions team: 020 7527 5515
If a date falls on a weekend or bank holiday, offers go out the next working day.
79.4%got their first-choice primary school in Islington in 2026. England: 92.4%. Ranked 148 of 151 councils. 91.7% got one of their top three.14.9% were offered a primary school in another council. England: 3.6%.
66.2%got their first-choice secondary school in Islington in 2026. England: 83.6%. Ranked 143 of 151 councils. 91.0% got one of their top three.31.1% were offered a secondary school in another council. England: 8.0%.
Source: DfE applications and offers, 2026. A low rate shows high demand, not poor schools.
1 of 10 primary appeals heard in Islington succeeded in 2025. 9 of 65 secondary appeals heard in Islington succeeded in 2025.
| Term | Starts | Half term | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn | 2 Sept | 26 Oct to 30 Oct | 18 Dec |
| Spring | 4 Jan | 15 Feb to 19 Feb | 25 Mar |
| Summer | 12 Apr | 31 May to 4 Jun | 22 Jul |
For schools that follow the council's dates. Academies, faith and foundation schools can set their own, and schools add training days. Source, checked 6 November 2026.
Pick a stage to see every Islington school for that age, with filters for type, faith and Ofsted grade.
Ages 0 to 4
19 Outstanding, 52 Good, 1 need to improve.
82nurseries
Ages 4 to 11
97% Good or better. 67% met the standard at 11.
51schools
Ages 11 to 16
All 8 inspected are Good or better. 48% got grade 5 in English and maths.
21schools
All 6 inspected are Good or better. About 7 pupils per teacher.
7schools
Here's how Islington's schools break down by type, faith and more.
Some areas, like parts of a bigger town, are easiest to find by postcode.
Inspections, exam results and attendance, next to the figure for England where we have it.
IslingtonEngland
Primaries rated Good or Outstanding
Latest Ofsted grade, 33 primaries with one.
97%
England 96%
Close to England
Secondaries rated Good or Outstanding
8 of the 8 with a grade.
100%
England 93%
Met the expected standard at 11
Reading, writing and maths.
67%
England 62%
Grade 5 or above in English and maths
At GCSE.
48%
Pupils who miss a lot of school
Missed 1 in 10 days or more. Lower is better.
22%
England 18%
Primary pupils on free school meals
A sign of family income, not of school quality.
45%
Latest graded inspection for the 52 schools that have one.
98%
Good or Outstanding
Islington in blue. There were no tests in 2020 and 2021 because of Covid.
The latest published year for each measure. Sources and years are on our data sources page.
| Measure | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good or Outstanding (Ofsted) | 98% | 95% |
| Met the expected standard at 11 (KS2) | 67% | 62% |
| Attainment 8 | 47.1 | 46.2 |
| Persistent absence | 22% | 18% |
| Pupils per teacher | 16.3:1 | 17.9:1 |
| Spending per pupil | £11,984 | £8,120 |
| In education or work after 16 | 90% | 91% |
| Went on to higher education | 50% | 56% |
| Pupils with special educational needs | 26% | 21% |
| Pupils with English as an additional language | 38% | 22% |
| Pupils on free school meals | 48% | 27% |
DfE local authority code 206, ONS code E09000019.
Islington has 148 schools and nurseries.
Pupil numbers are about the same as in 2018.
45% of primary pupils here get free school meals. Schools get extra money for each of them.
Pupils in Islington's state schools each January.
Down 1% since 2018.
Out of every 10 primary pupils, how many get free school meals. It's a sign of family income, not of school quality.
Islington45%
Follow any school and we'll email you when it gets a new Ofsted report or new results are out. Nothing else.
Islington has 148 schools, including 51 primary schools, 21 secondary schools, 82 nurseries, 5 independent schools, 7 special schools. Some count in more than one group. You can browse each category using the filters on Eduscope.
The highest-ranked schools in Islington on Eduscope are Gillespie Primary School, Yerbury Primary School, City of London Primary Academy, Islington. We rank each state school against schools of the same phase across England on its Ofsted inspection, results and attendance. Independent, special and nursery schools aren't ranked.
98% of inspected schools in Islington hold a Good or Outstanding Ofsted rating, which is above the England average of 94.8%. This includes 16 schools rated Outstanding and 35 rated Good.
Across primary schools in Islington, 67% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths at Key Stage 2. This is based on the latest published results from the Department for Education.
The average pupil-teacher ratio across schools in Islington is 16.3:1. While not a direct measure of class size, this indicates the level of teaching resource available per pupil. Across England it is 17.9:1.
The persistent absence rate across schools in Islington is 22.3%. A pupil is classed as persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of school sessions. Across England it is 18.1%.
There are 22,316 pupils enrolled across schools in Islington, with 12,431 in primary and 8,768 in secondary. 47.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals.
There are 5 independent schools in Islington. Fees vary by school and age group, with day school fees typically ranging from £10,000 to £20,000 per year. You can compare all private schools in Islington on Eduscope, including ISI inspection ratings where available.
Start by considering your child's age, your location, and whether you prefer a state or independent school. Use Eduscope to compare 148 schools in Islington by Ofsted ratings, exam results, and distance. Filter by school type, gender, religious character, and admissions policy to narrow your options.
Sources: DfE school performance tables, DfE school census and workforce, DfE pupil absence, Ofsted. Photos are stand-ins.
