Side by side
Arts and Media School Islington and City of London Academy, Highgate Hill
The published facts for both schools, each with its source. Where a school or the government has not published something, the cell says so. We do not name a winner.
What differs
- Arts and Media School Islington takes ages 11 to 16; City of London Academy, Highgate Hill takes ages 11 to 18.
- The two schools are 0.6 miles apart in a straight line.
Facts side by side
| Fact | Arts and Media School Islington | City of London Academy, Highgate Hill |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Type | State-funded: Foundation school DfE register | State-funded: Free school DfE register |
| Ages | 11 to 16 DfE register | 11 to 18 DfE register |
| Gender | Mixed DfE register | Mixed DfE register |
| Pupils | 577 DfE register | 641 DfE register |
| Borough | Islington DfE register | Islington DfE register |
| Boarding | No DfE register | No DfE register |
| Admissions policy | Non-selective DfE register | Non-selective DfE register |
| Admissions for 2027 | ||
| Next deadline to apply or register | 31 October 2026 (closes in 21 days) school or council page | 31 October 2026 (closes in 21 days) school or council page |
| Applications and places, last round | 61 first preferences for 99 places DfE, September 2026 entry | 69 first preferences for 102 places DfE, September 2026 entry |
| Cost | ||
| Published day fees | No tuition fees (state-funded) | No tuition fees (state-funded) |
| Inspection | ||
| Latest inspection | Ofsted graded inspection, 20 April 2023: Good at that inspection Ofsted | Ofsted graded inspection, 15 May 2024: Good at that inspection Ofsted |
| Results | ||
| GCSE: Attainment 8 | 38.3 (2024/25) DfE | 40.3 (2024/25) DfE |
| GCSE: grade 5+ in English and maths | 28% (2024/25) DfE | 33% (2024/25) DfE |
| A level: average grade | Not published | A- (2024/25) DfE |
| A level: points per entry | Not published | 45.6 (2024/25) DfE |
| Where leavers went | ||
| Stayed in education or work after GCSEs | 81% (left 2022/23) DfE | 90% (left 2022/23) DfE |
| Pupils | ||
| Eligible for free school meals | 67% DfE register | 63% DfE register |
| English as an additional language | 39.7% school census 2024/25 | 42.2% school census 2024/25 |
| Receiving SEN support | 16.3% school census 2024/25 | 12.8% school census 2024/25 |
| Pupils per teacher | 14.3 DfE workforce census | 15.6 DfE workforce census |
| Overall absence | 14.9% DfE, 2024/25 | 7.3% DfE, 2024/25 |
DfE register: Get Information About Schools, daily extract as at 2026-10-07. Other sources are named in each cell; every figure links to its source on the school's own page.
Shaded cells differ between the two schools. A blank is not a weakness: it means the figure has not been published, or does not apply to that type of school. Fees and results are not comparable between state and independent schools.