Side by side
City of London Academy Islington and Highbury Fields School
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
- City of London Academy Islington takes boys and girls; Highbury Fields School is a girls' school.
- The two schools are 1.2 miles apart in a straight line.
Facts side by side
| Fact | City of London Academy Islington | Highbury Fields School |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Type | State-funded: Academy sponsor led DfE register | State-funded: Community school DfE register |
| Ages | 11 to 18 DfE register | 11 to 18 DfE register |
| Gender | Mixed DfE register | Girls DfE register |
| Pupils | 852 DfE register | 733 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 | 106 first preferences for 136 places DfE, September 2026 entry | 98 first preferences for 136 places DfE, September 2026 entry |
| Cost | ||
| Published day fees | No tuition fees (state-funded) | No tuition fees (state-funded) |
| Inspection | ||
| Latest inspection | Ofsted ungraded inspection, 2 April 2025: Standards maintained Ofsted | Ofsted ungraded inspection, 28 September 2022: School remains Outstanding Ofsted |
| Results | ||
| GCSE: Attainment 8 | 40.8 (2024/25) DfE | 57.4 (2024/25) DfE |
| GCSE: grade 5+ in English and maths | 38% (2024/25) DfE | 62% (2024/25) DfE |
| A level: average grade | C (2024/25) DfE | B (2024/25) DfE |
| A level: points per entry | 30.2 (2024/25) DfE | 40 (2024/25) DfE |
| Where leavers went | ||
| Stayed in education or work after GCSEs | 90% (left 2022/23) DfE | 93% (left 2022/23) DfE |
| Stayed in education or work after 16 to 18 | 85% (left 2022/23) DfE | 76% (left 2022/23) DfE |
| Pupils | ||
| Eligible for free school meals | 65.5% DfE register | 51.3% DfE register |
| English as an additional language | 38.8% school census 2024/25 | 52% school census 2024/25 |
| Receiving SEN support | 8.4% school census 2024/25 | 17.4% school census 2024/25 |
| Pupils per teacher | 15.1 DfE workforce census | 12.5 DfE workforce census |
| Overall absence | 14.1% DfE, 2024/25 | 8.4% 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.
Other comparisons
- City of London Academy Islington and City of London Academy, Shoreditch Park0.6 miles apart
- City of London Academy Islington and Waterside Academy0.9 miles apart
- City of London Academy Islington and City of London Academy Highbury Grove0.9 miles apart
- City of London Academy Islington and The Bridge Academy1.1 miles apart