Primary schools in ELL areas lead the way in latest league tables

By Sydney Diack and Nicolle Okoren

Primary schools in both Hackney and Tower Hamlets have some of best pupils in the country with 100 per cent of children in some schools reaching the Government’s expected standard testing score in maths, reading and writing.

This year’s primary school league tables, released last week and which measure the performance of 11-year old British students taking National Curriculum tests, showed that these students far surpassed both the London and nationwide averages.

Schools in Lewisham and Croydon closely followed Hackney and Tower Hamlets, with 97% of pupils reaching the standard score for reading, writing and maths.

In London, 70% of students reached the standard in these three subjects; in Britain as a whole, this number was only 64%.

Students topped the chart for reading scores in Hackney, achieving an average of 106 on the National Curriculum tests. Tower Hamlets, Lewisham and Croydon all averaged marks of 105.

A score of 100 means the student is working ‘at the expected standard’ for Year Six.

Maths results in all four ELL boroughs also went beyond the standard, with each averaging a score of 105.

Included in the lists below are the top performing schools in the ELL boroughs. The Government has released data from every school in Britain, the full list of which can be found on the gov.uk site.

The tables are organised according to the institutions achieving the highest cumulative per cent for reading, writing and maths. Highlighted are the two top performing schools from each borough.

Croydon

Beaumont Primary School in Old Lodge Lane, Surrey, scored an average of 97% between maths, reading and writing. They topped the charts of all the primary schools in Croydon who took National Curriculum tests.

Beaumont Primary School opened in 1969, and accommodates 210 children aged four to eleven.

Linda Harvey, Executive Headteacher, credited the success of the school to their teaching approach: “We operate personalised learning for each individual child, and make sure we are meeting their additional needs in terms of support and provision.

Ofsted reports have consistently marked Beaumont Primary School as ‘good’ until this year, when it was awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating.

The report cites the high expectations the school has of its pupil as justification for this award: “Leaders have established a culture of high expectations, with the motto ‘There is no glass ceiling for any child.'”

Applegarth Academy, located in Fieldway, New Addington, followed with an average score of 92% across the three core subjects. They scored exceptionally high in reading at 98% and maths at 97%.

John Halliwell, Executive Headteacher, responded to the report: “The children have worked together brilliantly and they’ve really worked hard at what they are doing, but it’s also the staff and the parents and their support and dedication to the children at Applegarth Academy who should be mentioned. They’ve worked effortlessly.”

He added: “With the wider support of the trust, we were able to achieve much more than if we were by ourselves.”

Established in 2013, Applegarth Academy has around 440 students, 67 of which took the national curriculum test. It is part of the Step Academy Trust, a collaboration with 14 other schools. The academy’s motto is “working together, we will achieve.”

It is also a National Support School, with Halliwell acting as a National Leader of Education. This means that he will consult in the practices of other schools, allowing him to learn and apply them to the Trust.

Applegarth Academy’s motto is applied to pupils even outside of school hours, with children working in groups of four at half-term to support and challenge each other’s learning. Developing social and personal skills are embedded in this process, all while working through the curriculum.

Halliwell said: “We promote children’s voices and have a high expectation of children’s speaking and use of language at every point in the curriculum.”

The Academy’s teaching is also very creative, with students working towards a big project at the end of each term. Last year, students built a museum in the school.

School Name% of pupils meeting expected standardReadingWritingMaths% of pupils achieving at a higher standard
Beaumont Primary School971001009723
Applegarth Academy9398939733
Oasis Academy Byron9092909419
Oasis Academy Shirley Park8890888828
St Cyprian’s Greek Orthodox8889949218
Howard Primary School8697939021
Atwood Primary Academy8387889018
Chipstead Valley Primary School8386928615
David Livingstone Academy838383873
Downsview Primary and Nursery School8388889218
Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School8390909126
Forestdale Primary School8286868614
St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School8189898412
St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School7888888416
St John’s CofE Primary School789494846
The Woodside Academy7884849014
Fairchildes Primary School779090903
Good Shepherd Catholic Primary and Nursery School7784849419
Harris Primary Academy Benson7789898711
Harris Primary Academy Kenley7785857911
Rockmount Primary School7685858915
St Chad’s Catholic Primary School768383835
Gresham Primary School7588888122
Park Hill Junior School7476768921
St Joseph’s RC Junior School7489897811
St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School7490908824
Orchard Way Primary School7390908310
Winterbourne Junior Girls’ School7398988514
Coulsdon CofE Primary School7276768314
Margaret Roper RC728484849
Norbury Manor Primary School7272728515
St. Mary’s Catholic Junior School728888894
Greenvale Primary School7187878119
Kensington Avenue Primary School717575828
St Mark’s Church of England Primary Academy7176767610
Tudor Academy718686797
Whitehorse Junior School718080826
Woodcote Primary School7184847820
Christ Church CofE Primary School(Purley)7091917513
Ecclesbourne Primary School707878817
New Valley Primary School7081818519
Cypress Primary School6981817613
Forest Academy698282819
Heavers Farm Primary School6993938110
The Minster Junior School6985857315
Purley Oaks Primary School688080776
West Thornton Primary School688282821
Ridgeway Primary School6778788023
Gonville Academy667373899
Keston Primary School6685858012
Oasis Academy Ryelands667575805
Davidson Primary Academy658787685
Elmwood Junior School6590908710
Smitham Primary School6586866511
Courtwood Primary School638181756
Winterbourne Boys’ Academy6386867810
Beulah Junior School627979776
The South Norwood Academy627272681
All Saints CofE Primary School616969733
Monks Orchard School607070725
Aerodrome Primary Academy597272708
Kenley Primary School597474704
Selsdon Primary and Nursery School578585726
Castle Hill Academy5678786810
St Peter’s Primary School546363745
Rowdown Primary School537272729
Ark Oval Primary Academy478282672
Gilbert Scott Primary School466565650
Kingsley Primary School446767533
Broadmead Primary School425050623
The Crescent Primary School363939571
Croydon6711
England – all schools6475787610

Hackney

Every child who took the National Curriculum tests at St John & St James’ Church of England Primary School on Isabella Road in Hackney reached the standard for reading, writing and maths, with every student achieving 100% across all three subjects.

The school has around 260 students aged two to eleven, and was first established in 1851 as a school for boys. Since the 1960s the local area has become more ethnically diverse and multicultural, allowing the school to mirror these positive changes.

The most recent Ofsted report praises the school’s “rigorous tracking of pupils’ learning, and meticulous planning for improvement”, which results in “outstanding progress across the school… attainment at all levels exceeds national expectations.”

Grazebrook School, on Lordship Road, followed closely behind with 96% of test-takers reaching the expected standard for reading, writing and maths. Every student who was tested reached the expected standard for reading.

The school has about 450 pupils between three and eleven years old. It joined two other schools, Shacklewell Primary School and Woodberry Down, to the New Wave Federation partnership in 2016.

School Name% of pupils meeting expected standardReadingWritingMaths% of pupils achieving at a higher standard
St John and St James Church of England Primary School10010010010037
Grazebrook Primary School96100969817
Holmleigh Primary School9093909322
St Monica’s Roman Catholic Primary School9093939025
Orchard Primary School8695909727
Southwold Primary School8688939510
St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School8588929234
Hoxton Garden Primary8484979717
Lauriston School8495869528
Shoreditch Park Primary School8484848821
Parkwood Primary School8393938620
Simon Marks Jewish Primary School8387878717
St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School8398898714
Springfield Community Primary School82868610015
Sebright School8194878518
Baden-Powell School8090839015
Northwold Primary School8080939318
Woodberry Down Community Primary School809191869
Betty Layward Primary School7987879110
Grasmere Primary799086905
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School799086936
St Mary’s Church of England, Stoke Newington7988887927
Tyssen Community Primary School7885868321
St. Paul’s/ St Michael’s Church of England School778383807
Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School7686939714
William Patten Primary School768186835
Jubilee Primary School7580868810
London Fields Primary School7582858321
Rushmore Primary School7586908113
Mandeville Primary School7484818435
Gayhurst Community School737785810
Kingsmead Primary School7276909017
Colvestone Primary School717189868
Randal Cremer Primary School7081867923
Shacklewell Primary School708895778
Sir Thomas Abney School7075777729
Berger Primary School6978788414
Gainsborough Primary School6980827114
Millfields Community School6982827510
St Matthias Church of England Primary School698186742
St Scholastica’s Catholic Primary School6979728314
St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School6889757111
De Beauvoir Primary School667684725
Princess May Primary School6470717516
Nightingale Primary School6367737313
Morningside Primary School626483793
Thomas Fairchild Community School626874660
Benthal Primary School616873750
Mossbourne Parkside Academy596669767
Lubavitch Ruth Lunzer Girls Primary School5776766215
Queensbridge Primary School556778637
Harrington Hill Primary School546374676
Lubavitch Junior Boys395650502
Daubeney008708
Hackney7113
England – all schools6475787610

Lewisham

Two of the Brindishe schools in Lewisham, of which there are three in total, achieved the highest scores in the borough for reading, writing and maths.

Students at Brindishe Lee school, on Wantage Road, Lee Green, scored particularly high in maths with an overall average of 100%, with a further 97% of students meeting the required standard for both reading and writing.

The institution is mixed-sex, with 260 pupils from the ages of four to eleven. All three Brindishe schools are community schools, meaning they are funded by the local authority.

According to the Brindishe Lee School website, understanding that pupils learn “at their own pace” is a fundamental part of the teaching process at the institution. As such, they do not select students according to ability and each class will contain students working at different levels: “We use a mixture of teaching methods and plan opportunities to cater for different learning styles. This way we ensure that all children are able to succeed.”

The most recent Ofsted report gave the school an ‘Outstanding’ classification in all areas.

Brindishe Manor School, on Leahurst Road, Hither Green, also scored very well in maths with 91% of students meeting the National Curriculum standard. 89% of students achieved above-average marks for London in reading and writing respectively.

Brindishe Manor has consistently improved in Ofsted ratings, from a ‘good’ classification in 2006 and 2009 to ‘Outstanding’ in 2013.

The school’s prospectus outlines its education as being “designed to benefit all our children and to celebrate the rich, cultural diversity of Lewisham’s local community.” As such, students have the opportunity to train as “young interpreters”, which allows them to “support non-English speaking families across the partnership.”

There is a joint governing body all three Brindishe schools, comprising of a Governor appointed by Lewisham Council, the Executive Head, a staff governor, a community of co-opted governors and parent governors.

School Name% of pupils meeting expected standardReadingWritingMaths% of pupils achieving at a higher standard
Brindishe Lee School97979710034
Brindishe Manor School8989899128
St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School8710087928
Eliot Bank Primary School8691919516
St Margaret’s Lee CofE Primary School8693939731
St Saviour’s Catholic Primary School8689939614
Rathfern Primary School8592859421
St Bartholomew’s Church of England Primary School859090957
St Winifred’s RC Primary School8593989111
St James’s Hatcham Church of England Primary School8489848411
St Mary Magdalen’s Catholic Primary School84100100848
St William of York Catholic Primary School8496859311
All Saints’ Church of England Primary School8286828625
Brindishe Green School8288879414
Horniman Primary School8294868818
John Stainer Community Primary School828689867
Perrymount Primary School8185888823
Fairlawn Primary School7887888018
Kelvin Grove Primary School7891879119
John Ball Primary School7786857928
Prendergast Vale School7783838720
St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School and Nursery7785858112
Haberdashers’ Aske’s Hatcham College7684849314
Kilmorie Primary School7683908614
Myatt Garden Primary School7684808514
Downderry Primary School7589868213
Gordonbrock Primary School7581878210
St John Baptist Southend Church of England Primary School758282897
Tidemill Academy7579828623
Adamsrill Primary School737682827
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School739080930
Kender Primary School737878805
Childeric Primary School728675779
Our Lady and St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Primary School7176928216
Beecroft Garden Primary7080807713
Good Shepherd RC School708377814
Holbeach Primary School688475774
St Matthew Academy687668700
Rangefield Primary School677481736
Sandhurst Junior School668074768
Torridon Junior School667870784
Edmund Waller Primary School657883706
Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School6574878713
St Michael’s Church of England Primary School658177778
Stillness Junior School658274878
Ashmead Primary School6475797514
Dalmain Primary School6376697219
St George’s CofE Primary School63No DataNo DataNo Data4
St Stephen’s Church of England Primary School6381817026
Cooper’s Lane Primary School6282767115
Deptford Park Primary School627284733
Elfrida Primary School628278730
Haseltine Primary School6165767611
Marvel’s Lane Primary School617072759
St Mary’s Lewisham Church of England Primary School617070740
Athelney Primary School586673857
Baring Primary School575773807
Sir Francis Drake Primary School577968647
Turnham Primary Foundation School578269847
Forster Park Primary School556276787
Launcelot Primary School496675713
Rushey Green Primary School486472591
Grinling Gibbons Primary School435573594
Haberdashers’ Aske’s Knights Academy435780595
Lucas Vale Primary School395369613
Lewisham6911
England – all schools6475787610

Tower Hamlets

100% of students at Sir William Burrough Primary School, on Salmon Lane, Limehouse, met the National Curriculum standard in all three subjects. As proudly displayed on their website, they are one of only nine schools in all of London to have achieved this.

Headteacher Avril Newman said she was “simply delighted” with her students’ performances.  

“It’s all down to our fantastic staff, hardworking children and the wonderful support of parents. It was a team effort.”

Ofsted has written that “This is a school where everyone is valued and cherished, [which] generates high self-esteem through the satisfaction of high achievement in personal skills and across the curriculum.”

Mayflower Primary School is located on Upper North Street in Poplar, and currently has 395 students enrolled. 50 pupils took the national curriculum test, with 98% of children reaching the Government standard.

The school, originally called Upper North Street School, was made tragically famous in 1917 when it was bombed by a German plane.

Today, the school prides itself in its innovative approach to teaching and personalised effort in focusing on individual students.  Headteacher Dee Bleach said: “We have talented and committed teaching teams across our school who have high expectations of all our learners. Our focus on a literacy-rich curriculum with engaging topics that have storytelling and oracy at its heart, support our learners well.”

Indeed, 100% of students passed the National Curriculum standard in reading.

In terms of the school’s performance in maths, which saw 98% of students meeting the required standard, Bleach said: “We have a problem-solving focus in maths and mixed ability groupings throughout. This was an exceptional year 6 cohort, they had excellent behaviour and great learning habits. Almost all of them had been in our school since nursery.”

She added: “The pupils who had additional needs were still able to access the curriculum and be successful.

“All schools have a growing number of pupils with complex needs, and league tables don’t take this into account.”

School Name% of pupils meeting expected standardReadingWritingMaths% of pupils achieving at a higher standard
Sir William Burrough Primary School10010010010012
Mayflower Primary School981001009844
Old Palace Primary School9393939522
Osmani Primary School8890929410
Columbia Primary School8794899415
English Martyrs Roman Catholic Primary School8791969630
St Edmund’s Catholic School87100919613
Bigland Green Primary School8686909119
Christ Church CofE School8690869514
Old Ford Primary School8686919516
Manorfield Primary School858891979
Shapla Primary School858985897
Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy8486889819
Mowlem Primary School839390837
Blue Gate Fields Junior School8187948825
Malmesbury Primary School8183858917
Stebon Primary School808381957
Guardian Angels Catholic Primary School7993798914
St Elizabeth Catholic Primary School7895849513
Bangabandhu Primary School7780839012
Chisenhale Primary School778686957
Globe Primary School778481885
Our Lady/St Joseph Catholic Primary School7779819012
St Peter’s London Docks CofE Primary School77958210023
St Saviour’s CofE Primary School778783807
Marion Richardson Primary School7684908117
St Agnes RC Primary School768383907
William Davis Primary School7686848128
Cyril Jackson Primary School7584808214
Cubitt Town Junior School7484808212
The Clara Grant Primary School73%No DataNo DataNo Data2
Halley Primary School7383778013
Hermitage Primary School737884928
Kobi Nazrul Primary School7383807710
St Paul’s Whitechapel Church of England Primary School7385818515
Stewart Headlam Primary School7375828410
Olga Primary School7290798314
Smithy Street Primary School727777847
Virginia Primary School7272908614
St Luke’s Church of England Primary School7189717914
Ben Jonson Primary School707882819
Harry Gosling Primary School708282817
Redlands Primary School7079727911
Hague Primary School6972727931
Seven Mills Primary School6979767214
Bygrove Primary School6879938218
Lansbury Lawrence Primary School677888778
St Mary and St Michael Primary School6671727912
St Paul with St Luke CofE Primary School6686837210
Lawdale Junior School647186786
Marner Primary School6471747213
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School647881676
Woolmore Primary School646876883
Arnhem Wharf Primary School6370777619
Solebay Primary - A Paradigm Academy6371768310
Stepney Greencoat Church of England Primary School6375796313
Bonner Primary School6272837713
John Scurr Primary School6070807310
Canon Barnett Primary School586586727
St John’s Church of England Primary School5760836717
Canary Wharf College, East Ferry5590588815
St Matthias Church of England Primary School556286667
Wellington Primary School557276645
Thomas Buxton Primary School546468754
Cayley Primary School537878577
Harbinger Primary School375867600
Tower Hamlets7212
England – all schools6475787610

 

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