Bow School, London
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data. Admissions policy: Non-selective
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Bow School excels at keeping students safe through passionate leadership and clear safeguarding structures. The school has excellent attendance rates and provides a range of social and sporting activities that students actively enjoy. Staff are well-trained and responsive to child protection concerns, working effectively with external agencies to support vulnerable students.
Key Strengths
- Safeguarding leadership is strong and effective at all levels, with clear systems for identifying and responding to concerns
- High overall attendance rates, consistently lower than the national average for persistent absence
- Good supervision of students and a range of social activities including sports, prayer areas, and lunchtime clubs
- Mature and positive behaviour demonstrated by key stage 4 and sixth form students
- Comprehensive safeguarding curriculum covering cyber bullying, extremism, personal safety and relationships
Areas for Improvement
- Fixed-term exclusion rates are too high compared to national average, particularly affecting Year 8/9 students and those with special educational needs
- Inconsistency in how staff manage behaviour and model it for students
- Low-level disruption in lessons with some students not engaging well in learning
- Students feel there is insufficient emphasis on recognising and encouraging good behaviour
- Lack of rigour in auditing quality of some safeguarding files, particularly for students with special educational needs
Safeguarding
Safeguarding leadership is effective, with strong systems in place for identifying and responding to child protection concerns, appropriate staff training, and rigorous recruitment procedures.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports on rooftop area, prayer area access, external speakers including school police officer for safeguarding topics
Bow School is a smaller-than-average, expanding school that admitted girls for the first time and now has a sixth form. The inspection found that safeguarding leadership is effective, but the school needs to take stronger action to improve students' behaviour, particularly in key stage 3.
At a Glance
47.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
23.1
Avg class size
30
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
83%
Available places
1,126 pupils
1,350 capacity
224 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for London
Admissions Demand - Tower Hamlets
Places available
3,203
Applications
2,958
Got 1st preference
74.8%
Got preferred school
94.2%
Secondary admissions across Tower Hamlets (2025/26)
Inspection History(10)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.9168%
Overall absence
18.56884%
Persistent absence
1,104
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Bow School
Marner Primary School
Old Palace Primary School
Manorfield Primary School
The Clara Grant Primary School
St Agnes RC Primary School
Oasis School 360
St Saviour's Church of England Primary School
Wellington Primary School
Gainsborough Primary School
Culloden Primary - A Paradigm Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Nearby Schools
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