Central Foundation Boys' School, London

Outstanding
Secondary
Voluntary aided school
Boys
Ages 1118

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~790m)Possible (~1.1km)Unlikely (~1.5km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data. Admissions policy: Non-selective

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mr Jamie Brownhill
Pupils:1,152 / 1,050 capacity
LA:Islington
Phone:02072533741
Address:Cowper Street, City Road, London, EC2A 4SH
Admissions:Non-selective
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Outstanding

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Outstanding

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Sixth Form

Inspected 11 March 2025View full report
URN:100458
UKPRN:10001257
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Islington South and Finsbury
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This school excels at creating a supportive environment where all students thrive. Teachers have high expectations and excellent subject knowledge, enabling all students to progress rapidly - especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. The school offers a wonderful range of activities outside the classroom, with music and sport being particularly strong, helping students develop into well-rounded young people prepared for modern Britain.

Key Strengths

  • Outstanding teaching with high expectations and excellent subject knowledge from teachers
  • Students' behaviour is outstanding - they are polite, respectful and make rapid progress
  • Exceptional range of academic and work-related courses that meet student needs very well
  • Outstanding leadership at all levels, with strong middle leaders contributing to student progress
  • Excellent pastoral care and safeguarding procedures that keep students feeling extremely safe

Areas for Improvement

  • Provide more detailed, clear and precise written feedback to help students improve their work
  • Challenge the most able students with work that deepens their knowledge so they achieve the very highest grades at GCSE and A level

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective with highly effective safeguarding and child protection procedures in place, and leaders very active in ensuring extremism has no place in the school.

Extracurricular Activities

Sporting fixtures, concerts, musical productions, Duke of Edinburgh Award, overseas and UK trips and residential visits, musical activities, school council, sports and choir captain roles, buddying system

Central Foundation Boys' School is an outstanding secondary school where the headteacher's inspired leadership has brought about rapid improvements since the last inspection. Students reach well-above-average standards and achieve outstandingly well, with particularly strong performance in English, mathematics and science.

At a Glance

44.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

105 responses
Would recommend93%
Child is happy92%
Well taught96%
Good progress97%
Feels safe93%
Well behaved96%
Bullying dealt with21%
Kept informed94%
Handles concerns71%
Wider development85%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

21.3

Avg class size

48

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Old Street Station (Entrance)
82m · 1 min walk
Old Street Rail Station
197m · 3 min walk

Tube / Metro / Tram

Old Street Underground Station
121m · 2 min walk

Bus Stops

Shoreditch Fire Station (Stop K)
92m · 1 min walk
Old Street Station (Stop L)
97m · 2 min walk
City Road / Leonard Street (Stop M)
160m · 3 min walk
Pitfield Street Shoreditch (Stop M)
202m · 3 min walk
Great Eastern Street (Stop YA)
225m · 4 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

110%

Over capacity

1,152 pupils

1,050 capacity

102 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - London

Medium pressure
New homes approved:104,823
Projected new pupils:18,868

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for London

Admissions Demand - Islington

Low demand1.04x oversubscription

Places available

1,530

Applications

1,585

Got 1st preference

68.6%

Got preferred school

94.8%

Secondary admissions across Islington (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

11 March 2025
Quality of EducationOutstanding
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
Sixth FormOutstanding
3 February 2015
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
3 February 2015
OutstandingReport
Quality of EducationOutstanding
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
Sixth FormOutstanding

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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.

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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.

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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.

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School Funding

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.93003%

Overall absence

18.89764%

Persistent absence

889

Enrolments

Authorised4.98865%
Unauthorised1.94138%
Persistent (10%+)18.89764%
Severe (50%+)1.79978%

Absence trend

4.09411%
18/19
4.84578%
20/21
6.17039%
21/22
7.49603%
22/23
6.63367%
23/24
6.93003%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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