Columbia Primary School, London
Columbia Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in London, part of The Letta Trust. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 175th-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 1,291st of 14,452 across England. It was 91% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Tower Hamlets (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Columbia Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 89% of Year 6 pupils at Columbia Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 82% and 82% in Tower Hamlets and 77% and 75% across England.
Getting a place at Columbia Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 43 families put Columbia Primary School as their first choice and 93 named it as one of their preferences, for 48 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Columbia Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Columbia Primary School are Elizabeth Selby Infants' School (0.3 miles, Good); Virginia Primary School (0.3 miles); Lawdale Junior School (0.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 83% maths); and William Davis Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 91% reading, 91% maths).
Columbia Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 2 schools.
Elizabeth Selby Infants' SchoolVirginia Primary SchoolLawdale Junior SchoolWilliam Davis Primary School
The trust
Columbia Primary School is one of 5 schools run by The Letta Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
44% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (35%), White British (27%) and Mixed (18%).
In 2026, 113 pupils (27.2%) received SEN support and 20 (4.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Hoxton Station, about 430 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Queensbridge Road, 190 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Columbia Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 1.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Columbia Primary School are Mulberry Academy Shoreditch (0.1 miles); Haggerston School (0.2 miles); City of London Academy, Shoreditch Park (0.3 miles); and Oaklands School (0.4 miles).
Mulberry Academy ShoreditchHaggerston SchoolCity of London Academy, Shoreditch ParkOaklands School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Columbia Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as Columbia Primary School (URN 100897), it was rated Good in December 2014.
At a Glance
24.3%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
2024/25 academic year
Class Sizes
27.7
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
26.5
KS2
15
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Columbia Primary School
Before and after school care
Columbia Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Tower Hamlets
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Columbia Primary School.
- The Art ImaginariumAt the school · Not yet graded
- Fine Academia480m away · Not yet graded
- FunnCamp at Bridge Academy730m away · Not yet graded
- Kumon Hoxton Study Centre870m away · Not yet graded
- TH Holiday Childcare St Anne's and Guardian Angels School940m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Columbia Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Tower Hamlets's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Columbia Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Columbia Primary School is in Tower Hamlets; for families living there:
Apply to Tower Hamlets for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 220
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 38
- Children hurt
- 8
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 220 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 38 serious and 182 slight.
8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
38 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Columbia Primary School
Will you get a place at Columbia Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Columbia Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Columbia Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Columbia Primary School.
- Tower Hamlets publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Columbia Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Columbia Primary School for 2025 and 2026 entry.
- How many families in Tower Hamlets got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
91%
Near capacity
384 pupils
420 places
36 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Tower Hamlets council
Places available
3,355
Applications
2,713
Got 1st preference
92.6%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Tower Hamlets council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
113
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
32.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
416
Total Pupils
204
Boys
212
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
22
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£64,488
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,295
Per pupil
£3115k
Total funding
£152k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.1%
Overall absence
22.6%
Persistent absence
349
Enrolments
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Columbia Primary School
What are SATs results like at Columbia Primary School?
Of the pupils at Columbia Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 89% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is Columbia Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Columbia Primary School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in September 2024. Before that, as Columbia Primary School (URN 100897), it was rated Good in December 2014.
What is the catchment area for Columbia Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Columbia Primary School is oversubscribed, Tower Hamlets allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Columbia Primary School?
Columbia Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 91% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Columbia Primary School?
Classes at Columbia Primary School average 27.7 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Columbia Primary School?
Columbia Primary School has around 416 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Columbia Primary School?
7.1% of sessions were missed at Columbia Primary School in 2024/25. 22.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Columbia Primary School?
Apply through Tower Hamlets's coordinated admissions process, naming Columbia Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Columbia Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Columbia Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: The Art Imaginarium (registered, not yet graded). There are 4 more within a kilometre.
How many road collisions happen near Columbia Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 220 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 38 serious and 182 slight. 8 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 7 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 38 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Tower Hamlets is 231 (the median across 115 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Columbia Primary School?
Columbia Primary School is at Columbia Road, Bethnal Green, London, E2 7RG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)