Focus 1st Academy, London
Focus 1st Academy is an independent school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in London. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2025)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Focus 1st Academy in detail
Focus 1st Academy in its own words
In its own words: "Based in North London, our Arnos Grove site is situated opposite Arnos Grove tube station. This campus is located in the heart of Cheshunt, within a beautifully designed and well-equipped leisure centre- Laura Trott. Our Welwyn campus is located within the vibrant Gosling Sports Park, offering a dynamic and inspiring setting for learning and activities."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Focus 1st Academy can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other independent schools to Focus 1st Academy are Dwight School London (1.1 miles); Greek Secondary School of London (1.3 miles, Good); Palmers Green High School (1.5 miles, selective); and Norfolk House School (1.5 miles).
Dwight School LondonGreek Secondary School of LondonPalmers Green High SchoolNorfolk House School
Who goes there
In 2026, 37 pupils (35.2%) received SEN support and 68 (64.8%) had an education, health and care plan.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Arnos Grove Station, about 50 metres away (roughly a 1-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Arnos Grove Station, 20 metres away.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport)
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Safeguarding: effective
Independent school standards
Met all the independent school standards.
- Part 1: quality of educationMet
- Part 2: pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural developmentMet
- Part 3: welfare, health and safetyMet
- Part 4: suitability of staff and proprietorsMet
- Part 5: premises and accommodationMet
- Part 6: information for parentsMet
- Part 7: handling of complaintsMet
- Part 8: leadership and managementMet
Source: Ofsted, non-association independent schools inspections and outcomes (Open Government Licence)
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Focus 1st Academy excels at supporting pupils who have struggled in education before, helping them settle quickly and rebuild their confidence. The school offers exceptional personal development opportunities, including theatrical performances focused on inclusivity and meaningful work experience matched to pupils' talents. With outstanding behaviour, strong teacher-pupil relationships, and effective phonics teaching, pupils develop into confident learners with positive attitudes towards their studies.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding behaviour and attitudes - pupils treat each other and staff with respect and kindness
- Exceptional personal development provision with carefully designed experiences to build confidence and resilience
- Strong relationships between teaching staff and pupils, with teachers knowing pupils' interests and needs well
- Effective support for pupils joining the school, helping them settle quickly and improve attendance
- Well-structured phonics teaching and early reading support, helping pupils become fluent readers
Areas for Improvement
- In a few subjects, the school has not clearly identified the key skills, knowledge and vocabulary pupils should learn and when, leading to gaps in some pupils' learning
- Teaching approaches do not always effectively address pupils' errors and misconceptions, meaning some pupils are not ready to learn new content
- Need to ensure teaching is adapted more consistently to build on pupils' prior learning across all subjects
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with pupils confident that teachers will help them with any worries and the school creating a safe and happy environment.
Extracurricular Activities
Football alongside police, theatrical performances, work experience in various industries, workshops on gang and knife crime prevention, online safety sessions, healthy relationships education
Focus 1st Academy is a good independent school that serves pupils aged 11-16 with a history of disrupted schooling. The school has made significant improvements since its previous inspection and now provides effective teaching and exceptional personal development opportunities.
At a Glance
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Focus 1st Academy
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 80
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 20
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 80 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 20 serious and 60 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
15 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 Enfield is 60 (the median across 108 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
62%
Available places
105 pupils
170 places
65 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Enfield council
Places available
4,103
Applications
3,975
Got 1st preference
77.0%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Enfield council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
37
SEN Support
68
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
No need-level breakdown available
Pupil Demographics
Key Indicators
105
Total Pupils
68
Boys
37
Girls
2026 academic year
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Focus 1st Academy
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Focus 1st Academy
What are GCSE results like at Focus 1st Academy?
The Department for Education's GCSE measures do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools take instead of GCSEs, so the Attainment 8 and English and maths figures it publishes for Focus 1st Academy can understate its results. We do not rank or compare them; ask the school for its own GCSE and IGCSE results.
What is Focus 1st Academy's Ofsted rating?
Focus 1st Academy was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025.
Does Focus 1st Academy meet the independent school standards?
At its most recent standard inspection, in March 2025, Focus 1st Academy met all the independent school standards.
How many pupils go to Focus 1st Academy?
Focus 1st Academy has around 105 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Focus 1st Academy?
Focus 1st Academy is an independent school and runs its own admissions rather than going through the local authority. Contact the school directly for entry requirements, assessment dates, fees and any bursaries.
How many road collisions happen near Focus 1st Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 80 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 20 serious and 60 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 15 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 Enfield is 60 (the median across 108 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Focus 1st Academy?
Focus 1st Academy is at 339 Bowes Road, New Southgate, London, N11 1BA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)