Halley Primary School, London
Halley Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in London. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 570th-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 5,545th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- 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
Halley Primary School in detail
Halley Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, rugby, hockey, basketball and art.
The school runs after-school care.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 75% of Year 6 pupils at Halley Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 86% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 82% and 82% in Tower Hamlets and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 74% in reading and 81% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Halley Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 18 families put Halley Primary School as their first choice and 46 named it as one of their preferences, for 19 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 Halley Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Halley Primary School are Cayley Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 78% reading, 85% maths); Ben Jonson Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 87% reading, 84% maths); Solebay Primary - A Paradigm Academy (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 78% maths); and Sir William Burrough Primary School (0.3 miles, Requires improvement, 84% reading, 74% maths).
Halley Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Cayley Primary SchoolBen Jonson Primary SchoolSolebay Primary - A Paradigm AcademySir William Burrough Primary School
Who goes there
93.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (86%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 22 pupils (11.3%) received SEN support and 12 (6.2%) 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 Limehouse Rail Station, about 640 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Dongola Road, 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Halley Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
Halley Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Halley Primary School are Mulberry Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing College (0.2 miles), Stepney All Saints Church of England Secondary School (0.3 miles), St Paul's Way Trust School (0.5 miles) and Central Foundation Girls' School (0.7 miles).
Mulberry Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing CollegeStepney All Saints Church of England Secondary SchoolSt Paul's Way Trust SchoolCentral Foundation Girls' 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); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Halley Primary is an inclusive, caring school where every child feels valued and safe. Teachers make learning interesting and break it into manageable chunks so pupils build confidence. The school goes the extra mile to support children with additional needs, ensuring they access the same high-quality, ambitious curriculum as their peers.
Key Strengths
- Outstanding personal development - pupils learn respect, tolerance and feel valued as part of a caring community
- Strong behaviour and safety - calm, purposeful lessons with effective safeguarding and bullying prevention
- Excellent early reading - phonics taught consistently from Nursery through Year 2, with increasing numbers reading fluently by end of Year 1
- Inclusive approach - pupils with SEND are quickly identified and receive targeted support to access the same ambitious curriculum
- Well-planned curriculum - subjects build progressively with recap of previous learning to help pupils remember key facts
Areas for Improvement
- Inconsistent curriculum delivery in some subjects like design and technology - not precise enough to match leaders' aspirations
- Teachers lack deep subject knowledge in some areas, making it hard for pupils to build connections between topics
- Specific learning objectives not always clear enough - teachers know long-term goals but day-to-day expectations need sharper focus
- Need for more targeted professional development to help teachers explain curriculum content more effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective - leaders prioritise safety with ongoing staff training, quick identification of at-risk pupils, careful record-keeping, and regular meetings to ensure no pupil goes unnoticed.
Extracurricular Activities
After-school cooking and sports clubs, musical instrument lessons for Years 3 and 4, school orchestra, educational visits, communication team
Halley Primary School is rated Good overall, with outstanding personal development provision. Leaders create an inclusive, aspirational school where all pupils, especially those with SEND, thrive and feel safe.
At a Glance
29.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 81% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 74% to 86% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.7
Avg class size
22.0
Infant (KS1)
26.8
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Halley Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Halley Primary School.
- Knowledge County Childcare850m away · Not yet graded
- Mentors Learning Academy930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Halley Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Halley Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Halley 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
- 141
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 17
- Children hurt
- 12
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 141 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 124 slight.
12 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
17 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 Halley Primary School
Will you get a place at Halley Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Halley Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Halley Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Halley Primary School.
- Tower Hamlets publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Halley Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Halley Primary School for 2014 to 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
89%
Available places
187 pupils
210 places
23 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
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
17.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
194
Total Pupils
95
Boys
99
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£59,999
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,941
Per pupil
£1668k
Total funding
£95k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.1%
Overall absence
23.5%
Persistent absence
170
Enrolments
Absence trend
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 Halley Primary School
What are SATs results like at Halley Primary School?
Of the pupils at Halley Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 75% reached the expected standard in reading and 86% did so in maths.
What is Halley Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Halley Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for Halley Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Halley 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 Halley Primary School?
Halley Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Halley Primary School?
Classes at Halley Primary School average 24.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Halley Primary School?
Halley Primary School has around 194 pupils on roll. 29% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Halley Primary School?
7.1% of sessions were missed at Halley Primary School in 2024/25. 23.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Halley Primary School?
Apply through Tower Hamlets's coordinated admissions process, naming Halley 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 Halley Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Halley Primary School: Knowledge County Childcare (850m away, registered, not yet graded) and Mentors Learning Academy (930m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Halley Primary School's term dates?
Halley Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Tower Hamlets. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Friday 23 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Halley Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 141 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 17 serious and 124 slight. 12 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 8 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 17 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 Halley Primary School?
Halley Primary School is at Halley Street, London, E14 7SS.
Sources: Tower Hamlets term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)