Heron Academy, London

Inadequate
Special
Academy special sponsor led
Mixed
Ages 1119

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Ms Melanie Hall-Judd
Pupils:86 / 90 capacity
LA:Lambeth
Phone:02073265898
Address:Heron Road, Herne Hill, London, SE24 0HZ
Trust:LONDON SOUTH EAST ACADEMIES TRUST
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 February 2023

Ofsted Rating

Inadequate

Overall

URN:149331
UKPRN:10091131
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Dulwich and West Norwood
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Heron Academy excels at making every pupil feel valued and included. Teachers skilfully adapt their teaching to meet individual needs and help pupils apply what they learn in real-life situations, building independence and confidence. The school's strong relationships, careful monitoring of progress and thoughtful support mean pupils receive help exactly when they need it.

Key Strengths

  • Highly inclusive approach with warm, trusting relationships between staff and pupils
  • Thoughtful use of pupil premium funding to remove barriers for disadvantaged pupils
  • Careful curriculum design with different pathways matched to individual learning needs
  • Strong focus on real-life skills applied in community settings
  • Excellent post-16 provision with high progression to further education

Areas for Improvement

  • Some inconsistencies in how well teaching develops pupils' learning across the school
  • Need to strengthen approaches to evaluating the quality and impact of professional learning
  • Further work needed to ensure sanctions are consistently issued fairly based on pupils' needs

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - the school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding where all legal requirements are met, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Duke of Edinburgh's Award, cultural visits, leadership roles, student council, work experience placements, careers fair, community activities including food bank support, sports, trips

Heron Academy is a highly inclusive school where every pupil is known, valued and supported with high expectations placed at the centre of their work. Leaders and staff create a safe, calm environment where pupils can learn, develop and feel secure.

At a Glance

60.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Loughborough Junction Rail Station
543m · 9 min walk
Loughborough Junction Station (Entrance)
582m · 9 min walk

Bus Stops

Deerdale Road / St Saviour's School (->W)
221m · 4 min walk
Moorland Road / Loughborough Park (Stop W)
266m · 4 min walk
Lowden Rd / Carnegie Library (->E)
271m · 4 min walk
Loughborough Park / Coldharbour Lane (Stop L)
329m · 5 min walk
Haredale Road / Carnegie Library (->W)
361m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

96%

Near capacity

86 pupils

90 capacity

4 spare places available

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 - Lambeth

Low demand0.92x oversubscription

Places available

2,421

Applications

2,225

Got 1st preference

64.1%

Got preferred school

92.4%

Secondary admissions across Lambeth (2025/26)

Inspection History(101)

Date not published by Ofsted
Inadequate
Date not published by Ofsted
Inadequate
Date not published by Ofsted
Inadequate

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.

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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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Pupil Absence
2024/25

17.72717%

Overall absence

43.13725%

Persistent absence

51

Enrolments

Authorised16.03663%
Unauthorised1.69054%
Persistent (10%+)43.13725%
Severe (50%+)9.80392%

Absence trend

13.38805%
22/23
13.65424%
23/24
17.72717%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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