Leytonstone School, London

Ofsted's report card from its 13 January 2026 inspection grades Leytonstone School on 6 areas: 1 strong standard and 5 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "The new leadership team has taken swift and decisive action to secure high levels of attendance and promote consistently positive behaviour."

Achievement - Expected standard. "Across the school, pupils generally secure appropriate knowledge and skills in different subjects."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "Leaders have an accurate and informed understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching across the school."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Inclusion is central to the school's work."

Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "The new headteacher, ably supported by those responsible for governance and the leadership team, has established a clear direction for school improvement."

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The personal development programme helps pupils understand important concepts effectively, such as physical and emotional safety, including when online."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "• Leaders should ensure that information about the school's work is used with precision to check its implementation and impact. This will help to ensure, for example, that pupils benefit fully from the broadening personal development offer and any adaptations made to the curriculum and teaching to support specific barriers to learning".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Leytonstone School is an over-subscribed and successful co-educational comprehensive school for pupils aged 11 to 16. It enjoys a proud place in the local community stretching back over a century to its inception in 1911 when it first opened as Leyton County High School for Girls."

In 2026, pupils at Leytonstone School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 49.7, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.7 in Waltham Forest and 47 across England.

57% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 48% in Waltham Forest and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 49.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.17: pupils made below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 40.4, against 52.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 12.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and History.

For September 2026 entry, 187 families put Leytonstone School as their first choice and 608 named it as one of their preferences, for 196 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 34 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Leytonstone School are Connaught School for Girls (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.4); Norlington School and 6th Form (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 54.1); George Mitchell School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 50.2); and Walthamstow School for Girls (1.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 57.9).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Leytonstone School.

114 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Leytonstone School (as of April 2026): 81% would recommend the school, 79% say their child is happy there and 69% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that they are kept well informed about progress (61%).

Of the 198 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 94% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 31% to a further education college and 1% to an apprenticeship.

41.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (30%), Asian (17%) and Mixed (16%).

In 2026, 149 pupils (14.5%) received SEN support and 64 (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 autism.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Leytonstone Station, about 820 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).

8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Clare Road (E11), 150 metres away.

In 2024/25, Leytonstone School issued 80 suspensions, 7.8 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Leytonstone School are Gwyn Jones Primary School (0.2 miles), Barclay Primary School (0.3 miles), Our Lady of Lourdes RC Primary School (0.6 miles) and George Tomlinson Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.