Lime Academy Hornbeam, London
Lime Academy Hornbeam is a special school for pupils aged 2 to 19 in London, part of Lime Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2023 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Lime Academy Hornbeam in detail
Lime Academy Hornbeam in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "From September 2026 Lime Academy Hornbeam will be based across three sites: Brookfield House supports pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) All through Maple Green, opening in September 2026, will provide specialist primary provision for Autism"
Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Lime Academy Hornbeam are Whitefield School (1.4 miles, Good); Vale School (1.4 miles, Good); Joseph Clarke School (1.6 miles, Good); and Belmont Park School (2 miles, Good).
Whitefield SchoolVale SchoolJoseph Clarke SchoolBelmont Park School
The trust
Lime Academy Hornbeam is one of 9 schools run by Lime Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 27 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 93% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 4% to a further education college.
Who goes there
52.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 37.4% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (27%), Black (23%) and White British (17%).
Almost every pupil at Lime Academy Hornbeam has an education, health and care plan (294 of 294 in 2026). The most common need among them is autism.
Lime Academy Hornbeam has a resourced provision for visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 285 places, 281 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Northumberland Park, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Higham Hill / Cogan Avenue (->nw), 90 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Lime Academy Hornbeam 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
Lime Academy Hornbeam recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from June 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2018 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
52.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Vision, Hearing, Speech and language +5
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Keep up with Lime Academy Hornbeam
Before and after school care
Lime Academy Hornbeam 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 Waltham Forest
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Lime Academy Hornbeam from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Lime Academy Hornbeam is in Waltham Forest; for families living there:
Apply to Waltham Forest for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 46
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 46 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 38 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 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 Waltham Forest is 66 (the median across 87 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
99%
Near capacity
294 pupils
295 places
1 spare place
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Waltham Forest council
Places available
3,090
Applications
2,724
Got 1st preference
79.5%
Got preferred school
96.3%
All secondary applications across Waltham Forest council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
294
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Lime Academy Hornbeam has a resourced provision for visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 285 places, 281 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
294
Total Pupils
196
Boys
98
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
44
Teachers
6.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,375
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
12.2%
Overall absence
40.1%
Persistent absence
237
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Lime Academy Hornbeam
Showing 10 of 15 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Lime Academy Hornbeam
What are SATs results like at Lime Academy Hornbeam?
Of the pupils at Lime Academy Hornbeam who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is Lime Academy Hornbeam's Ofsted rating?
Lime Academy Hornbeam's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Lime Academy Hornbeam?
No fixed boundary. When Lime Academy Hornbeam is oversubscribed, Waltham Forest allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Lime Academy Hornbeam?
Lime Academy Hornbeam has around 294 pupils on roll. 53% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Lime Academy Hornbeam have specialist SEN provision?
Lime Academy Hornbeam has a resourced provision for visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 285 places, 281 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Lime Academy Hornbeam?
12.2% of sessions were missed at Lime Academy Hornbeam in 2024/25. 40.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Lime Academy Hornbeam?
Apply through Waltham Forest's coordinated admissions process, naming Lime Academy Hornbeam on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Lime Academy Hornbeam have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Lime Academy Hornbeam 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.
How many road collisions happen near Lime Academy Hornbeam?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 46 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 8 serious and 38 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 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 Waltham Forest is 66 (the median across 87 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Lime Academy Hornbeam?
Lime Academy Hornbeam is at Folly Lane, Walthamstow, London, E17 5NT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)