Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy, London
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in London, part of Paradigm Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 558th-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 5,291st of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Tower Hamlets (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 82% and 82% in Tower Hamlets and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 90% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy
For September 2026 entry, 76 families put Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy as their first choice and 101 named it as one of their preferences, for 83 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 Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy are Olga Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 77% reading, 74% maths); Chisenhale Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 85% maths); Malmesbury Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 80% reading, 72% maths); and Wellington Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 75% reading, 76% maths).
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Olga Primary SchoolChisenhale Primary SchoolMalmesbury Primary SchoolWellington Primary School
The trust
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy is one of 7 schools run by Paradigm Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 64% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
48% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 38.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (75%), Black (10%) and Mixed (7%).
In 2026, 42 pupils (6.4%) received SEN support and 37 (5.6%) 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.
Staffing
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy had 37 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Bow Road Station, about 840 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ford Road (E3), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy 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
In 2024/25, Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy issued 36 suspensions, 5.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy are Mulberry UTC (0.2 miles), Central Foundation Girls' School (0.4 miles), Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy (0.6 miles) and Bobby Moore Academy (0.8 miles).
Mulberry UTCCentral Foundation Girls' SchoolMossbourne Victoria Park AcademyBobby Moore Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its November 2022 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
48.0%
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 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 90% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 87% to 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.4
Avg class size
28.2
Infant (KS1)
27.1
KS2
23
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy.
- The Strings Club - Tower Hamlets Holiday Camp450m away · Not yet graded
- SPRING CHISENHALE450m away · Not yet graded
- Tower Project Complex Needs Holiday Schemes930m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Tower Hamlets's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy 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
- 105
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 105 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 15 serious and 89 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
14 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 Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy
Will you get a place at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy.
- Tower Hamlets publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy 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
93%
Near capacity
583 pupils
630 places
47 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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
37
EHC Plans
12.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
660
Total Pupils
326
Boys
334
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
37
Teachers
17.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£62,881
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,500
Per pupil
£5029k
Total funding
£504k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
19.0%
Persistent absence
522
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
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy
Questions parents ask about Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy
What are SATs results like at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
Of the pupils at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy's Ofsted rating?
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022.
What is the catchment area for Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
No fixed boundary. When Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy 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 Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
Classes at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy average 27.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy has around 660 pupils on roll. 48% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
6% of sessions were missed at Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy in 2024/25. 19% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
Apply through Tower Hamlets's coordinated admissions process, naming Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy 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 Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy: The Strings Club - Tower Hamlets Holiday Camp (450m away, registered, not yet graded), SPRING CHISENHALE (450m away, registered, not yet graded) and Tower Project Complex Needs Holiday Schemes (930m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 105 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 15 serious and 89 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 14 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 Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy?
Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy is at Wrights Road, Bow, London, E3 5LD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)