Sir William Burrough Primary School, London

Requires Improvement
Primary
Academy converter
Mixed
Ages 311

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~334m)Possible (~477m)Unlikely (~620m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Siobhan Fehim
Pupils:294 / 360 capacity
LA:Tower Hamlets
Phone:02079872147
Address:Salmon Lane, Limehouse, London, E14 7PQ
Trust:UNIVERSITY SCHOOLS TRUST, EAST LONDON
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 December 2011

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Good

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Early Years

Inspected 2 July 2025View full report
URN:137682
UKPRN:10035682
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Poplar and Limehouse
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This is a peaceful, friendly school where children are genuinely happy and feel they belong. Staff have high expectations and really understand each child's individual needs, so pupils achieve well. The school excels at teaching reading through its phonics programme, and early years children get an outstanding start to their education with a strong focus on language development.

Key Strengths

  • Pupils' behaviour is exemplary with very positive attitudes to learning and strong respect for staff and peers -
  • Outstanding early years provision where children develop a genuine love of learning and strong communication skills -
  • Effective phonics teaching and a strong emphasis on reading, with pupils reading age-appropriate texts with confidence and fluency -
  • High staff expectations and thorough understanding of each pupil's individual needs, including those with SEND -
  • Effective safeguarding arrangements where pupils feel safe and know they can approach trusted staff with worries

Areas for Improvement

  • Some pupils do not recall subject knowledge as securely because they don't have regular enough opportunities to revisit and consolidate their prior learning -
  • Teaching checks on pupils' writing do not always address spelling and letter formation errors effectively

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with pupils feeling safe and knowing they can approach trusted staff with any worries.

Extracurricular Activities

Farm visits, museums in London, art projects, sporting competitions, musical performances, coding activities, class monitor and school council roles

Sir William Burrough Primary School is a calm, purposeful school where pupils enjoy learning and behave exceptionally well. The school has improved significantly since its previous inspection and now provides good quality education with outstanding early years provision.

At a Glance

31.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

27 responses
Would recommend33%
Child is happy56%
Well taught67%
Good progress37%
Feels safe63%
Well behaved48%
Bullying dealt with15%
Kept informed52%
Handles concerns26%
Wider development22%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-7ppMaths-24ppWriting-3pp

Reading has declined from 91% to 84%. Maths has declined from 98% to 74%. Writing has remained stable at around 84%.

Class Sizes

26.8

Avg class size

25.4

Infant (KS1)

28.0

KS2

11

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Social & online

Getting There

Train Stations

Limehouse Rail Station
411m · 7 min walk
Limehouse (Entrance)
538m · 9 min walk

Tube / Metro / Tram

Limehouse
384m · 6 min walk
Limehouse DLR Station
406m · 7 min walk
Westferry DLR Station
709m · 12 min walk

Bus Stops

Lowell Street (Stop LC)
139m · 2 min walk
Salmon Lane (Stop LD)
188m · 3 min walk
Limehouse Town Hall (Stop LH)
283m · 5 min walk
Burdett Road (Stop LE)
333m · 5 min walk
Pixley Street (Stop WQ)
404m · 7 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

82%

Available places

294 pupils

360 capacity

66 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - London

Low pressure
New homes approved:104,823
Projected new pupils:26,206

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for London

Admissions Demand - Tower Hamlets

Low demand0.84x oversubscription

Places available

3,480

Applications

2,918

Got 1st preference

92.3%

Got preferred school

97.9%

Primary admissions across Tower Hamlets (2025/26)

Inspection History(3)

2 July 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementGood
Early YearsOutstanding
21 September 2022
Requires ImprovementReport
Quality of EducationRequires Improvement
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentGood
Leadership & ManagementRequires Improvement
Early YearsGood
5 March 2008
Outstanding
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

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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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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.84446%

Overall absence

21.45594%

Persistent absence

261

Enrolments

Authorised4.15815%
Unauthorised2.68631%
Persistent (10%+)21.45594%
Severe (50%+)0.38314%

Absence trend

4.11682%
18/19
5.29628%
20/21
7.38412%
21/22
8.67108%
22/23
6.20993%
23/24
6.84446%
24/25
Overall absence rate

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

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