St Matthew Academy, London
St Matthew Academy is an all-through school for pupils aged 4 to 16 in London, part of St Benedict Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 85th-highest of the 266 schools in London with published results, and 552nd of 3,298 across England. It was 80% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Well above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Lewisham (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lewisham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Matthew Academy in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at St Matthew Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 54.2, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 48.4 in Lewisham and 47 across England.
54% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Lewisham and 47% in England.
That is up from 47.2 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.57: pupils made well above 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 47.5, against 58.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 11.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 23 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and French.
Getting a place at St Matthew Academy
For September 2026 entry, 134 families put St Matthew Academy as their first choice and 622 named it as one of their preferences, for 155 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 51 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to St Matthew Academy are Trinity Church of England School, Lewisham (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50); Prendergast Vale School (0.7 miles, Attainment 8 40.2); St Ursula's Convent School (0.8 miles, Requires improvement, Attainment 8 54); and The John Roan School (1.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.3).
St Matthew Academy's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Trinity Church of England School, LewishamPrendergast Vale SchoolSt Ursula's Convent SchoolThe John Roan School
The trust
St Matthew Academy is one of 10 schools run by St Benedict Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
What parents say
187 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Matthew Academy (as of September 2025): 94% would recommend the school, 95% say their child is happy there and 78% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (78%).
Where pupils go next
Of the 171 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 94% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 12% to a further education college.
Who goes there
34% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 25.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (55%), Mixed (15%) and White British (10%).
In 2026, 165 pupils (15.5%) received SEN support and 21 (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 speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Blackheath, about 630 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Margaret's Church / Brandram Road, 130 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Matthew Academy issued 142 suspensions, 13.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to St Matthew Academy are John Ball Primary School (0.3 miles), St Margaret's Lee CofE Primary School (0.4 miles), All Saints' Church of England Primary School Blackheath (0.4 miles) and St Saviour's Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
John Ball Primary SchoolSt Margaret's Lee CofE Primary SchoolAll Saints' Church of England Primary School BlackheathSt Saviour's Catholic Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from October 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Matthew Academy excels at building strong academic foundations from early years onwards, with pupils achieving exceptional results in reading, writing and mathematics by Year 6, and very high outcomes at GCSE. Teachers have high expectations and use excellent classroom techniques like skilful questioning and consistent checking of understanding to help pupils confidently recall and explain what they have learned. Beyond academics, the school provides a nurturing, caring environment where pupils feel secure, develop leadership skills through various roles, and benefit from an outstanding range of enrichment activities.
Key Strengths
- Ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum that builds knowledge progressively from early years onwards, with pupils achieving far above national standards in reading, writing and mathematics
- Highly effective teaching with strong subject knowledge, continuous checking of understanding, and skilful questioning to address misconceptions quickly
- Exceptional enrichment offer with numerous varied opportunities including leadership roles, responsibility positions, and activities to develop pupils' talents and interests
- Consistently high expectations for behaviour and conduct, resulting in pupils behaving very well across all phases and being supportive and respectful of each other
- Highly effective early reading programme with well-trained staff, targeted interventions, and a strong focus on developing a love of reading
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Prefect roles, house leaders, pupil council, retreat days, careers programme, reading-focused tutor sessions, library activities
St Matthew Academy is an all-through school that provides an exceptional education from early years through to secondary, with pupils achieving very high standards and developing rich knowledge across subjects. The school creates a nurturing, secure environment where pupils behave exceptionally well and are fully prepared for their next stage of education.
About
St Matthew Academy is a mixed all-through, co-educational Roman Catholic academy for students aged 4 to 16. Located in the London Borough of Lewisham, the academy opened in September 2007, replacing two previous schools: St Joseph's Academy and Our Lady of Lourdes primary school.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
34.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
187 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from 0.35 to 0.57 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 48.7 to 54.2 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 54% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 54.2 | 53.7% |
| Disadvantaged(70) | - | 47.5 | 41.4% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(105) | - | 58.6 | 61.9% |
| Boys(103) | - | 54.8 | 58.3% |
| Girls(72) | - | 53.2 | 47.2% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(48) | - | 53.4 | 50% |
| Non mobile(168) | - | 54.7 | 54.8% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 3 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 171 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
1
Permanent exclusions
0.09%
Exclusion rate
142
Suspensions
13.33%
Suspension rate
96 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 1,065 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby all-through schools
Keep up with St Matthew Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Matthew Academy.
- For Kids Co. Ltd430m away · Not yet graded
- The Strings Club - Blackheath Holiday Camp640m away · Not yet graded
- Super Camps - Blackheath800m away · Not yet graded
- V.I.B.E Tuition830m away · Not yet graded
- Lewisham After School Club860m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Matthew Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lewisham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Matthew Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Matthew Academy is in Lewisham; for families living there:
Apply to Lewisham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 16
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 16 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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 Lewisham is 75 (the median across 98 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 St Matthew Academy
Will you get a place at St Matthew Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Matthew Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Matthew Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Matthew Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lewisham, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Matthew Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lewisham 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
80%
Available places
1,061 pupils
1,320 places
259 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 Lewisham council
Places available
2,238
Applications
2,828
Got 1st preference
63.5%
Got preferred school
91.4%
All secondary applications across Lewisham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
165
SEN Support
21
EHC Plans
17.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
1,063
Total Pupils
601
Boys
462
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
66
Teachers
16.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£63,363
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£8,481
Per pupil
£9880k
Total funding
£466k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.7%
Overall absence
16.5%
Persistent absence
1,100
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
St Matthew Academy
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about St Matthew Academy
What are GCSE results like at St Matthew Academy?
In the 2026 results, pupils at St Matthew Academy achieved an Attainment 8 score of 54.2. 54% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is St Matthew Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Matthew Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Matthew Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Matthew Academy is oversubscribed, Lewisham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Matthew Academy?
St Matthew Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 1320 places.
How big are the classes at St Matthew Academy?
Classes at St Matthew Academy average 24.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Matthew Academy?
St Matthew Academy has around 1063 pupils on roll. 34% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Matthew Academy?
5.7% of sessions were missed at St Matthew Academy in 2024/25. 16.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Matthew Academy?
Apply through Lewisham's coordinated admissions process, naming St Matthew Academy on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does St Matthew Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 5 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Matthew Academy: For Kids Co. Ltd (430m away, registered, not yet graded), The Strings Club - Blackheath Holiday Camp (640m away, registered, not yet graded) and Super Camps - Blackheath (800m 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 St Matthew Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 16 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 16 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Lewisham is 75 (the median across 98 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Matthew Academy?
St Matthew Academy is at St Joseph's Vale, London, SE3 0XX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)