Thomas Tallis School, London
Thomas Tallis School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in London. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in December 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 173rd-highest of the 266 schools in London with published results, and 1,396th of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.4 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 107% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Below average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Greenwich (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Thomas Tallis School in detail
Thomas Tallis School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, netball, rugby, cricket, tennis, gymnastics, basketball, badminton, dance and orchestra.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2026, pupils at Thomas Tallis School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.4, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 49.1 in Greenwich and 47 across England.
49% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 51% in Greenwich and 47% in England.
That is up from 45.6 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.12: 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 35.4, against 52.5 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 17.1 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 29 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and History.
Getting a place at Thomas Tallis School
For September 2026 entry, 344 families put Thomas Tallis School as their first choice and 1198 named it as one of their preferences, for 249 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 146 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Thomas Tallis School are Leigh Academy Halley (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 44.3); Leigh Academy Blackheath (0.8 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 53.7); Trinity Church of England School, Lewisham (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 50); and Harris Academy Greenwich (1.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 49.8).
Thomas Tallis School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Leigh Academy HalleyLeigh Academy BlackheathTrinity Church of England School, LewishamHarris Academy Greenwich
Where pupils go next
Of the 261 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 87% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 12% to a further education college, 2% to an apprenticeship and 2% into work.
Of the 390 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 65% went on to university or other higher education, 3% to apprenticeships and 13% into work. 23% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
In 2026, 451 pupils (21.6%) received SEN support and 128 (6.1%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Thomas Tallis School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment and speech, language and communication needs: 40 places, 41 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kidbrooke, about 290 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kidbrooke Park Road / Aldi Store, 130 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Thomas Tallis School issued 156 suspensions, 7.6 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 3 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Thomas Tallis School are Wingfield Primary School (0.3 miles), Brooklands Primary School (0.3 miles), Kidbrooke Park Primary School (0.4 miles) and Ealdham Primary School (0.6 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Wingfield Primary SchoolBrooklands Primary SchoolKidbrooke Park Primary SchoolEaldham Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from December 2018, 7 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
From Ofsted's February 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Thomas Tallis creates a caring, welcoming environment where pupils feel happy and safe thanks to outstanding pastoral support. The school offers an impressive range of enrichment through clubs, leadership opportunities, and citizenship activities that help pupils develop into engaged, thinking individuals. Teachers are passionate experts who know their pupils well and adapt teaching to support all learners, including those with additional needs.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional pastoral care and support for pupils' mental health and well-being
- Broad, ambitious and creative curriculum with high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND
- Strong subject expertise from teachers who present content clearly and adapt learning effectively
- Excellent support for pupils' future career choices and citizenship education
- Positive school ethos celebrated by parents and carers
Areas for Improvement
- Curriculum ambitions not always implemented securely, limiting pupils' ability to remember important content deeply
- Phonics and early reading support not fully embedded, meaning some pupils struggle to access the curriculum
- Need to ensure regular retrieval of key knowledge so pupils build on prior learning effectively
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
Coding club, jazz band, earth ambassadors, lecture society, St John's Ambulance first aid training, The Great Debate public speaking, Tallis Jury Service, year group co-ops, activist groups, reading groups, community days
Thomas Tallis School continues to be a good school with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and exceptional pastoral care. Pupils enjoy many opportunities to express themselves and contribute to school life through clubs, community days, and leadership roles.
About
Thomas Tallis School is a large mixed comprehensive school for pupils aged 11–19, located in Kidbrooke in the Royal Borough of Greenwich, London, England. It opened in 1971, and was named after the composer Thomas Tallis, who lived in Greenwich.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
23.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Hearing, Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.32 to -0.12 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 46.9 to 47.4 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 45% to 49% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 47.4 | 48.9% |
| Disadvantaged(80) | - | 35.4 | 25% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(188) | - | 52.5 | 59% |
| Boys(146) | - | 46.9 | 47.3% |
| Girls(122) | - | 47.9 | 50.8% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(34) | - | 49.6 | 47.1% |
| Non mobile(258) | - | 48.0 | 49.6% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 9 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 261 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
3
Permanent exclusions
0.15%
Exclusion rate
156
Suspensions
7.55%
Suspension rate
73 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 2,066 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Thomas Tallis School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Thomas Tallis School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Thomas Tallis School is in Greenwich; for families living there:
Apply to Greenwich for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 71
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 12
- Children hurt
- 7
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 71 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 12 serious and 57 slight.
7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
10 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 Greenwich is 52 (the median across 108 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 Thomas Tallis School
Will you get a place at Thomas Tallis School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Thomas Tallis School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Thomas Tallis School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Thomas Tallis School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Greenwich, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Thomas Tallis School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Greenwich 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
107%
Over capacity
2,049 pupils
1,908 places
141 pupils over capacity 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 Greenwich council
Places available
2,893
Applications
3,054
Got 1st preference
60.2%
Got preferred school
88.2%
All secondary applications across Greenwich council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
451
SEN Support
128
EHC Plans
27.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Thomas Tallis School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment and speech, language and communication needs: 40 places, 41 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
2,092
Total Pupils
1,130
Boys
962
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
128
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£64,392
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£9,611
Per pupil
£13697k
Total funding
£477k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
10.0%
Overall absence
27.9%
Persistent absence
1,393
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
Thomas Tallis School
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Thomas Tallis School
What are GCSE results like at Thomas Tallis School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Thomas Tallis School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 47.4. 49% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Thomas Tallis School's Ofsted rating?
Thomas Tallis School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in December 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Thomas Tallis School?
No fixed boundary. When Thomas Tallis School is oversubscribed, Greenwich allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Thomas Tallis School?
Thomas Tallis School was full in 2025, at 107% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Thomas Tallis School?
Classes at Thomas Tallis School average 21.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Thomas Tallis School?
Thomas Tallis School has around 2092 pupils on roll. 24% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Thomas Tallis School have specialist SEN provision?
Thomas Tallis School has a resourced provision for hearing impairment and speech, language and communication needs: 40 places, 41 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Thomas Tallis School?
10% of sessions were missed at Thomas Tallis School in 2024/25. 27.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Thomas Tallis School?
Apply through Greenwich's coordinated admissions process, naming Thomas Tallis School 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.
How many road collisions happen near Thomas Tallis School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 71 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 12 serious and 57 slight. 7 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 10 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 Greenwich is 52 (the median across 108 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Thomas Tallis School?
Thomas Tallis School is at 134 Kidbrooke Park Road, London, SE3 9PX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)