Wapping High School, London
Wapping High School is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 16 in London, part of The Wapping and Shadwell Secondary Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 178th-highest of the 266 schools in London with published results, and 1,475th of 3,298 across England. It was 69% full in 2025.
- GCSE results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Capacity
- 69% full
- Attendance
- Below England average
- Progress (2024)
- Average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Tower Hamlets (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Wapping High School in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Wapping High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 46.9, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.4 in Tower Hamlets and 47 across England.
47% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 49% in Tower Hamlets and 47% in England.
That is in line with 2025, when the score was 46.9.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.04: pupils made about 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 42.6, against 49.3 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 6.7 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 22 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.
Getting a place at Wapping High School
Across Tower Hamlets, 79% of families were offered their first-choice secondary school for 2026 entry, and 97% were offered one of the schools they named.
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Wapping High School are Mulberry School for Girls (under 0.1 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 57.2); London Enterprise Academy (0.2 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 48.7); Swanlea School (0.4 miles, Outstanding, Attainment 8 58.7); and Bishop Challoner Catholic School (0.4 miles, Attainment 8 43.8).
Wapping High School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Mulberry School for GirlsLondon Enterprise AcademySwanlea SchoolBishop Challoner Catholic School
The trust
Wapping High School is run by its own single-school academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 81 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 85% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 30% to a further education college and 1% to an apprenticeship.
Who goes there
37.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 57.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (49%), White British (11%) and Mixed (10%).
Staffing
Wapping High School had 29 teachers in 2026, one for every 10 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.
Getting there
The nearest DLR station is Shadwell DLR Station, about 470 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is New Road (E1), 40 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Wapping High School 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, Wapping High School issued 45 suspensions, 15.3 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Wapping High School are Bigland Green Primary School (0.1 miles), Kobi Nazrul Primary School (0.2 miles), Harry Gosling Primary School (0.2 miles) and St Mary and St Michael Primary School (0.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Bigland Green Primary SchoolKobi Nazrul Primary SchoolHarry Gosling Primary SchoolSt Mary and St Michael 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; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; 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 agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Leadership & management.
At a Glance
37.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has improved from -0.37 to 0.04 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has improved from 40.9 to 46.9 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has improved from 34% to 47% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 46.9 | 46.6% |
| Disadvantaged(26) | - | 42.6 | 42.3% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(47) | - | 49.3 | 48.9% |
| Boys(42) | - | 48.7 | 52.4% |
| Girls(31) | - | 44.6 | 38.7% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(48) | - | 47.9 | 50% |
| Non mobile(65) | - | 48.1 | 49.2% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 2 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 81 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
0
Permanent exclusions
0.00%
Exclusion rate
45
Suspensions
15.31%
Suspension rate
29 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 294 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Wapping High School
Term dates
Wapping High School is a free school, 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
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Wapping High School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Wapping High School 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
- 497
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 67
- Children hurt
- 14
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 497 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 67 serious and 429 slight.
14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 11 on foot and 3 on a bicycle.
77 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 Wapping High School
Will you get a place at Wapping High School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Wapping High School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Wapping High School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Wapping High School.
- Tower Hamlets publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Wapping High School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Wapping High School 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
69%
Available places
288 pupils
420 places
132 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
3,059
Applications
2,716
Got 1st preference
79.1%
Got preferred school
96.6%
All secondary applications across Tower Hamlets council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
23.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
248
Total Pupils
165
Boys
83
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
29
Teachers
8.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£60,579
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£10,094
Per pupil
£3207k
Total funding
£133k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.8%
Overall absence
34.5%
Persistent absence
333
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
Wapping High School
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Wapping High School
What are GCSE results like at Wapping High School?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Wapping High School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 46.9. 47% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Wapping High School's Ofsted rating?
Wapping High School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023.
What is the catchment area for Wapping High School?
No fixed boundary. When Wapping High School 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 Wapping High School?
Wapping High School was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Wapping High School?
Classes at Wapping High School average 15.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Wapping High School?
Wapping High School has around 248 pupils on roll. 38% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Wapping High School?
9.8% of sessions were missed at Wapping High School in 2024/25. 34.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Wapping High School?
Apply through Tower Hamlets's coordinated admissions process, naming Wapping High 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 Wapping High School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 497 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 67 serious and 429 slight. 14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 11 on foot and 3 on a bicycle. 77 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 Wapping High School?
Wapping High School is at 153 Commercial Road, London, Not applicable, E1 2DA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)