Waterside Academy, London

Ofsted's report card from its 27 January 2026 inspection grades Waterside Academy on 6 areas: 6 strong standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Pupils achieve extremely well at Waterside Academy."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Pupils attend school well."

Curriculum and teaching - Strong standard. "Leaders provide a highly ambitious and well‑planned curriculum for all pupils."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "This is a highly inclusive school, where all pupils are expected to achieve well, whatever their needs or starting points."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders at Waterside Academy have a clear and ambitious vision for the school."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, benefit from a well-considered, carefully designed programme that supports their personal development from the moment they join the school."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders and those responsible for governance should maintain their highly effective approaches to providing all pupils, including those who face additional barriers, with a high-quality education, making adjustments and enhancements to the school's provision across all areas as needed".

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Waterside Academy. I am delighted to introduce you to our diverse, vibrant, and ambitious school community. At Waterside, our core values of Care, Confidence, Courtesy, and Challenge shape everything we do. We are deeply committed to knowing every child as an individual, nurturing their wellbeing, and supporting them to achieve their full potential."

In 2026, pupils at Waterside Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 45.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 52.3 in Hackney and 47 across England.

40% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 57% in Hackney and 47% in England.

That is in line with 2025, when the score was 44.6.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 1.04: 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 42.9, against 50.2 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 7.3 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 14 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Religious Studies and French.

For September 2026 entry, 18 families put Waterside Academy as their first choice and 120 named it as one of their preferences, for 46 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Waterside Academy are The Bridge Academy (0.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 51.6); Haggerston School (0.5 miles, Attainment 8 53.4); City of London Academy, Shoreditch Park (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.9); and Mulberry Academy Shoreditch (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Waterside Academy.

Waterside Academy is one of 7 schools run by Community Schools Trust, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 53.5 in 2024/25.

19 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Waterside Academy (as of April 2026): 79% would recommend the school, 79% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.

The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (84%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).

Of the 93 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 83% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 48% to a further education college and 2% into work.

65.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 41% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Black (45%), Mixed (14%) and other ethnic groups (9%).

In 2026, 21 pupils (6%) received SEN support and 29 (8.3%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.

Waterside Academy had 33 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical secondary school, at about one for every 17.

The nearest railway station is Haggerston Rail Station, about 90 metres away (roughly a 1-minute walk).

7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Haggerston Station /Downham Rd, 30 metres away.

In August 2026, police recorded 2105 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Hackney (1215), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Waterside Academy issued 54 suspensions, 14.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.

The primary schools closest to Waterside Academy are Queensbridge Primary School (0.2 miles), Hackney New Primary School (0.3 miles), Hoxton Garden Primary (0.4 miles) and Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School (0.4 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.