SecondaryState · Free schools

Waterside Academy

317-319 Kingsland Road, London, E8 4DL ·

Report card: strong areas· 2026

At a glance

A state secondary free school for ages 11–16 in London. Ofsted report card (January 2026): strong areas. GCSE results are around the England average (Attainment 8: 44.6 vs 46.1, 2024/25). 18 families put it first for 46 places (September 2026 entry).

Ages: 11–16
Pupils: 351
Gender: Mixed
Sixth form: No
Admissions: Non-selective
Local authority: Hackney
Academy trust: COMMUNITY SCHOOLS TRUST
Headteacher: Ms Amy Brown
Opened: Nov 2019

School website 02038707500 Explore the area

Inspection

Ofsted report card (renewed framework)

Read reports

Inspected 27 Jan 2026Published 14 May 2026

SafeguardingMet
InclusionStrong standard
Curriculum and teachingStrong standard
AchievementStrong standard
Attendance and behaviourStrong standard
Personal development and well-beingStrong standard
Leadership and governanceStrong standard

Report cards grade each area separately on a five-point scale, from Urgent improvement to Exceptional. There is no single overall grade, and results are not directly comparable with earlier grades such as “Good”.

Inspection reports describe the school on the day. Read the full report and visit the school before deciding.

Exam results

Department for Education performance tables

GCSE results, 2024/25 · 78 pupils

Attainment 8

44.6

England 46.1

Grade 5+ Eng & maths

41%

England 45.4%

Grade 4+ Eng & maths

61.5%

England 64.8%

Progress 8

+1.04

2023/24 · CI 0.68 to 1.4

This school

44.6

Hackney

50.5

England

46.1

Attainment 8 over time

Earlier years include results published for this school's predecessor (URN 139595), for example before it converted to an academy.

Progress 8 isn't published for 2024/25 because those pupils had no KS2 test results (tests were cancelled in 2020). Exams were not held in 2019/20 or 2020/21.

Admissions

Demand for places and how places are allocated

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Year 7 entry, September 2026 (national offer day data)

Offers made

1st preferences

All applications

120

1st prefs per place

0.39

Fewer first choices than places

18 of 18 first-preference applicants were offered a place (100%). 5 offers went to families living in another council area.

Earlier years include data recorded for this school's predecessor.

Catchment area

We don't have an official catchment boundary for this school. Many schools don't have one, and few councils publish boundaries as open data. We don't estimate catchments. Check the school's admissions policy or the council's admissions booklet.

Last distance offered

Not published nationally. Many councils publish the furthest distance offered for each school in their annual allocation reports. Past distances vary year to year with demand and sibling numbers, so they are not a guarantee.

How places are allocated: you apply through your home council. When a school has more applicants than places, it applies its published oversubscription criteria in order. These usually start with looked-after children, then siblings, then catchment or distance; faith schools may prioritise church attendance. Children with an EHC plan naming the school are admitted first. Apply on GOV.UK

Pupils

School census 2024/25

Pupils

374

Capacity

500

70% full

Girls / boys

46/54

Mixed

Eligible for free school meals (last 6 years)64.4%
English as an additional language39.6%
SEN support6.2%
Education, Health and Care plan5.9%
The black tick shows the median for state-funded secondary schools in England.