Highbury Fields School Review 2026: Ambitious Girls at the Heart of a Diverse Community

In 1981, two local schools merged to create a remarkable institution with nearly two centuries of educational history threading through its foundations. Today, Highbury Fields School overlooks Islington's largest green space, and within its Victorian architecture and modern extensions moves a school defined entirely by the young women who walk through its gates. The most recent Ofsted inspection, conducted in September 2022, awarded the school an Outstanding rating. With a cohort of 747 students, 83% of whom come from ethnic minority backgrounds, the school has become one of North London's most distinctive comprehensive schools. Demand is fierce: applications routinely exceed places by a ratio of 3.5 to 1, reflecting parents' confidence in what the school delivers.

Highbury Fields operates as a girls' school with an integrated sixth form, serving students aged 11 to 18 in a location that gives it a unique sense of place. The building itself tells the story of educational evolution. Victorian structures sit alongside modern extensions, and the proximity to Highbury Fields park gives the school a breathing space that many urban secondaries lack. Walking through the corridors during a school day reveals something crucial: visible diversity reflected naturally in the teaching staff and student body. The school makes no tokenistic claims about inclusion; the evidence is in the presence and voice of young women from African, Caribbean, Bangladeshi, and White British backgrounds working side by side.

The inspection evidence supports what this character creates operationally. Pupils show genuine respect for one another, and behaviour is consistently described as very good. Bullying is rare, according to the latest external monitoring. The pace in lessons is purposeful but not rushed. There is a sense that achievement matters here, but achievement defined as personal growth rather than competition between girls. The head teacher, Mr Tim Fox, who took post in October 2019, works deliberately to reinforce this atmosphere. His leadership has been described, through official channels, as providing very good direction to the school's next chapter.

The most recent GCSE cohort achieved an Attainment 8 score of 51.4, with 65% of pupils achieving grade 5 or above (the technical pass mark) in English and Mathematics. In absolute terms, this sits below the England average for Attainment 8, which is 45.9. However, this figure demands context. Pupils enter Highbury Fields with starting points well below the national average. Progress 8 (measuring growth from starting points to GCSE) stands at +0.43, indicating that students here make above-average progress relative to their peers nationally, placing the school in the top 25% of schools in England (FindMySchool data) for value-added progress.

The composition of the cohort affects headline numbers substantially. Over half of pupils use English as an additional language, and 50% of families qualify for free school meals, a marker of economic disadvantage. Against this backdrop, the progress measure is more revealing than the attainment figure alone. For pupils with low prior attainment on entry, an A* standard in an individual subject occurs rarely; a grade 7 or 8 represents genuinely strong work. The school's GCSE results reflect this reality.

The sixth form serves approximately 300 students, of whom roughly half are girls from the main school and half are external entrants. At A-level, 44% of grades achieved A*-B standard in 2023, compared to an England average of 47%. The A* percentage sits at 4%, close to the national 6%. These are respectable figures for a school drawing pupils predominantly from the maintained sector. The sixth form's strength, according to external inspection, lies not in elite pass rates but in how well teachers support pupils to make the transition from GCSE to A-level work and how seriously the school takes each individual's progression route.

The school offers a broad range of A-level subjects, and benefits from participation in the Islington Sixth Form Consortium, which expands curriculum choice beyond what a single school could deliver. Mathematics, English Literature, Psychology, Drama, and Sciences form the backbone of the programme, with additional options in Geography, History, Business Studies, and Communication Studies.

Teaching quality is the mechanism through which the school translates ambition into results. Lessons observed during external inspection showed consistent features: subject knowledge is secure, expectations are high, and a notable proportion of lessons are graded Very Good by inspectors. Teachers here work with intentionality. They know their pupils individually, which matters in a cohesive community where the majority stay from Year 7 to Year 11. Formative assessment (using the learning in lessons to shape next steps) is embedded in many departments, particularly Science and Geography.

The school has invested significantly in interactive whiteboards and digital resources. The pedagogy tends toward structured activities and whole-class input followed by differentiated tasks, rather than independent discovery work in younger year groups. This reflects the reality of a school supporting pupils with variable reading skills and English language competence; high-quality teacher explanation and careful scaffolding are the levers that build capability.

One notable documented weakness: in Citizens hip and some modules, the reliance on worksheet-based learning rather than active enquiry has limited the depth of thinking for higher-attaining students. The school is aware of this and has actively worked to address it in recent years. A-level teaching in specialist subjects like Psychology, Drama, and Sociology earns consistently very good grades in external review.

The destinations data for 2023-24 leavers shows that 61% progressed to university, 2% to further education, 2% to apprenticeships, and 12% to employment (with the remainder in other provision). For a school where just over half of pupils enter with English as an additional language and half from economically disadvantaged families, a 61% university progression rate is a real achievement. Many of these students are the first in their families to enter higher education.

The sixth form has a track record of supporting progression to selective universities. Eight Cambridge offers were secured in 2024 (from 3 applications), and Russell Group universities account for a meaningful proportion of sixth form destinations, though specific percentages are not published by the school. The breadth of destination is notable: students progress to University College London, Imperial, Durham, Edinburgh, and strong teaching-focused universities like Kent and Nottingham Trent, reflecting the diversity of their post-18 ambitions rather than a narrow push toward Oxbridge.

The school operates a vibrant extracurricular programme that extends well beyond conventional club offerings. The Homework Club, running daily after school, is popular particularly with Year 7 pupils, reflecting the school's attentiveness to the transition from primary. Music is genuinely central. Multiple ensembles operate, including a School Choir, orchestra, and instrumental groups. Students described as musically talented receive specialist teaching, and music features prominently in annual performances. Drama and the arts hold equal status. The annual school production rotates between disciplines and draws substantial participation.

Sports provision includes traditional offerings: netball, football, and athletics feature prominently. The school's location constrains facilities (there is no on-site pitch; the school uses local grounds and the nearby sports centre), but this has not diminished participation rates. The sports coordinator programme enables students to lead coaching in primary schools, earning Duke of Edinburgh credit while developing leadership.

Academic enrichment is embedded. A Student Parliament gives pupils genuine voice in school decision-making, moving beyond tokenistic consultation. Debate Mate provides training in public speaking and argumentation. The school offers Cambridge IGCSE in English Literature as an option for Year 10s, diversifying assessment methods. Subject-specific clubs vary by department. The Science faculty, in particular, runs dedicated enrichment, and Higher Mathematics is offered as a taster for capable Year 7 and 8 students who might progress to strong performance later.

This is a non-selective state school. Admission to Year 7 is coordinated through Islington's application system. In recent years, between 420 and 470 applications have been received for 140 places annually, placing the school among the most oversubscribed in the borough. The subscription ratio of 3.37 to 1 (applications to offers) far exceeds the national average and indicates sustained demand from families. The last distance offered in 2024 was 0.846 miles from the school gate, a tight catchment that disadvantages families on the periphery of Islington. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

The school's admissions policy follows Islington's standard non-selective criteria: looked-after children and those with an EHCP naming the school come first, followed by allocation by distance from home to school. There are no academic entrance tests. Transition support for new Year 7 pupils is comprehensive, including dedicated transition days, a welcome evening for parents, and year manager contact during the summer term.

Sixth form entry is open to external applicants as well as internal progression. Approximately 85-90% of current Year 11 students progress into the sixth form, with the balance of places filled from external applications from other local schools.

The pastoral system is a distinctive strength. Form tutors remain with their tutor groups across the five-year lower school journey, building deep knowledge of each student. Tutor periods happen daily and are used purposefully. Year managers oversee pastoral wellbeing and coordinate transition, assessment checkpoints, and family communication. The school holds a prayer room, available to all faiths, reflecting the school's respect for the religious and cultural diversity of the cohort.

Mental health support is taken seriously. The school employs counselling provision and trains sixth form students as peer mentors. Teachers report that behaviour is exceptionally good, with low incident rates of bullying and a culture of mutual respect. Attendance stands at 93%, just below the national average for maintained secondaries. Punctuality has been an area for improvement; the school has implemented electronic registration and daily monitoring to address patterns of late arrival, an issue that has historically been more evident in sixth form.

The school operates a standard secondary timetable: 8:50am to 3:20pm, Monday to Friday. School hours align with London transport schedules, making public transport viable for families across North London. The nearest London Underground stations are Highbury and Islington (around 10 minutes' walk) and Canonbury, served by the Victoria Line. The school has limited on-site parking, reflecting the urban location, but a small cycle storage area. Before and after-school care is not offered as a standard provision; most families rely on public transport or independent arrangements. Given the secondary phase served, fewer families require formal wraparound care than in primary.

A dedicated information page on the school's website covers uniform policy, school meals, and term dates. School meals are provided through a catering contract and can be ordered through the online payment platform Arbor (the school's management information system). Free school meals are available to all pupils who meet the eligibility criteria (over half of the school cohort accesses this support), reflecting the socioeconomic profile of the catchment.

Demand for places is extreme. With a last distance offered of just under one mile and applications outnumbering places by more than three to one, securing a place is the central challenge families face when considering Highbury Fields. Unless you live in the immediate vicinity of the school, allocation is unlikely. Families attracted to the school's ethos and values should research alternative options within the wider Islington secondary provision, as proximity often determines entry rather than school choice.

The building's constraints are real. The site is tight, and classrooms in both the Victorian wing and the secondary block are smaller than national averages. This affects specialist subjects where bench space or movement space would be beneficial. Textiles, drama, and some PE teaching have adapted their delivery to work within these constraints, but some specialist subjects have more limited facilities than in newer secondaries. The school has planned extensions to improve capacity, though these remain aspirational.

The school serves a cohort with significant levels of prior disadvantage. While this contributes to the remarkable progress value-added measures, families seeking a peer group with higher starting points or independent school entrances should recognise that Highbury Fields is a school that serves a specific community and all the strengths and challenges that brings. The profile of the cohort, the languages spoken, and the economic circumstances of many families create a particular cultural context that defines the school's character and priorities.

Highbury Fields School delivers genuine educational transformation. It takes young women who arrive with starting points well below the national average and sends them on to university at rates that exceed statistical expectations. This is driven by clear-eyed leadership, teaching that combines structure with high expectation, and a whole-school culture centred on respect and achievement. The Outstanding inspection rating from September 2022 reflects this consistency. The school is at its strongest for pupils transitioning from primary with lower prior attainment, who benefit from the secure environment and systematic support. For this cohort, Highbury Fields represents a remarkable opportunity for educational mobility.

Who it suits: Families living within the immediate catchment (the school draws most pupils from within one mile of the gates) who want their daughters in an academically ambitious, deeply inclusive, and culturally vibrant state secondary school. It is best suited to families who recognise the school's distinct intake profile and value the transformative outcomes the school achieves for pupils with lower starting points.