The Elmgreen School Review 2026: Oversubscribed Lambeth secondary with a broad curriculum and a sizeable sixth form

A large, mixed secondary with sixth form, The Elmgreen School sits in the Tulse Hill and West Norwood area and serves a genuinely diverse cohort. It is part of The Dunraven Educational Trust and is shaped by an explicit focus on inclusion, including specialist resourced provision for some pupils with additional needs. The feel is ambitious but practical: strong attention to literacy and numeracy at Key Stage 3, a wide blend of academic and vocational routes as students move through GCSE and post 16, and a calendar that recognises how competitive local admissions are, with multiple open events ahead of the Year 7 deadline.

Elmgreen’s identity is closely tied to two things: diversity and a sense of ownership. Official evaluation describes pupils as respectful across difference, and clear that bullying is uncommon and addressed when it occurs. That matters in a big comprehensive, because day to day calm is the foundation that lets teaching land well.

The school is also unusual in its origin story. It opened in 2007 and is widely described as the first “parent promoted” secondary school in the UK, which still shows up in the way the school talks about partnership with families and the wider community. In practical terms, you should expect active communication and an expectation that parents engage early with admissions, curriculum options, and post 16 planning.

Leadership is stable: the headteacher is Mr Dominic Bergin. Families who value consistency often see this as a positive, especially when combined with the structure of a multi academy trust behind the school.

This is a school where performance looks stronger in some measures than others, and it is best understood through the detail rather than any single headline.

GCSE outcomes and ranking context

Ranked 2379th in England and 12th in Lambeth for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Elmgreen sits in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile). Attainment 8 is 42.5, and Progress 8 is -0.37, which indicates students make below average progress from their starting points compared with similar pupils nationally. The combined GCSE and A level rank used in FindMySchool’s composite sits at 1936th in England, suggesting the overall picture is broadly in line with the GCSE profile.

EBacc entry and strength of pathway advice

Elmgreen’s EBacc profile points to a school that will need to guide option choices carefully. The percentage achieving grades 5 or above across EBacc is 15.4, and average EBacc APS is 3.77. For families, the implication is straightforward: if your child is aiming for a strongly academic route, you will want to discuss subject combinations early, understand how languages and humanities are timetabled, and check how the school supports students who need extra literacy or numeracy consolidation before GCSE options begin.

A level outcomes and ranking context

At A level, the school ranks 2119th in England and 12th in Lambeth (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places it below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure. The most recent published grade distribution shows 3.32% A*, 7.11% A, 18.96% B, and 29.38% A* to B.

A useful way to interpret that for post 16 families is to focus on fit. Elmgreen’s sixth form is a real pathway, but students who are set on a highly academic A level profile may need to be very deliberate about subject choices, study habits, and the support they use.

Parents comparing local options can use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages and the Comparison Tool to view Elmgreen alongside other Lambeth secondaries and sixth forms on the same measures.

The clearest strength in the evidence is curriculum planning and structure. A well thought through curriculum is described from Year 7 into sixth form, with deliberate sequencing and a focus on key knowledge so that pupils revisit and remember what they have learned. That matters because it tends to benefit students who do not come in with high levels of cultural capital, and it also prevents GCSE courses becoming a scramble of disconnected topics.

At Key Stage 3, literacy and numeracy are explicitly built in, with weekly sessions for Years 7 to 9. The practical implication is that students who need to catch up in reading are more likely to be identified early and supported consistently, rather than being left to manage alone until GCSE pressure hits.

The main teaching challenge flagged in official evaluation is differentiation. Most of the time teaching works well, but there are occasions where activities are not adapted sufficiently for the full range of ability in the room, leading to some students disengaging. For families, that is an important question to raise on a visit, particularly if your child is either very high attaining and needs stretch, or is likely to need clearer scaffolding in core subjects.

Elmgreen has a sizeable sixth form and a mixed academic and vocational offer post 16. It is also part of the South London Sixth collaboration, which is designed to broaden subject choice and enrichment beyond what a single school can always run alone.

University, apprenticeships, and employment

For the 2023/24 leavers cohort (cohort size 122), 61% progressed to university, 3% to further education, 2% to apprenticeships, and 21% moved into employment. This points to a sixth form where university is the most common route, but where a meaningful proportion pursue other post 18 options. For many families, the question is not “university or not”, it is “which route and how well supported”, so ask how careers guidance is delivered in Year 12 and Year 13 and how students access work experience.

Oxbridge signal

In the measured period three students applied to Oxford or Cambridge and one secured a place. That is not a defining feature of the school, but it is a useful signal that the sixth form can support highly competitive applications for the right individual, particularly when combined with strong subject teaching and structured academic support.

Elmgreen is described as oversubscribed, and the admissions timetable reflects that. For September 2026 entry into Year 7, applications are made through the Pan London coordinated admissions process using your home borough’s Common Application Form, with the deadline on Friday 31 October 2025. Offers are issued on 2 March 2026.

Elmgreen also operates an admission banding test as part of the Year 7 process, scheduled in the Lambeth admissions booklet for Saturday 15 November 2025 for the September 2026 intake. Families should treat the test as a standard part of the process and confirm the current arrangements each year, as details can change.

Open events are scheduled well ahead of the deadline. For the 2026 intake, the Lambeth booklet lists multiple dates in September and October 2025, including an evening open event and several morning tours with a headteacher talk. This is a helpful pattern: attend early, ask about curriculum pathways and behaviour routines, then revisit once your child is clearer about what they want from a school.

Catchment and distance

In 2024, the last distance offered was 0.959 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place. Families should use the FindMySchool Map Search to check their precise distance and avoid relying on rough postcode assumptions.

Elmgreen’s pastoral picture has some clear strengths. Pupils report feeling safe, and the school has a dedicated safeguarding team with strong oversight of the issues pupils face. Ofsted also confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Inclusion is a major operational theme rather than a marketing line. The school has two specially resourced provisions: one for pupils with hearing impairments, and one for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. This is relevant even for families whose child will not access those provisions, because it often shapes staff expertise, wider awareness, and the way support is integrated into mainstream teaching.

Behaviour is generally calm and purposeful, with a clear behaviour system. The key risk is consistency, because official evaluation notes that the system is not always applied uniformly by staff, and low level disruption can occasionally affect learning. Families should ask what “consistent” looks like in practice, for example how corridors are managed, how classrooms reset after disruption, and how pastoral leaders work with families when patterns emerge.

Elmgreen’s extracurricular offer is a meaningful part of the school experience, and the evidence is more specific than “there are lots of clubs”.

A high participation point comes through clearly in official evaluation: many pupils take advantage of activities outside lessons, including sporting clubs, games clubs, and book clubs, with strong uptake of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The implication is that this is a school where students can build routine and belonging through activity, which is often one of the best protective factors for wellbeing in Years 8 to 11.

The Lambeth admissions booklet gives a further sense of range, naming activities as varied as Mandarin, Warhammer, Dance, and debating. That breadth matters, because it suggests the school is not solely sport led or solely arts led, but built to offer different types of student a place to commit and develop.

Facilities described in the same source support this: a modern building with lecture spaces, an amphitheatre, media and music suites, art and design workshops, strong sports facilities, and a library and learning resource centre. For families, the question to ask is how these spaces are used week to week, not just that they exist, for example whether debate is timetabled, how music ensembles are organised, and how access works for younger year groups.

Elmgreen is a day school with no boarding, and is wheelchair accessible. The nearest rail link is Tulse Hill station, and local bus routes serve the area well, which helps older students manage independence at sixth form age.

Detailed timings for the school day and any before school or after school provision are not consistently published in the official sources available here, and these details can change, especially around sixth form and enrichment. Families should confirm the current start and finish times, and what supervised after school study looks like for GCSE and A level students, directly with the school.

• Competition for Year 7 places. Elmgreen is described as oversubscribed and operates a banding test as part of the admissions process. Plan early, attend an open event, and treat the deadline as immovable.

• Distance is a real constraint. In 2024, the last distance offered was 0.959 miles. Distances vary annually based on applicant distribution; proximity provides priority but does not guarantee a place.

• In class differentiation can be uneven. Most teaching is effective, but there are times when work is not adapted well enough for the full ability range, which can affect engagement. This is a key question if your child needs either significant stretch or significant scaffolding.

• Behaviour relies on consistency. The behaviour system is clear, but not always applied uniformly, and low level disruption can sometimes interrupt learning. Ask how staff are trained, supported, and held to common routines.

Elmgreen is a large, inclusive Lambeth secondary with a broad curriculum and a substantial sixth form, backed by facilities that support arts, sport, and academic enrichment. It suits families who want a mixed ability comprehensive with clear structure, strong attention to literacy and numeracy at Key Stage 3, and a sixth form that offers multiple pathways. The main barrier is admission, so shortlisting needs to be realistic about distance and the timing of the banding process.