Mulberry Academy Shoreditch Review 2026: A disciplined, opportunity-rich 11 to 19 with a major sixth form

A sharp start to the day sets the tone here. Registration begins at 08.40, following an 08.35 bell, and lessons run in long, purposeful blocks that leave room for enrichment after 15.30.

Mulberry Academy Shoreditch is a mixed secondary with sixth form in Tower Hamlets, sitting within the Mulberry Schools Trust, with a Local Governing Body formed after the transfer in September 2018. The current Principal is Ms Melissa Gibson.

The latest Ofsted inspection (September 2022) judged the school Good overall, with Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes, Personal Development, and Leadership and Management, and Good for Quality of Education and Sixth Form provision.

For families weighing options in a competitive borough process, the practical headlines are clear: the school has a significant scale, Ofsted reports a roll of 1,419 against a capacity figure of 1,100, and Tower Hamlets uses banding (CAT4) at secondary transfer to balance intake across ability bands.

The culture is built around high expectations and a strong structure, but it is not just about rules. Formal evaluation describes a highly positive ethos and a consistent message that staff will be there for pupils when needed. Pupils are described as respectful, with bullying, including racist and homophobic bullying, treated as unacceptable and addressed quickly.

A big part of identity sits in the house system. It is framed as a way to connect year groups and give pupils leadership routes, with house points and an annual House Cup used to keep participation broad rather than limited to a narrow set of star performers. The language used around houses is direct about what the school is trying to develop, including confidence, collaboration, and the ability to handle competition and setbacks.

Leadership is presented in layers. Day to day, the Principal role is held by Ms Melissa Gibson. At trust level, the school sits within the Mulberry Schools Trust, and governance documentation and the Local Governing Body structure are prominent on the school site, which tends to signal a trust model that expects consistency of policy and practice across schools.

Scale matters to atmosphere. With a large roll and a sizeable sixth form (the 2022 inspection records around 500 students in sixth form at the time), corridors, transitions, and social spaces can feel busy, especially at the start and end of day. For some pupils, that energy is motivating and socially rich. For others, it is something to think about, particularly if they prefer a smaller setting.

This is a school with broadly mid-pack GCSE performance on an England-wide distribution, and a more challenging picture at A-level relative to national patterns.

GCSE performance (headline indicators)

The school’s Attainment 8 score is 49.6 and Progress 8 is +0.01. EBacc average point score is 4.69, and 21.3% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above across the EBacc subject suite.

Ranked 1344th in England and 13th in Tower Hamlets for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), this places performance in line with the middle 35% of schools in England (25th to 60th percentile).

In practical terms, that profile can suit pupils who want a stable, structured mainstream secondary with broad access to subjects, rather than a narrowly exam-led environment that is only comfortable for the highest prior attainers.

A-level performance (sixth form outcomes)

The A-level grade profile shows 3.39% A*, 12.53% A, and 20.89% B, with 36.81% at A* to B. Combining A* and A gives 15.92% at A* or A, compared with an England average of 23.6%. For A* to B, 36.81% sits below the England average of 47.2%.

Ranked 1811th in England and 12th in Tower Hamlets for A-level outcomes (FindMySchool ranking, based on official data), this places the sixth form below England average in the bottom 40% of schools on this measure.

If sixth form is the primary decision factor, these results suggest families should look closely at subject-by-subject fit, support, and enrichment, and not assume outcomes will match the strongest academic sixth forms in the area. If GCSE-to-sixth-form progression is part of the plan, the school’s pastoral and careers infrastructure becomes as important as raw grade distribution.

Parents comparing local performance can use the FindMySchool Local Hub page to view these outcomes alongside nearby schools using the Comparison Tool.

The curriculum model emphasises breadth at Key Stage 3 and then a structured narrowing at Key Stage 4, with clear attention to languages and humanities. At Key Stage 3, the published subject list includes French, Spanish, and Latin alongside core subjects and practical areas such as Food Technology and Design Technology.

At Key Stage 4, the school sets out a core that includes English, mathematics, science, religious education, and core physical education. Options are framed to keep a large proportion of pupils studying both a language and a humanity, which aligns with an EBacc-oriented intent. Options include creative and technical routes such as Art, Computer Science, Drama, Latin, Music, PE, and Design Technology, alongside a vocational pathway that includes Hospitality for a smaller number of pupils.

External evaluation is particularly clear about what the school tries to build in classroom practice: frequent checking of prior knowledge and regular recap so pupils can recall and apply learning as work becomes more complex. That approach is described as supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities as well as their peers, which matters in a large school where consistency of practice is often the difference between strong intent and strong outcomes.

There is also an honest development edge. The inspection record highlights that a small number of subjects were less ambitious or less clearly sequenced at the time, and that planned support for weaker readers in Years 7 and 8, using a phonics programme, needed fuller implementation and embedding. For parents of pupils who are still consolidating reading fluency at transition, it is worth asking how reading support is delivered now, what screening is used, and how progress is monitored through Year 7.

For many families, the key transition points are Year 11 to Year 12, and then sixth form to university, apprenticeships, or employment. The school runs a large sixth form and also takes new entrants, so it is not simply a closed pipeline for its own Year 11 cohort. The sixth form leadership is explicitly identified on the school website as part of senior staffing, led by a Deputy Principal who is also Head of Sixth Form.

University and post-18 destinations (most recently published cohort)

For the 2023 to 2024 cohort of leavers (cohort size 191), 55% progressed to university, 17% went into employment, 3% started apprenticeships, and 3% moved into further education. This mix suggests a sixth form that supports multiple routes, not just a single university track.

Oxbridge is present but at a small scale in the latest recorded cycle: two applications across Oxford and Cambridge combined, one offer, and one acceptance. That is a modest pipeline, but it shows the school can support highly competitive applications when the individual match is right.

The practical implication is that sixth form here may suit students who want a broad post-16 offer with careers education and enrichment, including those pursuing vocational routes, alongside a smaller group aiming for the most selective university pathways.

Year 7 entry is coordinated through Tower Hamlets, and it sits within the borough’s secondary transfer model rather than a school-specific entrance test.

Secondary transfer timetable (September 2026 entry)

Tower Hamlets sets a closing date of 31 October 2025 for applications for secondary transfer into Year 7 for September 2026 entry. Offer outcomes are viewable on 02 March 2026 (National Offer Day).

Banding and the CAT4 assessment

Tower Hamlets uses banding to maintain a balanced intake across schools, and applicants are grouped into four ability bands (A to D) using a cognitive ability test (CAT4). The borough states that every child who applies must sit the test, and that oversubscribed schools take an equal number from each quartile. For pupils at Tower Hamlets primaries, the assessment is typically arranged in September. For children outside the borough, independent sector, home educated, or those who missed the test, registration is required by 31 October, with testing typically arranged in November and lasting about three hours.

This process tends to reduce the “hot street, cold street” effect that pure distance criteria can create. It also means families should treat the application as both a preference exercise and a testing timetable exercise.

Open events and visits

For Year 7 entry, the school publishes a concentrated open-event run in early autumn. For example, it lists a Year 5 and 6 Open Evening on 02 October 2025 (16.00 to 18.00), multiple open mornings across mid-September to early October at 09.15, and a Saturday open morning on 11 October 2025 (09.00 to 11.00).

For sixth form, published open events include evenings on 14 October 2025 and 27 January 2026 (both 16.00 to 18.00), and Saturday open mornings on 15 November 2025, 07 March 2026, and 20 June 2026 (09.00 to 10.00).

Parents considering application should use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check practical travel time and day-to-day feasibility, then cross-check the borough’s banding requirements and deadlines before finalising preferences.

Pastoral care is framed as integral rather than an add-on. The house system sits alongside year leadership, and formal evaluation highlights that exclusions were extremely rare at the time of inspection, with leaders prioritising continued learning and support.

Personal development is positioned as a school strength. It is linked to a wide personal, social and health education programme covering topics such as mental and physical health, online safety, anti-bullying, and staying safe, alongside careers education that meets the Baker Clause expectations.

Ofsted confirmed that safeguarding arrangements are effective, describing safeguarding as a top agenda item for leaders and governors, with secure processes for identifying pupils at risk and strong links with external agencies.

For parents, the practical questions to ask at open events are specific: how the school supports pupils who struggle with punctuality and organisation in a long-block timetable, what early help looks like when attendance dips, and how house and year systems coordinate when pupils need targeted support.

The enrichment offer is one of the most distinctive elements here, and it is described as central to the school’s identity, not peripheral. Formal evaluation notes a wide range of out-of-class activities aimed at enriching learning and experience, including STEM provision, overseas visits, and skiing trips.

Leadership, confidence, and public speaking

A clear example is Model United Nations, which develops negotiation and public speaking through diplomacy simulations. DebateMate is another named strand, positioned as building critical thinking and confidence in speaking. The implication for pupils is that “voice” is treated as a skill to be trained, which can be particularly valuable for pupils who are academically able but hesitant to contribute.

Structured pathways beyond clubs

The enrichment page also lists King’s Trust programmes, including an Enterprise Challenge where pupils design and pitch a sustainable business idea, and a Mosaic Mentoring programme pairing pupils with professional mentors to build confidence and aspiration. These are not casual lunchtime clubs, they are structured experiences that connect learning to future pathways.

Sport at scale, including unusual London strengths

Sport is supported by facilities that operate beyond the school day. The on-site Sports Centre is open to the public in the evenings, and the facilities list is unusually detailed: badminton courts (six), squash courts (two), basketball courts (three), volleyball courts (three), cricket nets (four), an indoor 7-a-side space, indoor hockey, an outdoor 5-a-side, and outdoor netball courts (three). The centre is described as a home ground for Tower Hamlets London Lionhearts volleyball and as hosting activity ranging from local leagues to tournaments.

The implication is twofold. First, pupils who thrive on sport have real infrastructure to train and compete. Second, the school’s relationship with local clubs can widen the community feel beyond the pupil body, which can be a positive anchor for teenagers in a dense urban area.

Outdoor endurance and wellbeing

TrailFam is a particularly distinctive named example: a trail running club founded in April 2021, taking groups of up to 30 pupils to woodlands and trails outside London and linking running to physical and mental wellbeing. For pupils who do not connect with team sports, this kind of endurance-based offer can be the route into sustained activity.

Music and performance

On the creative side, the school advertises peripatetic music tuition, and ensembles including choir, band, string ensemble and brass group. Drama and dance are also set out as routes into productions and workshops through the year.

The school day starts with an 08.35 bell and registration from 08.40, with lessons structured into three longer teaching periods and the main day ending at 15.30. Enrichment activities run after the main day.

For calendar planning, the school publishes term dates for 2025 to 2026, including the phased September start where Year 7 begins on 02 September 2025 at 08.35.

Travel-wise, this is an inner-London setting, so most families will be thinking in terms of walking, bus routes, and short public transport connections rather than driving. For sixth formers with later days or enrichment commitments, it is worth mapping the return journey for the 15.30 finish, especially in winter months.

• Sixth form outcomes are a development priority. A-level performance sits below England averages on key grade measures, and the A-level ranking places the sixth form in the bottom 40% of schools on this measure. Students likely to thrive are those who engage with support, attend consistently, and choose subjects that match their strengths.

• Secondary transfer in Tower Hamlets includes banding tests. Year 7 entry is not just about preference order, it also involves the CAT4 process and specific deadlines, with late or missed testing potentially affecting how an application is treated. Families should plan the autumn term of Year 6 carefully.

• Large-school scale can be a plus or a strain. The roll size is substantial, with Ofsted reporting a figure above the published capacity. That scale usually brings breadth of subjects and enrichment, but it can feel busy for pupils who prefer smaller settings.

• Curriculum strength is not identical across subjects. The most recent graded inspection identified that a small number of subjects were less clearly sequenced or ambitious at the time, and that planned reading support for weaker readers needed fuller embedding. Families of pupils with literacy gaps should ask how this is delivered now.

Mulberry Academy Shoreditch is a structured, opportunity-heavy secondary with a sixth form large enough to offer breadth and leadership roles, and a culture recognised for behaviour, personal development, and leadership. GCSE performance sits in the middle range across England, while sixth form outcomes require careful, student-specific judgement on subject fit and support.

Best suited to families who value strong routines, clear expectations, and a wide enrichment offer including named programmes such as Model UN, DebateMate, and TrailFam, as well as substantial sports facilities. The main challenge is aligning post-16 ambitions with the sixth form’s current outcomes, and working the Tower Hamlets banding and application timetable carefully.