Sir William Burrough Primary School Review 2026, Limehouse primary with standout early years and rising Key Stage 2 outcomes

A school can be both calm and ambitious, and Sir William Burrough Primary School is a good example of that balance. The most recent inspection, carried out on 2 and 3 July 2025, graded the school Good for Quality of Education, Outstanding for Behaviour and Attitudes, Good for Personal Development, Good for Leadership and Management, and Outstanding for Early Years.

Academically, the published Key Stage 2 data is striking. In 2024, 92% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 62%. The higher standard picture is also strong, with 31% achieving the higher standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, compared with an England average of 8%.

This is a state school, so there are no tuition fees. The practical challenge, instead, is admissions. Reception entry demand data indicates 69 applications for 30 offers, which is around 2.3 applications per place, consistent with a school that families actively seek out.

The inspection evidence points to a school that feels settled and purposeful in day to day routines, with high expectations that pupils meet well. Classrooms are described as peaceful and pupils as happy, and the behaviour culture is a headline strength.

Leadership is currently structured around an executive head model. The executive headteacher is Siobhan Fehim, and the 2025 inspection notes the role spans this school and another setting. A leadership communication published by the school confirms her appointment as the permanent executive headteacher in March 2025, which helps explain the more recent sense of direction and stability referenced in the inspection narrative.

The site itself has long been part of the area’s educational fabric. A historic inspection report describes a “three storey Victorian building” and “creatively designed play spaces” arranged around the building, which speaks to an urban primary that has had to use space intelligently rather than expansively.

For a primary school, parents usually want the answer to two questions: how strong are the outcomes, and are they consistent with what the school says about its curriculum. The 2024 Key Stage 2 data supports a picture of high attainment across the core, with particularly strong combined outcomes.

• Expected standard (reading, writing, maths): 92% (England average 62%)

• Higher standard (reading, writing, maths): 31% (England average 8%)

• Reading scaled score: 108, Maths scaled score: 109, GPS scaled score: 111

• Science expected standard: 96%

In the FindMySchool rankings (based on official outcomes data), Sir William Burrough is ranked 765th in England for primary performance and 10th in Tower Hamlets. That places it well above England average, within the top 10% of primary schools in England by this measure.

This combination matters. A high combined expected standard figure suggests pupils are leaving Year 6 with secure foundations across the core, while a high higher standard figure suggests the curriculum is stretching pupils beyond the basics, not only securing the threshold.

If you are comparing options nearby, the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool can help you line up outcomes like expected standard and higher standard across a shortlist, using the same methodology for each school.

Curriculum quality is best judged by what pupils remember and can do over time, not just what is covered. The 2025 inspection describes an “ambitious and broad” curriculum with clear sequencing, and teaching that typically checks understanding and revisits key ideas.

The main improvement point is also practical and specific: in some subjects, pupils do not always get regular opportunities to revisit and consolidate prior learning, and this can weaken recall. For families, the implication is straightforward. Day to day teaching is effective, but the school is still tightening how consistently knowledge is revisited across subjects so that learning sticks for all pupils, not only the quickest to retain.

Reading is clearly a central priority. The inspection notes strong delivery of phonics and that pupils read age appropriate texts with confidence and fluency, with additional help provided for those who need it. That is a key marker for long term achievement, because secure reading underpins everything from maths problem solving to humanities writing later in the school.

Early writing is improving, with a clear focus on sentence level skills in the early years. The next step, again practical, is sharper checking of spelling and letter formation, so that habits are formed early and do not need unpicking later.

As a 3 to 11 primary, the main transition point is Year 6 into local secondary options. For most families, the local authority transfer process will be the key consideration, alongside travel time and the nature of each secondary’s curriculum and pastoral approach.

Because secondary destinations vary widely by cohort and are not always published as a formal list, the best approach is to treat this as a planning exercise rather than a promise. Families usually benefit from mapping a realistic set of secondary options within travel distance, then checking each school’s admissions rules and recent offer distances.

A practical way to do this is to use FindMySchoolMap Search to check proximity to likely secondary choices, then cross reference with the local authority’s admissions guidance.

There are two separate routes families often confuse: nursery entry and Reception entry. They are related in timing and family planning, but they are not the same admissions decision.

Reception entry (September 2026)

Reception applications for Tower Hamlets children are made through the local authority’s coordinated process. For the 2026 to 2027 school year (children born 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022), the closing date is 15 January 2026 and National Offer Day is 16 April 2026. The booklet also lists a 30 April 2026 deadline to confirm acceptance directly with the school offered.

Demand data indicates the school is oversubscribed on the Reception entry route, with 69 applications and 30 offers, equating to about 2.3 applications per place.

Nursery entry and the key point about “automatic” progression

Tower Hamlets guidance is explicit: attending a nursery class does not give priority for Reception at the same school, and there is “no automatic right of transfer” from nursery to Reception. Families should plan for two separate applications, and treat nursery choice as important in its own right rather than as a guaranteed pathway.

For children turning three during the 2025 to 2026 school year, Tower Hamlets guidance indicates applications are typically for the term after a child’s third birthday, such as January 2026 or April 2026, with published in year nursery transfer timetables including a 31 October 2025 closing date for a January 2026 start and a 31 January 2026 closing date for an April 2026 start.

In year admissions

In year moves are handled differently from the main admissions rounds and depend on year group capacity at the point of application. For families relocating mid year, it is sensible to treat this as a managed process with realistic alternatives identified, particularly given that the school is described as oversubscribed in the entry data.

Behaviour is an area of real strength here. The 2025 inspection describes pupils’ behaviour as exemplary, with positive learning attitudes and strong working relationships between pupils and staff. For families, this usually translates into classrooms where learning time is protected and pupils can concentrate.

The school’s approach to safety is similarly clear. The report confirmed safeguarding arrangements were effective, and the narrative describes pupils feeling safe and confident approaching trusted adults if they are worried.

Attendance is being treated as a priority, with staff taking “decisive action” and providing practical support where barriers exist, and the inspection notes overall attendance is improving. In a London context, where travel, housing pressures and family circumstances can affect routines, this focus is meaningful, and it tends to benefit pupils most when it is paired with consistent pastoral relationships.

The most persuasive enrichment is the kind that connects classroom learning to the wider city pupils are growing up in. The inspection gives concrete examples from the most recent year, including visits to a local farm and museums in London, alongside art projects, sporting competitions and musical performances.

There is also a clear emphasis on extending learning through community links, with the report giving a specific example in developing pupils’ interest in coding. The implication for pupils is twofold. First, it broadens what “school success” looks like beyond test preparation. Second, it helps pupils connect skills such as problem solving and creativity to real world contexts, which can be particularly motivating for children who learn best through purposeful projects.

Historically, the school has also positioned itself as a hub for families. An earlier inspection report refers to community activities such as a toddlers morning, a tea morning for parents, and Bengali classes several times a week. Programmes change over time, so parents should treat these as examples of the school’s tradition of community engagement rather than a fixed current timetable.

Sir William Burrough serves families in Limehouse and the wider Stepney area of Tower Hamlets. The local authority’s primary admissions booklet places it within the Stepney catchment grouping for the borough’s planning purposes.

Published start and finish times, plus details of breakfast club and after school provision, should be checked directly with the school. Wraparound care policies can change year to year, especially when staffing and funding shift, so it is sensible to confirm availability and hours early if this is essential for your family’s working pattern.

• No automatic nursery to Reception pathway. Tower Hamlets guidance is clear that nursery attendance does not give priority for Reception, and there is no automatic transfer. This matters for planning, especially if you are hoping to keep siblings aligned in one setting.

• Oversubscription pressure. With around 2.3 applications per place on the Reception entry route, competition is real. Families should use tools such as FindMySchoolMap Search to check practical proximity, but also keep a realistic set of alternative schools on the application list.

• Curriculum consolidation is still being tightened. The key improvement point from the latest inspection is about ensuring pupils get regular opportunities to revisit and consolidate prior learning across subjects. This is a solvable issue, but it is relevant for families who prioritise consistency of retention and recall.

• Writing accuracy focus. Spelling and letter formation checks are identified as an area to sharpen at times. For pupils who need explicit handwriting and spelling support, ask how the school tracks and responds to this in practice.

Sir William Burrough Primary School combines a calm, well ordered culture with outcomes that are well above England average at Key Stage 2, and an early years phase that is a particular strength. It suits families who want a structured primary with clear expectations, strong reading foundations, and a programme that includes wider experiences such as visits and community linked learning. The main barrier is admission, so successful shortlisting depends on realistic planning around deadlines, distance and alternatives.