Arts and Media School Islington
Foundation school · 577 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.3
Academy sponsor led
City of London Academy Highbury Grove
- Pupils on roll
- 892of 1,200 places
- Free school meals
- 58.9%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 199
- Ofsted
- Good, 26 April 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Highbury Grove School (URN 100452, until 13 June 2017).
What the data says
Of the 174 pupils who finished Year 11 at City of London Academy Highbury Grove in 2023, 34% stayed on in City of London Academy Highbury Grove’s own sixth form (Islington average 39%), 47% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
Among the 68 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 62% went to university (Islington 50%, England 37%), and 37% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.
Sociology is unusually popular at GCSE: 27% of the year group took it, against 4% of pupils across England.
GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 45.4 against 46.1 across England and 47.0 in Islington, with 45% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
Where pupils went after Year 11
Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Islington and England.
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 174 | 1,530 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 89% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 87% | 89% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 34% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 5% | 5% | 13% |
| — further education college | 47% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 9% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 3% | 4% | 3% |
Where students went after sixth form
Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
| Measure | This school | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students in the cohort | 68 | 785 | 541,441 |
| Any sustained destination | 84% | 81% | 79% |
| University (higher education) | 62% | 50% | 37% |
| — most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students | 37% | 21% | 19% |
| Further education | 4% | 3% | 5% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 1% | 7% |
| Employment | 15% | 19% | 28% |
| No sustained destination | 13% | 13% | 16% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | This school | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 45.4 | 47.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 45% | 48% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 63% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 46% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 4.16 | 4.27 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 62% | 56% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 42.2 | 40.9 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 50.6 | 54.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 27% | 36% | 19% |
Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.
Subjects taken at GCSE
Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England | Grades 7–9 | England | Grades 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English Language | 198 | 99% | 89% | 18% | 20% | 64% |
| Mathematics | 197 | 99% | 88% | 16% | 22% | 71% |
| English Literature | 194 | 97% | 86% | 16% | 21% | 73% |
| Combined Science | 178 | 89% | 65% | 10% | 9% | 62% |
| Geography | 78 | 39% | 41% | 23% | 25% | 67% |
| Business Studies | 72 | 36% | 18% | 14% | 20% | 72% |
| French | 67 | 34% | 18% | 27% | 29% | 79% |
| History | 63 | 32% | 41% | 30% | 26% | 78% |
| Sociology | 54 | 27% | 4% | 24% | 21% | 70% |
| Fine Art | 41 | 21% | 9% | 20% | 28% | 85% |
| Spanish | 39 | 20% | 19% | 44% | 27% | 79% |
| Graphic Communication | 30 | 15% | 1% | 3% | 23% | 57% |
| Physical Education | 27 | 14% | 11% | 19% | 24% | 85% |
| Media Studies | 24 | 12% | 4% | 8% | 20% | 54% |
| Religious Studies | 19 | 10% | 31% | 21% | 32% | 42% |
| Biology | 19 | 10% | 23% | 37% | 45% | 79% |
| Physics | 17 | 9% | 23% | 53% | 46% | 88% |
| Computer Science | 17 | 9% | 13% | 18% | 30% | 65% |
| Chemistry | 17 | 9% | 23% | 41% | 47% | 88% |
| Design and Technology | 17 | 9% | 11% | 18% | 23% | 88% |
| Music | 14 | 7% | 5% | 14% | 33% | 50% |
| Turkish | 14 | 7% | 0% | 79% | 71% | 100% |
| Drama | 10 | 5% | 7% | 0% | 27% | 40% |
| Arabic | 8 | 4% | 1% | 50% | 47% | 75% |
| Portuguese | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Russian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 1% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| Persian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Chinese | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 75% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sports Studies | 40 | 100% | — |
| Health Studies | 16 | 44% | — |
| Computer Appreciation / Introduction | 15 | 42% | — |
| Small Business Management | 2 | 6% | — |
A levels and other level 3 courses
| Measure | This school | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students at the end of 16–18 study | 92 | — | — |
| — of whom A level students | 36 | 472 | 261,341 |
| Average A level grade | C | B- | B- |
| Average points per A level entry | 30.38 | 37.46 | 35.00 |
| Average grade, best 3 A levels | C | C+ | B- |
| AAB or better with two facilitating subjects | 9% | 14% | 18% |
| Average grade, applied general courses | — | — | — |
| Average grade, T levels | — | — | — |
A level subjects
Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 19 | 53% | 31% |
| Geography | 9 | 25% | 10% |
| Physics | 9 | 25% | 12% |
| Biology | 9 | 25% | 20% |
| Psychology | 8 | 22% | 23% |
| English Literature | 7 | 19% | 11% |
| Chemistry | 7 | 19% | 17% |
| History | 6 | 17% | 13% |
| Business Studies | 6 | 17% | 13% |
| Chinese | — | — | 0% |
| Computer Science | — | — | 5% |
| Economics | — | — | 13% |
| English Language | — | — | 4% |
| Politics | — | — | 6% |
| Media Studies | — | — | 4% |
| Sociology | — | — | 13% |
| Fine Art | — | — | 3% |
Applied, technical and other level 3 courses
| Subject | Qualification | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Art and Design | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | 8 | 22% | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Health Studies | BTEC National Extended Certificate L3 - Band F - P-D* | — | — | — |
| Business Studies | BTEC National Diploma L3 - Band J - PP-D*D* | — | — | — |
| Study Skills | Extended Project (Diploma) | — | — | — |
| Sports Studies | BTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D* | — | — | — |
Other secondary schools in Islington
Central Foundation Boys' School
Voluntary aided school · sixth form · 1,152 pupils
94% stayed in education · Attainment 8 55.2
City of London Academy, Highgate Hill
Free schools · sixth form · 641 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.3
City of London Academy Islington
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 852 pupils
88% stayed in education · Attainment 8 40.8
Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School
Community school · 888 pupils
89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.7
Highbury Fields School
Community school · sixth form · 733 pupils
92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 57.4
Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.