Arts and Media School Islington
Foundation school · 577 pupils
80% stayed in education · Attainment 8 38.3
Academy converter
Lift Beacon High
- Pupils on roll
- 414of 600 places
- Free school meals
- 73.5%
- Year 11 cohort 2025
- 77
- Ofsted
- Good, 16 November 2022Read the Ofsted report
Results below include those reported under the school’s previous registration: Beacon High (URN 100453, until 1 January 2026).
What the data says
Lift Beacon High has no sixth form. Of the 86 pupils who finished Year 11 there in 2023, 5% moved to a sixth form college, 63% to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.
GCSE results in 2025 were well below the national picture: Attainment 8 of 29.5 against 46.1 across England and 47.0 in Islington, with 16% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).
12% of leavers were not in sustained education, employment or training six months on, compared with 6% nationally.
Almost nobody goes straight into an apprenticeship or a job: 1% took an apprenticeship and 2% went into work, against 3% and 3% across England.
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 | Lift Beacon High | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils in the cohort | 86 | 1,530 | 607,348 |
| Any sustained destination | 81% | 91% | 92% |
| Stayed in education | 78% | 89% | 86% |
| — school sixth form | 9% | 39% | 34% |
| — sixth form college | 5% | 5% | 13% |
| — further education college | 63% | 41% | 37% |
| — other education | 1% | 4% | 2% |
| Apprenticeship | 1% | 1% | 3% |
| Employment | 2% | 1% | 3% |
| No sustained destination | 12% | 6% | 6% |
| Destination unknown | 7% | 4% | 3% |
GCSE results 2025
| Measure | Lift Beacon High | Islington | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attainment 8 (average points per pupil) | 29.5 | 47.0 | 46.1 |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 16% | 48% | 45% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 26% | 64% | 65% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects | 12% | 48% | 41% |
| EBacc average point score | 2.42 | 4.27 | 4.09 |
| Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort | 78% | 56% | 28% |
| Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils | 28.9 | 40.9 | 34.9 |
| Attainment 8 — other pupils | 31.8 | 54.7 | 50.4 |
| Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2) | — | — | — |
| English as an additional language | 33% | 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 Literature | 74 | 96% | 86% | 9% | 21% | 42% |
| English Language | 74 | 96% | 89% | 3% | 20% | 28% |
| Combined Science | 73 | 95% | 65% | 5% | 9% | 30% |
| Mathematics | 73 | 95% | 88% | 7% | 22% | 32% |
| History | 23 | 30% | 41% | 4% | 26% | 26% |
| Religious Studies | 20 | 26% | 31% | 15% | 32% | 35% |
| Geography | 18 | 23% | 41% | 6% | 25% | 17% |
| Design and Technology | 14 | 18% | 11% | 21% | 23% | 64% |
| Fine Art | 13 | 17% | 9% | 23% | 28% | 46% |
| Computer Science | 12 | 16% | 13% | 0% | 30% | 17% |
| Persian | 4 | 5% | 0% | — | 77% | — |
| Spanish | 3 | 4% | 19% | — | 27% | — |
| Portuguese | 2 | 3% | 0% | — | 50% | — |
| Turkish | 2 | 3% | 0% | — | 71% | — |
| Italian | 2 | 3% | 0% | — | 53% | — |
| French | 2 | 3% | 18% | — | 29% | — |
| Arabic | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 47% | — |
| Polish | 1 | 1% | 1% | — | 84% | — |
| Russian | 1 | 1% | 0% | — | 87% | — |
Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications
| Subject | Entries | Share of cohort | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Business Management | 41 | — | — |
| Sports Studies | 18 | — | — |
| Hospitality / Catering Studies | 14 | — | — |
| Engineering Studies | 14 | — | — |
| Music Technology (Electronic) | 9 | — | — |
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 Highbury Grove
Academy sponsor led · sixth form · 892 pupils
87% stayed in education · Attainment 8 45.4
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
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.