School profile

Sydenham School

Secondary · Community school · London, SE26 4RD

Good

Map showing Sydenham School

Schools
Numbers on map: pupil ages
Outstanding
Good
Requires improvement
Inadequate
Not rated

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#612 of 3,312

Better than 81% of schools in England

Ranked by Attainment 8 score, state-funded mainstream schools.

A-level 2024/25

#479 of 2,536

Better than 81% of schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Sydenham School Ofsted rating

Ofsted report cardInspected 19 May 2026

Area360 rating
Good
Inclusion
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour
Strong standard
Personal development and wellbeing
Strong standard
Leadership and governance
Strong standard
Post-16 provision
Strong standard
Safeguarding
Met

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeCommunity school
Ages11 to 18
Pupils1,467
GenderGirls
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMrs Emma Wijnberg
Local authorityLewisham
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 100741.

GCSE results

2025/26

GCSE and equivalent results at the end of year 11. Attainment 8 averages results across 8 subjects.

MeasureThis schoolLewishamEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.53.4, better than England, better than Lewisham46.946.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.73.4%, better than England, better than Lewisham65.5%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.57.7%, better than England, better than Lewisham47.9%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.21.2%, better than England, better than Lewisham14.1%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths68.9%, better than England, better than Lewisham60.3%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4222--

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 performance, Academic year 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

A-level results

2024/25

Results for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

MeasureThis schoolLewishamEngland
Average points per A-level entryA* is 60, A is 50, B is 40, C is 30, D is 20, E is 10.39.29, better than England, better than Lewisham33.6235
Average A-level gradeB--
Average points, best three A-levels39.72, better than England, better than Lewisham34.1335.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsB--
AAB or better19.3%, similar to England, better than Lewisham12.2%17.5%
A-level progress scoreCompared with students with similar GCSE results. 0 is average.0.09, similar to England--
A-level progressAverage, similar to England--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study165--
Average applied general gradeVocational qualifications, such as BTECs.Dist--

Source: DfE, 16 to 19 performance, Academic year 2024/25, published 23 Apr 2026.

Pupils

2025/26

Pupils at the January school census.

MeasureThis school
Total pupils1,467
Girls1,452
Boys15
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.26.6%
First language not English17.4%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,518
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.3.4%
Sixth form places2024/25280
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.237
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.30
Average class size25.3

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics and School capacity, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Pupils ethnicity

2025/26

Share of pupils in each ethnic group, as recorded at the January school census.

Pupils ethnicity

White British
36.1%
African
13.6%
Other White
8.9%
Other mixed
7.7%
Caribbean
6.4%
White and Black Caribbean
5.6%
Other ethnic group
4.1%
White and Black African
2.9%
Other Black
2.9%
Other Asian
2.6%

Source: DfE, Schools, pupils and their characteristics, Academic year 2025/26, published 04 Jun 2026.

Teachers and staff

2025/26

Staff numbers are full-time equivalent (FTE). Teacher turnover shows where the school's teachers were by the following year's census.

MeasureThis school
Pupils per teacher17.4
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.13.8
Teachers (FTE)84.16
Teaching assistants (FTE)7.95
Support staff (FTE)44.35
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2589.8
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2574.4
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/256
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/259.4

Source: DfE, School workforce in England, Reporting year 2025, published 04 Jun 2026.

Admissions

2026/27

Applications and offers for the main entry points. Offers from oversubscribed schools depend on each school's admissions criteria; check the local authority admissions page.

MeasureThis school
Offers made (Year 7)Places offered on national offer day.235
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.681
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.217
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.179
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)273

Source: DfE, Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, published 18 Jun 2026.

Attendance

2025/26

Share of possible sessions missed.

MeasureThis schoolLewishamEngland
Overall absence6.2%, better than England, similar to Lewisham6.4%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.18.4%, better than England, similar to Lewisham17.2%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.1.2%, better than England, better than Lewisham1.8%3.6%

Source: DfE, Pupil absence in schools in England, Autumn and spring term 2025/26, published 15 Oct 2026.

Suspensions and exclusions

2024/25

Suspension rate is the number of suspensions per 100 pupils, so one pupil can be counted more than once. A permanently excluded pupil is removed from the school roll.

MeasureThis school
Suspension rate8.2%
Pupils with one or more suspensions4.9%
Permanent exclusion rate0%
Permanent exclusions0

Source: DfE, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Academic year 2024/25, published 09 Jul 2026.

Destinations after GCSEs

2023/24

Where pupils went after year 11, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.94.8%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.92.6%
School sixth form76.2%
Further education12.1%
Sixth form college3.5%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.2.6%
Apprenticeship1.3%
Employment0.9%

Source: DfE, Key stage 4 destination measures, Academic year 2024/25, published 15 Oct 2026.

Nearby schools

Ratings include official Ofsted judgements and Area360 summaries of inspection grades. Open a school’s profile for its inspection grades and results.

Schools near Sydenham School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimaryHoly Trinity Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.2 miPrimaryKelvin Grove Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.2 miPrimaryEliot Bank Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.3 miPrimarySt Bartholomews's Church of England Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
0.4 miPrimarySt George's CofE Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.5 miSecondaryForest Hill SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miPrimaryPerrymount Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.6 miNot applicableSydenham & Dulwich Girls GDSTOther independent school
Unrated
0.7 miPrimaryHorniman Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
0.8 miPrimaryAdamsrill Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Sydenham School

What is Sydenham School's Ofsted rating?

Sydenham School is rated Good, last inspected on 19 May 2026. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Sydenham School rank in England?

Sydenham School ranks 612 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 81% of schools) and 479 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (better than 81% of schools).

What are Sydenham School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 57.7% of pupils at Sydenham School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 53.4 (England 46.2).

What are Sydenham School's A-level results?

In 2024/25, the average A-level grade at Sydenham School was B, and 19.3% of students got AAB or better (England 17.5%).

How hard is it to get into Sydenham School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Sydenham School made 235 offers from 681 applications (2.9 per offer), and 179 of 217 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Sydenham School?

Sydenham School has 1,467 pupils aged 11 to 18.

What is the capacity of Sydenham School?

Sydenham School had 1,518 school places in 2024/25.

Does Sydenham School have a sixth form?

Yes, Sydenham School has a sixth form with 280 places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Sydenham School?

At Sydenham School, the average class had 25.3 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 17.4 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Sydenham School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Sydenham School missed 6.2% of sessions (England 8%), and 18.4% were persistently absent, missing 10% or more of sessions (England 21.6%).

Figures are the latest published by the Department for Education for each measure. Small numbers are suppressed by the publisher to protect pupils' privacy. Read how Area360 school ratings and rankings work.