School profile

Highlands School

Secondary · Community school · London, N21 1QQ

Outstanding

Map showing Highlands School

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

National ranking

GCSE 2025/26

#502 of 3,312

Better than 84% of schools in England

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

A-level 2024/25

#786 of 2,536

Better than 69% of schools in England

Ranked by average points per A-level entry.

Highlands School Ofsted rating

Ofsted four-point inspection gradesInspected 5 Nov 2024

Area360 rating
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding
Sixth form provision
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective

School facts

PhaseSecondary
TypeCommunity school
Ages11 to 18
Pupils1,694
GenderMixed
Admissions policyNon-selective
Head teacherMr Vincent McInerney
Local authorityEnfield
Opened01 Sept 2000
WebsiteVisit

Source: Get Information about Schools, URN 132256.

GCSE results

2025/26

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

MeasureThis schoolEnfieldEngland
Attainment 8 scoreResults across 8 subjects, English and maths count twice. 50 is about a grade 5 average.54.9, better than England, better than Enfield46.746.2
Grade 4 or above in English and mathsGrade 4 is a standard pass.81.2%, better than England, better than Enfield64.6%64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English and mathsGrade 5 is a strong pass.64.4%, better than England, better than Enfield47.2%46.3%
Grade 7 or above in English and mathsGrade 7 is roughly an old A grade.20.5%, better than England, better than Enfield17.9%14.2%
5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4, including English and maths79.5%, better than England, better than Enfield59.4%60.2%
Pupils at the end of key stage 4239--

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 schoolEnfieldEngland
Average points per A-level entryA* is 60, A is 50, B is 40, C is 30, D is 20, E is 10.36.88, similar to England, similar to Enfield35.1835
Average A-level gradeB---
Average points, best three A-levels36.67, similar to England, similar to Enfield35.7335.78
Average grade, best three A-levelsB---
AAB or better10.2%, worse than England, worse than Enfield18.4%17.5%
A-level progress scoreCompared with students with similar GCSE results. 0 is average.0.24, better than England--
A-level progressAbove average, better than England--
Students at the end of 16 to 18 study204--
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 pupils1,694
Girls856
Boys838
Eligible for free school mealsPupils from low-income families who can get free school meals.17.4%
First language not English13.8%
School places2024/25Capacity, not including nursery.1,462
Unfilled placesShare of school places not taken.0%
Sixth form places2024/25262
SEN supportPupils with special educational needs who get extra help at school.192
EHC planEducation, health and care plan: a legal plan for pupils with more complex needs.73
Average class size24.7

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
33.2%
Other White
27.2%
Other mixed
7.2%
African
5.4%
Other ethnic group
5%
White and Black Caribbean
2.9%
White and Asian
2.5%
Indian
2.5%
Other Asian
2.2%
Caribbean
2.2%

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 teacher19.8
Pupils per adultAdults include teaching assistants.13.6
Teachers (FTE)85.6
Teaching assistants (FTE)21.79
Support staff (FTE)66.06
Teachers in census year (FTE)2024/2589.2
Teachers who stayed (FTE)2024/2577.8
Teachers who moved to another state school (FTE)2024/254
Teachers who left state schools (FTE)2024/257.4

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.243
Applications (Year 7)Includes every preference parents listed.1,509
First preference applications (Year 7)Families who put this school as their first choice.445
First preference offers (Year 7)First-choice applicants who were offered a place.226
Applications from another local authority (Year 7)72

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 schoolEnfieldEngland
Overall absence4.7%, better than England, better than Enfield6.9%8%
Persistent absencePupils missing 10% or more of sessions.9%, better than England, better than Enfield20.1%21.6%
Severe absencePupils missing 50% or more of sessions.0.6%, better than England, better than Enfield1.9%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 rate4.6%
Pupils with one or more suspensions4%
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.95.8%
Staying in educationSixth form, college or further education.94.5%
School sixth form69.2%
Further education18.6%
Sixth form college5.9%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.2.1%
Employment0.8%
Apprenticeship0.4%

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

Destinations after A-levels

2023/24

Where students went after 16 to 18 study, sustained for at least two terms.

MeasureThis school
Sustained destinationIn education, an apprenticeship or work for at least two terms.90.5%
Higher education67.6%
Employment12.8%
Not sustainedDid not stay in education, an apprenticeship or work for two terms.7.4%
Apprenticeship4.7%
Further education2.7%

Source: DfE, 16 to 18 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 Highlands School
DistancePhaseNameTypeRatingLinks
0.1 miPrimaryGrange Park Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.2 miPrimaryMerryhills Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Good
0.4 miPrimaryEversley Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
0.8 miNot applicableGrange Park Preparatory SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
0.9 miNot applicableKeble Preparatory SchoolOther independent school
Unrated
1.0 miPrimarySt Paul's CofE Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school
Good
1.1 miPrimaryWolfson Hillel Primary SchoolAcademy converter
Outstanding
1.1 miPrimaryChase Side Primary SchoolCommunity school
Good
1.1 miSecondaryEnfield Grammar SchoolAcademy converter
Good
1.1 miSecondaryEnfield County School for GirlsCommunity school
Good

Frequently asked questions about Highlands School

What is Highlands School's Ofsted rating?

Highlands School is rated Outstanding, last inspected on 5 Nov 2024. Recent Ofsted inspections have no single overall grade, so Area360 summarises the inspection grades.

How does Highlands School rank in England?

Highlands School ranks 502 of 3,312 schools in England for GCSE 2025/26 (better than 84% of schools) and 786 of 2,536 schools in England for A-level 2024/25 (better than 69% of schools).

What are Highlands School's GCSE results?

In 2025/26, 64.4% of pupils at Highlands School got grade 5 or above in English and maths (England 46.3%). The Attainment 8 score was 54.9 (England 46.2).

What are Highlands School's A-level results?

In 2024/25, the average A-level grade at Highlands School was B-, and 10.2% of students got AAB or better (England 17.5%).

How hard is it to get into Highlands School?

For Year 7 entry in 2026/27, Highlands School made 243 offers from 1,509 applications (6.2 per offer), and 226 of 445 first-preference applicants got a place. Applications include every preference parents listed.

How many pupils attend Highlands School?

Highlands School has 1,694 pupils aged 11 to 18.

What is the capacity of Highlands School?

Highlands School had 1,462 school places in 2024/25.

Does Highlands School have a sixth form?

Yes, Highlands School has a sixth form with 262 places in 2024/25.

How big are classes at Highlands School?

At Highlands School, the average class had 24.7 pupils in 2025/26, and there were 19.8 pupils per teacher.

What is attendance like at Highlands School?

In 2025/26, pupils at Highlands School missed 4.7% of sessions (England 8%), and 9% 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.