Duncombe Primary School
Sussex Way, Islington, London, N19 4JA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Martha Braithwaite
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Islington North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 480
- Pupils on roll
- 378
- URN
- 100403
- Local authority
- Islington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02072725620
About this school
Duncombe Primary School is a community primary school in London. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 378 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 48 | 46 | 52 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 83% | 79% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 9% | 8% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 87% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 93% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 76% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 110.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Duncombe Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Islington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52% | 63% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 83% | 64.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 79% | 63.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 389 |
| 2023/24 | 357 |
| 2024/25 | 438 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Duncombe Primary School compares
Duncombe Primary School ranked 11th of 40 primary schools in Islington for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 79% | 7.1% | 68.4% | 378 | — |
| St Mark's CofE Primary School | 75% | 6.1% | 60.5% | 231 | 0.2 miles |
| Christ The King Catholic Primary School | 39% | 7.9% | 62.5% | 240 | 0.4 miles |
| Ashmount Primary School | 61% | 7.4% | 42.6% | 390 | 0.5 miles |
| Yerbury Primary School | 74% | 4.3% | 16.8% | 453 | 0.5 miles |
| St John's Upper Holloway CofE Primary School | 58% | 6% | 53.4% | 206 | 0.5 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 68.38%
- English as an additional language
- 68.3%
- Overall absence
- 7.11%
- Persistent absence
- 22.34%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mark's CofE Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · London
-
Christ The King Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · London
-
Ashmount Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · London
-
Yerbury Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · London
-
St John's Upper Holloway CofE Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · London
Other schools in London
Duncombe Primary School ranks 308th of the 948 ranked primary schools in London.
- Abacus Belsize Primary School Primary
- Acton Gardens Primary School Primary
- Adamsrill Primary School Primary
- Addison Primary School Primary
- Ainslie Wood Primary School Primary
- Akiva School Primary
- Albemarle Primary School Primary
- Albion Primary School Primary
- Alderbrook Primary School Primary
- Aldersbrook Primary School Primary
- Alderwood Primary School Primary
- Alexander McLeod Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Duncombe Primary School teach?
- Duncombe Primary School teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of Duncombe Primary School?
- The headteacher of Duncombe Primary School is Ms Martha Braithwaite, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Duncombe Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Duncombe Primary School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Duncombe Primary School?
- Duncombe Primary School has 378 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Duncombe Primary School full?
- Duncombe Primary School has capacity for 480 pupils and 378 on roll (79%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Duncombe Primary School a faith school?
- No. Duncombe Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Duncombe Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Duncombe Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Duncombe Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 79% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Duncombe Primary School rank locally?
- Duncombe Primary School ranked 11th of 40 primary schools in Islington for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 86% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Duncombe Primary School's absence rate?
- Duncombe Primary School's overall absence rate is 7.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Duncombe Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Duncombe Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.