The Courtyard Islington
Holloway Road, Islington, London, N7 8LT
- Phase
- Free Schools
- School type
- Free schools special
- Ages
- 13 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE COURTYARD ISLINGTON
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Deborah Shepherd
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- Diocese of London
- SEN provision
- SLCN - Speech, language and Communication, ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Islington South and Finsbury
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 72
- Pupils on roll
- 76
- URN
- 139418
- Local authority
- Islington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02038596350
About this school
The Courtyard Islington is a special academy in London. It teaches children aged 13 to 19 and has 76 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 February 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 19 | 10 | 14 |
| Attainment 8 score | 1.3 | 0.7 | 2.0 |
| Progress 8 score | -2.18 -2.87 to -1.48 | -3.20 -4.08 to -2.32 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How The Courtyard Islington 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 | 1.3 | 44.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 0.7 | 46.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 2 | 45.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 13.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 19.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 55 |
| 2023/24 | 67 |
| 2024/25 | 68 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 65.52%
- English as an additional language
- 19.1%
- Overall absence
- 19.09%
- Persistent absence
- 50%
Location
Nearby schools
-
London Scandinavian School0.1 miles
Independent schools · London
-
New River College Secondary0.2 miles
Local authority maintained schools · London
-
London Metropolitan University0.3 miles
Universities · London
-
Samuel Rhodes MLD School0.4 miles
Special schools · London
-
North Bridge House Senior Canonbury School0.5 miles
Independent schools
Other schools in London
- Abbey Manor College Local authority maintained schools
- Abingdon House School Special schools
- Ambitious College Other types
- Area 51 Education Ltd Other types
- Beatrice Tate School Special schools
- Beckmead College Academies
- Belmont Park School Special schools
- Beormund Primary School Special schools
- BeyondAutism Post-19 Other types
- Blanche Nevile School Special schools
- Blossom Rose School Special schools
- Brent Knoll School Special schools
Common questions
- What year groups does The Courtyard Islington teach?
- The Courtyard Islington teaches children aged 13 to 19. It is a special school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of The Courtyard Islington?
- The headteacher of The Courtyard Islington is Headteacher Deborah Shepherd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was The Courtyard Islington last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Courtyard Islington, 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 The Courtyard Islington?
- The Courtyard Islington has 76 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 13 to 19.
- Is The Courtyard Islington full?
- The Courtyard Islington has capacity for 72 pupils and 76 on roll (106%), so it is at or above 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 The Courtyard Islington a faith school?
- No. The Courtyard Islington has no designated religious character.
- Who runs The Courtyard Islington?
- The Courtyard Islington is part of THE COURTYARD ISLINGTON. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does The Courtyard Islington have?
- The schools register lists The Courtyard Islington's special educational needs provision as: SLCN - Speech, language and Communication; ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have The Courtyard Islington's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 1.3 in 2022/23 and 2 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is The Courtyard Islington's absence rate?
- The Courtyard Islington's overall absence rate is 19.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are The Courtyard Islington's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, The Courtyard Islington'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 1 July 2026.