South Bank University Academy
Trafalgar Street, London, SE17 2TP
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 11 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- SOUTH BANK ACADEMIES
- Principal
- Mrs Annette Moses
- Sponsor
- London South Bank University
- Constituency
- Peckham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 405
- URN
- 140221
- Local authority
- Southwark
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02072773000
About this school
South Bank University Academy is a secondary academy in London. It teaches children aged 11 to 19 and has 405 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 9 June 2022, 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 | 123 | 120 | 112 |
| Attainment 8 score | 42.1 | 44.4 | 41.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.26 -0.53 to 0.00 | -0.16 -0.42 to +0.10 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 34% | 37.5% | 38.4% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 52% | 59.2% | 60.7% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 12% | 23.3% | 19.6% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.4 | 3.8 | 3.6 |
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 South Bank University Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Southwark average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 42.1 | 48.1 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.4 | 45.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 41.5 | 44 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 12% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 10.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 10.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 654 |
| 2023/24 | 569 |
| 2024/25 | 491 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How South Bank University Academy compares
South Bank University Academy ranked 18th of 20 secondary schools in Southwark for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 44% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 41.5 | 10.6% | 55.3% | 405 | — |
| Ark Walworth Academy | 43.3 | 6.9% | 72.2% | 973 | 0.4 miles |
| St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School | 52.7 | 7.5% | 54.8% | 620 | 0.4 miles |
| Ark All Saints Academy | 45.2 | 5% | 63.7% | 568 | 0.8 miles |
| Harris Academy Bermondsey | 54.6 | 6.5% | 58.2% | 781 | 0.9 miles |
| Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School | 42.8 | 8.6% | 53.7% | 354 | 0.9 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)
- 55.33%
- English as an additional language
- 40.3%
- Overall absence
- 10.61%
- Persistent absence
- 35.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ark Walworth Academy0.4 miles
Secondary · London
-
St Saviour's and St Olave's Church of England School0.4 miles
Secondary · London
-
Ark All Saints Academy0.8 miles
Secondary · London
-
Harris Academy Bermondsey0.9 miles
Secondary · London
-
Notre Dame Catholic Girls' School0.9 miles
Secondary · London
Other schools in London
South Bank University Academy ranks 227th of the 258 ranked secondary schools in London.
- Acland Burghley School Secondary
- Ada Lovelace Church of England High School Secondary
- Addey and Stanhope School Secondary
- AIM Academy North London Secondary
- Alexandra Park School Secondary
- All Saints Catholic College Secondary
- All Saints Catholic High School Secondary
- Ark Acton Academy Secondary
- Ark All Saints Academy Secondary
- Ark Bolingbroke Academy Secondary
- Ark Burlington Danes Academy Secondary
- Ark Elvin Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does South Bank University Academy teach?
- South Bank University Academy teaches children aged 11 to 19. It is a secondary school in London.
- Who is the principal of South Bank University Academy?
- The principal of South Bank University Academy is Mrs Annette Moses, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was South Bank University Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected South Bank University Academy, 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 South Bank University Academy?
- South Bank University Academy has 405 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 19.
- Is South Bank University Academy full?
- South Bank University Academy has capacity for 900 pupils and 405 on roll (45%), 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 South Bank University Academy a faith school?
- No. South Bank University Academy has no designated religious character.
- Who runs South Bank University Academy?
- South Bank University Academy is part of SOUTH BANK ACADEMIES. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have South Bank University Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 42.1 in 2022/23 and 41.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does South Bank University Academy rank locally?
- South Bank University Academy ranked 18th of 20 secondary schools in Southwark for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 44% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 6% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is South Bank University Academy's absence rate?
- South Bank University Academy's overall absence rate is 10.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are South Bank University Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, South Bank University Academy'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.