City of London Academy, Highgate Hill
Holland Walk, Duncombe Road, Archway, London, N19 3EU
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- CITY OF LONDON ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Prince Gennuh
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- City of London Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Islington North
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 900
- Pupils on roll
- 641
- URN
- 143659
- Local authority
- Islington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02072813536
About this school
City of London Academy, Highgate Hill is a secondary academy in London. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 641 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected City of London Academy, Highgate Hill, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 129 | 112 | 115 |
| Attainment 8 score | 42.4 | 45.5 | 40.3 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.22 -0.47 to +0.03 | +0.12 -0.15 to +0.39 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 39% | 45.5% | 33% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 60% | 64.3% | 57.4% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 77% | 50% | 44.3% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 3.8 | 4.2 | 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 City of London Academy, Highgate Hill 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 | 42.4 | 44.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 45.5 | 46.5 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 40.3 | 45.5 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 675 |
| 2023/24 | 662 |
| 2024/25 | 642 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How City of London Academy, Highgate Hill compares
City of London Academy, Highgate Hill ranked 7th of 8 secondary schools in Islington for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 40.3 | 7.3% | 64.6% | 641 | — |
| St Aloysius' College | — | — | — | 341 | 0.4 miles |
| Arts and Media School Islington | 38.3 | 14.9% | 66.4% | 577 | 0.6 miles |
| Acland Burghley School | 49.9 | 8.8% | 42.8% | 1,252 | 0.9 miles |
| Highgate Wood Secondary School | 56.3 | 5.2% | 25.6% | 1,524 | 0.9 miles |
| Lift Beacon High | — | — | — | 414 | 1.0 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)
- 64.61%
- English as an additional language
- 42.2%
- Overall absence
- 7.34%
- Persistent absence
- 17.79%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Aloysius' College0.4 miles
Secondary · London
-
Arts and Media School Islington0.6 miles
Secondary · London
-
Acland Burghley School0.9 miles
Secondary · London
-
Highgate Wood Secondary School0.9 miles
Secondary · London
-
Lift Beacon High1.0 miles
Secondary · London
Other schools in London
City of London Academy, Highgate Hill ranks 236th 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 ages does City of London Academy, Highgate Hill teach?
- City of London Academy, Highgate Hill teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of City of London Academy, Highgate Hill?
- The headteacher of City of London Academy, Highgate Hill is Mr Prince Gennuh, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has City of London Academy, Highgate Hill been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected City of London Academy, Highgate Hill, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at City of London Academy, Highgate Hill?
- City of London Academy, Highgate Hill has 641 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is City of London Academy, Highgate Hill full?
- City of London Academy, Highgate Hill has capacity for 900 pupils and 641 on roll (71%), 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 City of London Academy, Highgate Hill a faith school?
- No. City of London Academy, Highgate Hill has no designated religious character.
- Is City of London Academy, Highgate Hill a selective school?
- No. City of London Academy, Highgate Hill is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Is City of London Academy, Highgate Hill part of an academy trust?
- City of London Academy, Highgate Hill is part of CITY OF LONDON ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have City of London Academy, Highgate Hill's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 42.4 in 2022/23 and 40.3 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does City of London Academy, Highgate Hill compare with other schools in Islington?
- City of London Academy, Highgate Hill ranked 7th of 8 secondary schools in Islington for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 39% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 22% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is City of London Academy, Highgate Hill's absence rate?
- City of London Academy, Highgate Hill's overall absence rate is 7.3% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are City of London Academy, Highgate Hill's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, City of London Academy, Highgate Hill'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 10 July 2026.