Paddington Academy

School overview

Paddington Academy is a secondary school serving London, Westminster, classified by the DfE as a sponsor-led academy with a Christian religious character. It has 1,259 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. At its most recent graded inspection, Ofsted rated Paddington Academy 'Outstanding'. In the most recent GCSE results, pupils achieved an average Attainment 8 score of 61.6, well above the national average of 46. That marks an improvement of 3.6 points in its Attainment 8 score on the previous year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it among the top 7% of secondary schools in England.

77% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, well above the national average of about 45%. 86% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Competition for places is real here - 54% of first-choice applicants were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026 (296 first choices for 174 places). The council's own allocation figures show the last child offered a place for 2026 lived 0.52 miles away in a straight line — that distance is not a fixed catchment and moves each year. After Year 11, 90% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 6.1%. There are about 12.9 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 51% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.