City Lit

About City Lit

City Lit, a state secondary in Camden for students aged 16 to 99, received a Requires Improvement rating from Ofsted in its most recent graded inspection in March 2023. The school’s overall effectiveness score of 3 masks a more nuanced picture: inspectors rated personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management all as Good. The most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of -0.47, which places it in the ‘Below average’ banding nationally. This means that, on average, pupils achieved nearly half a grade less per subject than students with similar starting points across England. Within Camden, City Lit ranks 11th out of 12 schools on this measure, and its score sits below the local authority average Progress 8 of -0.32. The school’s Attainment 8 score of 34.7 is also modest, and only 27.2% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths.

At Key Stage 4, the school’s EBacc average point score is 3.1, and just 8.6% of pupils entered the EBacc combination of subjects and achieved a grade 5 or higher. The Progress 8 breakdown shows that the weakest area is the open element (which includes subjects like arts and vocational qualifications), with a score of -0.77, while English is the strongest at -0.22. Maths Progress 8 is -0.6, and the EBacc element is -0.34. The school does not have a formal sixth form, so students typically move on elsewhere after Year 11. Compared with its local peers, City Lit sits well behind Camden School for Girls (Progress 8 of 0.62) and Parliament Hill School (0.5), but it is worth noting that the school serves a significantly disadvantaged intake: 58.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, the highest proportion in the data.

City Lit is heavily oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, it received 246 applications for just 53 places, a ratio of 4.64 applicants per place, with 29 first-preference offers made. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, astro turf, science labs, art studios, music rooms, and a sixth form centre despite not operating a sixth form itself. Sports on offer include netball, swimming, martial arts, football, athletics, and gymnastics, while clubs range from debate and drama to gardening, DofE, orchestra, and a newspaper club. The SEND provision is extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate to severe learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, and social, emotional and mental health support. This school is best suited to families in Camden who value a genuinely inclusive, well-resourced environment and are comfortable with a school that is still working on improving academic outcomes.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About City Lit

Helpful Guides for Parents