Gainsborough Primary School

About Gainsborough Primary School

Gainsborough Primary School sits within the Hackney local authority, a London borough with 51 primary schools, 21 of which hold an Outstanding Ofsted rating. The school itself ranks 38th out of 49 primaries in Hackney on the key stage two expected standard measure, placing it in the bottom quarter of its local authority. For context, the top-performing peers in the area are Simon Marks Jewish Primary School, Southwold Primary School, and Grazebrook Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same ranking metric. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Mossbourne Riverside Academy, just 0.3 kilometres away. Gainsborough is a state-funded, mixed primary for children aged 0 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. It has no religious character and is led by headteacher Jenna Clark. The school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 academic year, receiving 67 applications for 28 places, with 25 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.39.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in June 2023, Gainsborough Primary School was rated Good overall, a rating it has held consistently across both its recent inspections. Every inspected category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — was judged Good. At key stage two, 68% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined, which is below the Hackney local authority average of 74%. The school’s average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 102 in maths. A higher standard was reached by 27% of pupils in reading, 27% in maths, and 23% in writing, while 18% achieved the higher benchmark across all three subjects. Nationally, the school ranks in the 35th percentile among all primaries, and in London it sits in the 55th percentile. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to assess how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school offers a broad set of facilities including a library, forest school, outdoor playground, ICT suite, sensory room, playing fields, music rooms, and a dining hall. Sports on offer include athletics, gymnastics, dance, cricket, and football, while clubs include eco club, coding, and gardening. For children with additional needs, the school provides for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder, and it has a resourced provision. With 47.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage. Its capacity is 320, and it currently has 310 pupils enrolled. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-equipped local primary with nursery provision, a strong SEND offer, and a Good Ofsted rating, though those prioritising top academic outcomes may want to consider higher-ranked peers in the borough.

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