Grinling Gibbons Primary School

About Grinling Gibbons Primary School

Grinling Gibbons Primary School is a state-funded, mixed primary school in the London borough of Lewisham, serving children aged 3 to 11. It sits within a competitive local landscape; among the 67 primary schools in the borough, it ranks 32nd by its KS2 expected standard in reading, writing and maths. The top-performing local peers include Haberdashers' Hatcham Free School, St Augustine's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, and Eliot Bank Primary School, all of which score higher on the same ranking metric. The nearest school rated Outstanding by Ofsted is Haberdashers' Hatcham Free School, about 1.8 km away. Grinling Gibbons itself holds a Good rating from its most recent inspection in 2022, with two areas judged Outstanding: personal development, and behaviour and attitudes. The school has a nursery provision and a capacity of 235 pupils, with 222 currently enrolled, and is oversubscribed for Reception places in the 2025/26 admissions round.

Academically, Grinling Gibbons performs broadly in line with the Lewisham average. In the 2023/24 KS2 assessments, 64% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, matching the local authority average of 64%. However, the proportion achieving the higher standard in all three subjects was just 4%, which is low. In individual subjects, maths was a relative strength: 89% of pupils met the expected standard and 25% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 105. Reading and writing were weaker, with 71% and 75% at the expected standard respectively, and only 11% and 7% reaching the higher standard. The school’s reading average scaled score was 103. Nationally, Grinling Gibbons ranks in the 46th percentile, placing it in the middle of the pack. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points.

The school offers a solid range of facilities and enrichment, including playing fields, a sports hall, art studios, a forest school, and a sensory room. Sports provision covers cross country, football, cricket, swimming, gymnastics, rounders and dance, while clubs include science, drama, choir, film and gardening. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, autistic spectrum disorder, hearing impairment, physical disability, and social, emotional and mental health needs. Admissions are competitive: for the 2025/26 Reception intake, there were 72 applications for 29 places, with all 29 first-preference applicants receiving offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.48. This is a school that suits families looking for a Good-rated, inclusive primary with strong behaviour and personal development, a nursery on site, and a wide extracurricular offer, particularly in sports and the arts.

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