Olga Primary School

About Olga Primary School

Olga Primary School sits in Tower Hamlets, a borough where the average proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at Key Stage 2 is 71 per cent. Olga’s figure of 61 per cent is ten points below that LA average, and the school ranks 50th out of 58 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the bottom half locally. That said, the school’s Progress 8 scores for reading, writing and maths are not available in the data, so it is hard to say whether pupils are making typical progress from their starting points. The school is oversubscribed — 191 families applied for 60 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, with 75 putting it as their first preference and 57 receiving offers — which suggests it remains a popular choice despite the headline results. Olga is a state primary for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with a nursery on site, and has a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in 2016 and an ungraded inspection in 2021 that confirmed it remains Good.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 66 per cent of pupils met the expected standard in maths, 61 per cent in reading and 70 per cent in writing. At the higher standard, 25 per cent achieved in maths, 29 per cent in reading and 16 per cent in writing, while 13 per cent reached the higher bar across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 104 in both reading and maths. These figures are a mixed bag — writing is a relative strength, but reading and maths are below the national average. The school’s Ofsted report from 2016 rated overall effectiveness as Good, with leadership and management and early years provision also Good. The previous inspection in 2014 had rated the school as Requires Improvement, so the improvement to Good is a clear step forward. The school has a large roll of 537 pupils, slightly above its capacity of 530, and 34.3 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is above the national average and reflects the local demographic.

Olga Primary School offers a broad range of facilities including a library, playing fields, music rooms, a gymnasium, sports hall, sensory room, outdoor playground, forest school and even a chapel. Sports on offer include tennis, football, dance and netball, and there are clubs such as film club, drama, choir and eco club. The school’s SEND provision is extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, hearing and visual impairments, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. This makes it a potentially strong fit for families whose children have identified additional needs. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary school is Old Ford Primary - A Paradigm Academy, 0.4 km away, which may be worth considering for families who prioritise that top grade. Overall, Olga is a well-subscribed, Good-rated community school with solid facilities and a broad SEND offer, but its academic outcomes are below the local average and it sits in the bottom half of Tower Hamlets primaries.

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