Paddington Academy

About Paddington Academy

Paddington Academy, a mixed secondary school in Westminster for pupils aged 11 to 18, has been rated Outstanding in its most recent Ofsted inspection, a grade it has held consistently across both its 2011 and 2023 inspections. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of 0.85, which places it well above the national average. This means that, on average, pupils at Paddington Academy achieve nearly a grade more per subject across eight GCSEs than students with similar starting points nationally. The school ranks third out of 11 secondary schools in Westminster on this measure, and 154th out of over 3,100 schools nationally, putting it in the top five percent of schools across the country. Its Attainment 8 score of 58 further underscores strong raw results, while 88.5 percent of pupils achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths.

The school’s strong academic performance extends into the sixth form, where students achieved an average of 41.32 points per entry, equivalent to a B grade, and a best three A-levels grade of B. The sixth form provision was also rated Outstanding by Ofsted. A high proportion of pupils, 77.6 percent, entered the English Baccalaureate, and 64.5 percent achieved a grade 4 or above in it. The school’s Progress 8 score is significantly above the Westminster local authority average of 0.51, and it sits just behind top-performing peers like Ark King Solomon Academy and The Grey Coat Hospital. The school’s Progress 8 banding is described as “well above average,” with particularly strong progress in maths, where the score reaches 0.98.

Paddington Academy is oversubscribed, with 717 applications for 174 places in the 2025/26 academic year, and 286 first-preference applications for 161 offers. The school serves a diverse community, with 49.8 percent of pupils eligible for free school meals, well above the national average. Facilities include a swimming pool, astro turf, tennis courts, a theatre, and a sixth form centre, alongside a chapel reflecting its Christian character. The school offers a wide range of sports and clubs, including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model UN, and coding. Its SEND provisions cover autistic spectrum disorder, dyslexia, and speech and language needs, among others. This is a school that suits families seeking a high-performing, inclusive state secondary with a strong academic track record and a broad extracurricular offer, particularly those within commuting distance of central London.

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