Phoenix Academy

About Phoenix Academy

Phoenix Academy holds an Ofsted Outstanding rating, confirmed by an ungraded inspection in 2024, but its academic outcomes tell a more complicated story. The school’s Progress 8 score for the 2023/24 academic year was -1.6, which the Department for Education bands as well below average. To put that in context, the average Progress 8 score across all secondary schools in Hammersmith and Fulham was +0.35, meaning Phoenix pupils achieved nearly two grades less per subject than similar students nationally, while their local peers comfortably exceeded the national average. The school ranked 11th out of 11 state secondaries in the borough on this metric, placing it in the bottom 1% nationally. Attainment 8, which measures absolute GCSE performance, stood at just 0.4 — effectively zero — and no pupils entered the English Baccalaureate suite of qualifications. These figures suggest the school serves a cohort with exceptionally low starting points, but the gap between its Outstanding label and its exam results is striking.

The Ofsted breakdown shows the school has held an Outstanding rating since at least its previous graded inspection in 2013, when leadership and management were also judged Outstanding. However, the most recent 2024 inspection was ungraded, meaning inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding without reassessing individual categories like quality of education or behaviour. The school’s Progress 8 score of -1.6 is the lowest in the local authority, and its ranking within London places it 484th out of 487 schools. The local authority average Progress 8 of 0.35 highlights how far Phoenix lags behind its neighbours. For context, the top-performing state school in the borough, West London Free School, achieved a Progress 8 score of 0.96. Phoenix’s own subject breakdown shows particularly weak results in English (Progress 8 of -1.98) and open subjects (-1.83), with maths slightly less negative at -1.1. The school’s EBacc average point score was just 0.04.

Phoenix Academy is a mixed secondary and sixth form with 538 pupils on roll, exceeding its official capacity of 500. It serves a highly disadvantaged intake — 60.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, far above the national average. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a swimming pool, sports hall, tennis courts, astro turf, music rooms, and a dedicated sixth form centre. Sports provision is extensive, with rowing, gymnastics, dance, and hockey among the options, and there are over a dozen clubs including the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, Model UN, and Young Enterprise. SEND support covers specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate to profound learning difficulties, and social, emotional and mental health needs. The school is oversubscribed in terms of capacity, which may reflect local demand for its inclusive ethos rather than academic selectivity. For families prioritising strong exam results, the data suggests this is not the right fit; but for those whose children need a supportive environment with broad enrichment opportunities, Phoenix may still be worth a visit.

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