Princess May Primary School

About Princess May Primary School

Princess May Primary School is a state primary in Hackney that clearly commands strong local demand. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 75 applications for just 23 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.26 — meaning more than three families applied for every spot. Only 11 of those applicants listed it as their first preference, and all 11 were offered places, which suggests that while the school is popular, it is not yet the top choice for every family in the area. The school has a nursery provision, so children can join from age three, and the headteacher is Kevin Reynolds. With 210 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is operating at exactly half its potential size, which may reflect the broader demographic trends in Hackney or the school’s own admission history.

Academically, Princess May performs well above the local average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Hackney average of 74%. That puts the school 4th out of 49 primaries in the borough, and in the top 5% nationally. The school also excels at the higher standard: 20% of pupils achieved that level across all three subjects, while 53% did so in reading and 50% in maths. Average scaled scores were 109 in both reading and maths, comfortably above the national benchmark of 100. Ofsted rated the school Good in its most recent graded inspection in April 2023, with all five categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — each judged Good.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an art studio, library, sensory room, playing fields and a chapel. Sports provision covers rounders, cross country, football and dance, while clubs include chess, art club and choir. For children with additional needs, the school has designated provisions for specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech, language and communication needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is Shacklewell Primary School, just 0.3 km away, so families in the immediate area have a strong local alternative. Princess May suits families who want a well-regarded, Good-rated primary with strong academic outcomes, a broad set of clubs and sports, and a clear focus on supporting children with SEND — all within a school that is popular but still accessible for first-preference applicants.

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