OFSTED
6 May 2026
Latest inspection
Latest published outcome
Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding
Met
Inclusion
Expected standard
Curriculum & teaching
Expected standard
Achievement
Expected standard
Attendance & behaviour
Needs attention
Personal development
Expected standard
Leadership & governance
Expected standard
INSPECTION HISTORY
Previous Ofsted activity
9 June 2022
Ungraded inspection
School remains Good
Published
8 August 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Secondary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Southwark
Trust
SOUTH BANK ACADEMIES
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
405
405 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
153
37.8% of pupils
Male pupils
252
62.2% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
23.6 pts
above England
School
48.4%
Southwark
35.7%
London
26.3%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
19.0 pts
above England
School
39.3%
Southwark
27.8%
London
39.2%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Southwark
0.3%
London
0.5%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
African
34.8%
141
Any other White background
11.4%
46
Any other ethnic group
10.9%
44
Caribbean
9.4%
38
Any other Mixed background
8.9%
36
Any other Black background
6.7%
27
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
15.1%
61 of
405 pupils
5.8 pts
below England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
3.4 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.3 pts
below
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 4 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
ATTAINMENT 8
Average attainment score
41.5
2.3 pts
above England
Latest published: -0.16 · 2023/24
Comparisons are averages of published school-level results for open schools. They are not pupil-weighted official local authority attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
10.61%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
4.39 pts
higher than
England
School
10.61%
Southwark
6.56%
London
6.38%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
35.18%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
19.36 pts
higher than
England
School
35.18%
Southwark
18.21%
London
17.60%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
3.61%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
1.81 pts
higher than
England
School
3.61%
Southwark
2.04%
London
1.67%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open secondary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
45.0%
47.3 pts
below England
South Bank University Academy
45.0%
Southwark
88.8%
London
91.3%
England
92.3%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.