Academy sponsor led

The Excelsior Academy

Mixed · ages 11–18 · with sixth formHackney, London · London E8 2EYTrust: Community Schools TrustSchool website
Pupils on roll
983of 1,080 places
Free school meals
64.7%
Year 11 cohort 2025
177
Ofsted
Good, 6 February 2024Read the Ofsted report
What the data says

Of the 173 pupils who finished Year 11 at The Excelsior Academy in 2023, 46% stayed on in The Excelsior Academy’s own sixth form (Hackney average 53%), 36% went to a further education college and 1% started an apprenticeship.

Among the 67 students who left the sixth form in 2023, 75% went to university (Hackney 53%, England 37%), and 24% of level 3 students progressed to one of the most selective universities, against 19% nationally.

Religious Studies is unusually popular at GCSE: 97% of the year group took it, against 31% of pupils across England.

GCSE results in 2025 were in line with the national picture: Attainment 8 of 44.7 against 46.1 across England and 50.5 in Hackney, with 40% of pupils getting grade 5 or above in both English and maths (England 45%).

Where pupils went after Year 11

Destinations of the 2023 Year 11 leavers, measured the following year: the share in a sustained place for at least two terms. Compared with all state-funded schools in Hackney and England.

The Excelsior Academy
Hackney
England
School sixth formSixth form collegeFurther education collegeOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureThe Excelsior AcademyHackneyEngland
Pupils in the cohort1732,449607,348
Any sustained destination93%92%92%
Stayed in education91%91%86%
— school sixth form46%53%34%
— sixth form college8%10%13%
— further education college36%26%37%
— other education1%2%2%
Apprenticeship1%1%3%
Employment1%1%3%
No sustained destination4%5%6%
Destination unknown3%4%3%

Where students went after sixth form

Destinations of students who finished 16–18 study in 2023, measured the following year.

The Excelsior Academy
Hackney
England
University (higher education)Further educationOther educationApprenticeshipEmploymentNo sustained destination
MeasureThe Excelsior AcademyHackneyEngland
Students in the cohort671,616541,441
Any sustained destination85%79%79%
University (higher education)75%53%37%
— most selective universities (top third), of level 3 students24%27%19%
Further education3%5%5%
Apprenticeship3%3%7%
Employment4%14%28%
No sustained destination10%14%16%

GCSE results 2025

MeasureThe Excelsior AcademyHackneyEngland
Attainment 8 (average points per pupil)44.750.546.1
Grade 5 or above in English and maths40%49%45%
Grade 4 or above in English and maths61%70%65%
Entered the English Baccalaureate subjects86%61%41%
EBacc average point score4.114.614.09
Disadvantaged pupils in the cohort59%54%28%
Attainment 8 — disadvantaged pupils43.345.034.9
Attainment 8 — other pupils46.956.950.4
Pupils with high prior attainment (Key Stage 2)
English as an additional language51%42%19%

Progress 8 is not available for 2025 and 2026: these cohorts had no Key Stage 2 tests in 2020 and 2021, so there is no baseline. Attainment 8 shows results without taking pupils’ starting points into account.

Subjects taken at GCSE

Entries in 2025 as a share of the Year 11 cohort, and the share of entries graded 7–9 and 4–9, compared with all entries in England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEnglandGrades 7–9EnglandGrades 4–9
English Language17699%89%17%20%69%
Mathematics17699%88%15%22%63%
English Literature17297%86%27%21%74%
Religious Studies17197%31%23%32%63%
Combined Science14582%65%6%9%55%
Spanish9151%19%8%27%31%
History8850%41%18%26%47%
Geography7442%41%12%25%61%
Chinese3218%1%28%75%53%
Business Studies2715%18%4%20%59%
Physics2715%23%67%46%96%
Chemistry2715%23%56%47%96%
Biology2715%23%59%45%93%
Computer Science2615%13%38%30%58%
Sociology2414%4%38%21%63%
Psychology2414%3%25%22%71%
Arabic1710%1%18%47%35%
Art and Design137%7%15%24%62%
Turkish127%0%42%71%100%
Polish21%1%84%
Music21%5%33%
Portuguese21%0%50%
Statistics21%5%20%
Urdu21%1%42%
German11%5%33%
French11%18%29%

Technical awards and other Key Stage 4 qualifications

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Sports Studies2281%
Health Studies1867%

A levels and other level 3 courses

MeasureThe Excelsior AcademyHackneyEngland
Students at the end of 16–18 study144
— of whom A level students271,016261,341
Average A level gradeBB-B-
Average points per A level entry38.5836.7635.00
Average grade, best 3 A levelsBB-B-
AAB or better with two facilitating subjects28%18%18%
Average grade, applied general courses
Average grade, T levels

A level subjects

Entries as a share of A level students, compared with the share across England.

SubjectEntriesShare of cohortEngland
Economics1556%13%
Mathematics1452%31%
Biology830%20%
Psychology622%23%
English Literature11%
Politics6%
History13%
Further Mathematics5%
Physics12%
Religious Studies4%
Sociology13%
Chemistry17%

Applied, technical and other level 3 courses

SubjectQualificationEntriesShare of cohortEngland
BiologyGCE AS level (All)830%
Health StudiesBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*726%
Computer Appreciation / IntroductionBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*726%
Business StudiesBTEC National Extended Diploma L3 - Band N - PPP-D*D*D*
ChemistryGCE AS level (All)
PhysicsGCE AS level (All)
Mathematical StudiesCore Maths Qualifications at Level 3

Other secondary schools in Hackney

Clapton Girls' Academy

Academy converter · sixth form · 1,169 pupils

92% stayed in education · Attainment 8 59.4

Haggerston School

Academy converter · sixth form · 939 pupils

89% stayed in education · Attainment 8 52.7

Sources: Department for Education school and college performance tables 2024/2025 (Key Stage 4 and 16–18 results, subject entries, destination measures for 2023 leavers); Get Information About Schools register as at 19 September 2026; Ofsted management information as at 31 August 2026. Small numbers are suppressed by DfE and shown as “—”. How to read these figures.