Islington
Central Foundation Boys' School
GCSE results 2026: every Islington school ranked · how England did
Dependable results for a comprehensive intake; the journey is the main thing to weigh.
What the data says
Published data, read plainly. It tells you what to check next; it does not guarantee a place or replace your local authority’s admissions guidance.
Attainment 8 of 55.5 is well above the national average of around 46. This reflects strong GCSE outcomes across the standard subject basket.
- 55.5
- Attainment 8
- 65%
- 5+ Eng & Maths
- 2025/2026
- Academic year
Pupils made above-average progress compared with similar pupils nationally. The confidence interval is entirely above zero, which is strong evidence of added value.
- +0.56
- Progress 8
- [0.34, 0.78]
- Confidence interval
Admissions realism depends on your home postcode and the school's published allocation data. Enter your postcode on this page to get a more specific assessment, and always verify the latest policy on the school's official admissions page.
What to do next
- Verify the school's official admissions policy
- Book an open day or school visit
- Add this school to your shortlist and compare with backup options
Starting school in September 2027
- Secondary (Year 7): apply by 31 October 2026; offers on 1 March 2027.
National dates for England. You apply through the council where you live, even for a school in another council.
Admissions and catchment
Year 7 entry · Islington council allocation figures, 2024–2026
Add a postcode to see where you would sit against past cut-offs.
Places are split into 4 bands and each had its own cut-off in 2026, so your chance depends on which band your child is placed in.
Why we say “Depends on band”
- Band 1: the furthest child offered a place lived 2.2 km away (printed 1.337 miles).
- Band 2: the furthest child offered a place lived 2.3 km away (printed 1.428 miles).
- Band 3: the furthest child offered a place lived 2.4 km away (printed 1.499 miles).
- Band 4: the furthest child offered a place lived 2.1 km away (printed 1.312 miles).
What could change this
- Your child’s band comes from the banding test the school or council runs. Ask the school when it takes place.
- We measure a straight line from your postcode centre. The council measures from your home address, sometimes along walking routes, so treat anything near the line with care.
- Cut-offs move every year with the number of applicants and siblings.
- Children with an EHC plan, looked-after children and siblings are usually offered places before distance is used.
- Past allocations never guarantee a place.
Each band has its own cut-off, so there is no single ring to draw. The bars below show every band’s distance.
Last distance offered
Furthest child offered a place, by band, 2026.
Pupils on roll
School census count against building capacity
110% full. Source: Get Information about Schools, 26 September 2026. A full school can still have places in the entry year.
Sources — check them yourself
- 2026 (national offer day): Islington council allocation figures (web page)
- 2025 (national offer day): Islington council allocation figures (web page)
- 2024 (national offer day): Islington council allocation figures (web page)
- Official admissions page: Islington. Use its address checker or booklet to confirm your own position.
Every distance the council printed
| Year | Rule or band | Printed | In km |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Band 1 · distance of last child admitted | 1.337 miles | 2.2 km |
| 2026 | Band 2 · distance of last child admitted | 1.428 miles | 2.3 km |
| 2026 | Band 3 · distance of last child admitted | 1.499 miles | 2.4 km |
| 2026 | Band 4 · distance of last child admitted | 1.312 miles | 2.1 km |
| 2025 | Band 1 · distance of last child admitted | 1.449 miles | 2.3 km |
| 2025 | Band 2 · distance of last child admitted | 1.341 miles | 2.2 km |
| 2025 | Band 3 · distance of last child admitted | 1.328 miles | 2.1 km |
| 2025 | Band 4 · distance of last child admitted | 2.19 miles | 3.5 km |
| 2024 | Band 1 · distance of last child admitted | 1.429 miles | 2.3 km |
| 2024 | Band 2 · distance of last child admitted | 1.677 miles | 2.7 km |
| 2024 | Band 3 · distance of last child admitted | 1.658 miles | 2.7 km |
| 2024 | Band 4 · distance of last child admitted | 3.911 miles | 6.3 km |
Figures collected from council publications on 27 September 2026 and shown as printed, converted to km. Years the council did not publish are left blank. Past allocations never guarantee a place.
Applications and offers
National offer day figures that councils report to the Department for Education. These are counts only: they do not show how far away the last child offered a place lived.
Year 7 entry
| Year of entry | Places offered | Put it first | First choices offered | Applications (any preference) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026 | 173 | 235 | 144 (61%) | 559 |
| September 2025 | 171 | 225 | 142 (63%) | 544 |
| September 2024 | 176 | 191 | 144 (75%) | 519 |
| September 2023 | 172 | 196 | 139 (71%) | 498 |
| September 2022 | 171 | 199 | 142 (71%) | 516 |
Source: Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers, Academic year 2026/27, school-level data, published 18 June 2026. “–” means the figure was not published. The council’s own allocation figures are the official record: check Islington’s admissions page for cut-off distances, the admission rules and this year’s dates.
Performance over time
Attainment 8 over time
Progress 8 over time(not available 2024/25 or 2025/26)
University destinations
Share of this school's sixth-form leavers who went on to Oxford or Cambridge, a Russell Group university, or a university in the top third by entry grades. Department for Education data for state-funded schools and colleges.
| Left sixth form | Students | Oxford or Cambridge | Russell Group | Top-third universities |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021/22 2024-2025 tables | 86 | Not published | Not published | 24% England 19% |
| 2020/21 2023-2024 tables | 93 | Not published | Not published | 31% England 24% |
| 2019/20 2022-2023 tables | 93 | 3% England 1% | 28% England 18% | 33% England 20% |
| 2018/19 2021-2022 tables | 97 | 0% England 1% | 18% England 15% | 24% England 17% |
| 2017/18 2020-2021 tables | 83 | 0% England 1% | 14% England 16% | 22% England 18% |
| 2015/16 2018-2019 tables | 75 | 0% England 1% | 15% England 14% | 25% England 19% |
- The DfE stopped publishing Oxbridge and Russell Group shares for individual schools after the 2022-23 performance tables (students who left in 2019/20). Top-third figures continue.
- Figures are percentages of all students who finished 16 to 18 study at the school, counting those who sustained a university place in the two years after leaving.
- Rankings use the average across years weighted by the number of students; a school needs at least 2 years and 50 students to be ranked. The top-third ranking uses the latest 3 years. Ranks are among state-funded schools and colleges.
- '<0.5%' means above zero but under half a percent. 'Suppressed' means 5 or fewer students.
- Source: Department for Education, 16 to 18 progression to higher education or training (Compare school and college performance, Explore education statistics).
Admissions, open days and sixth form
Tests and forms
Sixth form
SIXTH FORM OPEN EVENING – Thursday 26th November 2026
Source · checked 26 October 2026
Copied from the school's and test organisers' own pages; check them before registering or applying.
Questions parents ask about Central Foundation Boys' School
- How good are Central Foundation Boys' School's GCSE results?
- In 2025/26 (provisional) pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 55.5, against 47.6 across England. 28.1% got grade 7 or above in both English and maths.
- How good are Central Foundation Boys' School's A-level results?
- In 2024/25 students averaged 37.7 points per A-level entry (an average grade of B-). An A* is worth 60 points and an A 50.
- How hard is it to get into Central Foundation Boys' School?
- For September 2026, 235 families put it first for 173 Year 7 places: 1.4 first choices per place, the 89th highest in London.
- How many Central Foundation Boys' School students go to Oxford or Cambridge?
- 0.8% of its sixth-form leavers went to Oxford or Cambridge, and 19.1% to Russell Group universities (2015/16–2019/20), from Department for Education destination data.
Historical results
| Year | Pupils | Att8 | P8 | 5+ E&M | 7+ E&M | EBacc % | EBacc APS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025/2026 (provisional) | 167 | 55.5 | — | 65.3% | 28.1% | — | — |
| 2024/2025 | 170 | 55.2 | — | 68.8% | — | 59.4% | 5.1 |
| 2023/2024 | 163 | 55.3 | +0.56 | 62.0% | — | 61.3% | 5.1 |
| 2022/2023 | 164 | 57.2 | +0.55 | 60.4% | — | 54.3% | 5.3 |
| 2021/2022 | 139 | 61.7 | +0.83 | — | — | 46.0% | 5.6 |
EBacc figures stop at 2024/2025: the DfE no longer publishes them from 2025/2026.
Nearby and similar schools
Other secondary schools in Islington for local comparison.
School information
| URN | 100458 |
| Local authority | Islington |
| Region | London |
| Phase | Secondary |
| Type | Voluntary aided school |
| Gender of entry | Boys |
| Age range | 11-18 |
| Headteacher | Headteacher Jamie Brownhill |
| Trust | — |
| Admissions | Non-selective |
| Religious character | None |
| Postcode | EC2A 4SH |
| Pupils | 1,133 |
| FSM eligible | 41.8% |
Contact and identifiers
Cowper Street, City Road, London, EC2A 4SH
http://www.centralfoundationboys.co.uk2072533741| DfE number | 4614 |
| UKPRN | 10001257 |
| Opened | — |
| GIAS updated | 26 Mar 2026 |
Data sources and freshness
| Official record updated | 26 Mar 2026 |
| Latest KS4 year | 2025/2026 |
| Latest KS2 year | — |
| Ofsted published | 28 Apr 2025 |
Latest Ofsted inspection
| Quality of education | Outstanding |
| Behaviour and attitudes | Outstanding |
| Personal development | Outstanding |
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
| Safeguarding | Effective |
| Inspection type | S5 Inspection |
| Category of concern | — |
| Inspection date | 11 Mar 2025 |
| Publication date | 28 Apr 2025 |