Sydenham SchoolForest Hill School
Inspection, results, pupils and attendance side by side in London.
Summary of the comparison
Sydenham School and Forest Hill School are secondary schools in London.
Sydenham School scores 64 out of 100 (grade C, average) and Forest Hill School scores 64 out of 100 (grade C, average). Our score is the same for each of them on the data available.
Sydenham School was judged strong and Forest Hill School was judged Good.
On GCSE Attainment 8, the latest published figures are 53.4 for Sydenham School and 50.9 for Forest Hill School.
GCSE Attainment 8 has held broadly level at Sydenham School (54.6 in 2021-22, 53.4 in 2025-26) and has held broadly level at Forest Hill School (51.6 in 2021-22, 50.9 in 2025-26).
Side-by-side comparison
| Measure | LondonSydenham School | LondonForest Hill School | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Our score | C64/100 | C64/100 | |
| Local ranking | 3rd of 14 in Lewisham Stronger figure | 4th of 14 in Lewisham | |
| Inspection | Ofsted: StrongStronger figure | Ofsted: Good | |
| School type | Community school | Community school | |
| Phase | Secondary | Secondary | |
| Age range | 11-18 | 11-18 | |
| Gender | Girls | Boys | |
| Pupils on roll | 1,467 | 1,080 | |
| Capacity | 1,580 | 1,535 | |
| Location | London, SE26 4RD | London, SE23 2XN | |
| GCSE results | |||
| Attainment 8 | 53.4 Stronger figure | 50.9 | 46.2 |
| Grade 5+ in English & maths | 57.7% Stronger figure | 53.9% | 46.3% |
| Grade 4+ in English & maths | 73.4% Stronger figure | 70.1% | 64.8% |
| Cohort | 222 | 167 | |
| A-level results | |||
| A-level entries | 116 | 71 | |
| A-level average points | 39.3 Stronger figure | 34.1 | 35.0 |
| A-level average grade | B | C+ | |
| Best 3 A-levels points | 39.7 Stronger figure | 34.4 | 35.8 |
| AAB+ incl. facilitating subjects | 19.3% Stronger figure | 8.8% | 17.5% |
| Pupils | |||
| Pupils in the census | 1,507 | 1,072 | |
| Free school meals (ever 6) | 29.0% | 30.7% | |
| English as an additional language | 18.9% | 21.7% | |
| SEN support | 13.9% | 24.4% | |
| SEN with an EHC plan | 1.7% | 2.5% | |
| Attendance | |||
| Overall absence | 8.2% | 7.0% Stronger figure | 6.2% |
| Persistent absence | 26.4% | 18.9% Stronger figure | 15.8% |
marks the stronger figure on measures with a clear direction. Rows describing a school's intake, such as free school meals, English as an additional language and SEN, carry no marker: they describe who a school serves, not how well it serves them.
Historical trends
Each solid line is one school; the dashed line is the national average.
GCSE Attainment 8
GCSE Progress 8
A-level average points
Overall absence
Free school meal eligibility (ever 6)
Pupils on roll
Ethnicity over time
One panel per school: the largest groups across this comparison, one colour per group, on a shared scale.
Sydenham School
Forest Hill School
Full profiles: Sydenham School · Forest Hill School