SchoolFacts.uk

Harris Lowe Academy Willesden

Secondary · London · NW10 3ST

Data updated

⇄ Compare with another school
Good

SchoolFacts estimate: Ofsted awarded no overall grade at this inspection

We show the lowest of the four areas Ofsted did judge, listed below. Why some schools have no overall grade →

Quality of education: GoodBehaviour & attitudes: GoodPersonal development: GoodLeadership & management: GoodSafeguarding effective: Yes

Inspected 12 November 2024

Read the Ofsted report ↗

At a glance

1,149 pupils · 96% of 1,200 capacity (January 2026 census)

School type
Academy sponsor led
Age range
11–18
Gender
Mixed
Admissions
Non-selective
Free school meals
52.5% of pupils (January 2026)
English as additional language
60.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
SEN support
9.1% of pupils (2024/2025)
EHC plan
2.5% of pupils (2024/2025)
Sixth form
Yes
Website
https://www.harrislowewillesden.org.uk/
URN
134226

In figures

For September 2026 entry, 79 families named it first for 158 Year 7 places, 0.50 first choices per place. We hold 9 Year 7 admissions rounds for it, 2017 to 2026; none was decided by a published distance. At its inspection on 12 November 2024 Ofsted awarded no overall grade; the lowest of the four areas it judged was Good. In the 2025/26 autumn and spring terms its pupils missed 7.4% of sessions, against 6.6% across England.

Admissions demand: Year 7 entry, September 2026

0.50 first-choice applications per place

158 places offered · 79 first-choice applications · usually has places

First-choice applications per place, by entry year

19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
24/25
25/26
26/27

Source: DfE applications and offers on national offer day · how demand is measured

Catchment area

Catchment area: not named in the council's figures. Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

Admissions cutoff distance: Year 7

Every applicant was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance was not needed to decide places.

Cutoff by admission criterion (2017 entry)

Band 1 - Distance
5060.24 m (≈3.14 mi)
Band 2 - Distance
4567.79 m (≈2.84 mi)
Band 3 - Distance
4424.76 m (≈2.75 mi)
Band 4 - Distance
4843.1 m (≈3.01 mi)
Band 5 - Distance
3457.2 m (≈2.15 mi)

2017 is the most recent year we hold a cutoff for this school. It describes that year, not 2026.

How safe is a place here? Check your postcode

One free check a month, no account needed. No cutoff distance applied in 2026, so there is no boundary for your address to be inside of. The check shows how far you live from the school and how many rounds running it has placed every applicant. Premium adds unlimited checks, the nearby schools that do ration places by distance and whether you are inside them, and the address check across every school at once.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: the admissions authority's published figures · how cutoffs work

GCSE results (2024/2025)

173 pupils at the end of key stage 4 in 2024/2025

Attainment 8 score
41.6
England 46.1
Grade 4 or above in English & maths GCSEs
57.2%
England 64.8%
Grade 5 or above in English & maths GCSEs
39.9%
England 45.4%
EBacc average point score
3.9
England 4.1

Progress 8 is suspended nationally for 2024/25 and 2025/26. These cohorts sat no key stage 2 tests (COVID), so there is no baseline to measure progress from.

A-level results (2024/2025)

A-level points per entry (England: 35 ≈ B-) B-
35.2
England 35

Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · what “suppressed” means

Schools with a similar intake

Attainment 8, 2024/2025

This school41.6
Median of its 12 closest peers48.9
Brent average51.7
England46.1

On attainment 8, this school is behind the schools that teach a comparable intake.

They are matched on intake, not location, so most are not local: see nearby schools for those you could apply to.

SchoolOfstedAttainment 8
Burnage Academy for BoysManchester · 155 miles awayOutstanding46.6
Cumberland Community SchoolLondon · 12 miles awayGood52.6
Dean Trust ArdwickManchester · 157 miles awayGood46.6
London Design and Engineering UTCLondon · 13 miles awayStrong standard49.5
Sarah Bonnell SchoolLondon · 10 miles awayGood56.7
E-ACT Crest AcademyLondon · 2 miles awayExpected standard39.9
Hammersmith AcademyLondon · 3 miles awayExpected standard52
Forest Gate Community SchoolLondon · 11 miles awayExceptional58.1
Westminster AcademyLondon · 2 miles awayGood48.3
Oasis Academy Don ValleySheffield · 138 miles awayNeeds attention36.8
Joseph Leckie AcademyWalsall · 103 miles awayExpected standard42.4
Mulberry School for GirlsLondon · 8 miles awayOutstanding55.2

It is not a ranking. Source: DfE performance tables 2024/2025 · how the matching works

Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)

Any other ethnic group 26% (Brent 15%, England 3%) · Black African 25% (Brent 12%, England 5%) · Any other White background 10% (Brent 13%, England 7%) · Any other Mixed background 8% (Brent 5%, England 3%) · Black Caribbean 6% (Brent 3%, England 1%) · Not recorded 5% (Brent 3%, England 2%) · Any other Asian background 4% (Brent 9%, England 3%) · White British 3% (Brent 11%, England 59%) · Asian Pakistani 3% (Brent 5%, England 5%) · Asian Indian 3% (Brent 18%, England 4%) · Any other Black background 2% (Brent 2%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Asian 1% (Brent 2%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Black African 1% (Brent 1%, England 1%) · Mixed White and Black Caribbean 1% (Brent 1%, England 2%) · Asian Bangladeshi 1% (Brent 1%, England 2%)

Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures

Attendance (2025/26 autumn and spring terms)

Sessions missed (overall absence)
7.4%
England 6.6%
Pupils missing 10%+ of sessions (persistent absence)
20.7%
England 17.5%

Suspensions and permanent exclusions (2024/25)

28.39 suspensions per 100 pupils and 2 permanent exclusions · England, secondary schools: 21.24 suspensions and 0.23 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils · Brent: 10.43 suspensions and 0.08 permanent exclusions per 100 pupils

Suspensions and exclusions, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: DfE pupil absence data, autumn and spring terms, and DfE suspensions and permanent exclusions, school-level file · how absence is measured · how to read exclusions

Staffing

Pupils per qualified teacher
16.7
England 18.5

Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.

Teacher retention (2024/25)

80% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 8% moved to another state school · 12% left the state-funded sector

Vacancies (November 2025)

0% of teaching posts vacant, 0% filled temporarily · England, secondary academies: 0.45% vacant, 0.33% temporary

Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)

78.7% of teachers took sickness absence, 12.4 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days

Teacher pay (November 2025)

Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £56,737; 14% on the leadership pay range · England, secondary schools: £53,766, 11.3%

Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted

Spending per pupil (2024-25)

This school£9,684
Typical secondary school£7,846

Where the money went (2024-25)

Share of spending, with the median for secondary schools in brackets: Staff 76% (77%) · premises 4% (5%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 3% (6%) · supplies and services 17% (11%) · educational supplies 10% (6%) · bought-in professional services 3% (1%) · catering 1% (3%)

Reserves (2024-25)

Revenue reserve £573,000; in-year balance +£75,000

Spending and reserves, last three years Premium

Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.

Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →

Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: academy finance return, 2024-25, DfE · how spending is compared

Where pupils go after GCSEs

In sustained education, work or training
92%
Continuing in education
91%
Apprenticeship
1%
Employment
1%

Where students go after sixth form

To university / higher education
50%
Apprenticeship
5%
Employment
19%
Any sustained destination
78%

Destinations measured the year after leaving, DfE destination measures in the 2024/2025 performance tables.

Inspection history since 2015

Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems

The area around the school

Child poverty (IDACI)
1/10among the most deprived tenth of England
Overall deprivation (IMD)
1/10among the most deprived tenth of England
Census 2021This areaEngland
Adults with a degree or higher35.5%33.9%
Adults with no qualifications21.4%18.1%
In managerial or professional work23.9%33.2%
Households deprived in two or more ways33.7%18.1%
Residents in very good health46.3%48.5%
Homes owned by the occupier25%62.3%
Social housing57.6%17.1%
Privately rented16.7%20.5%
Detached houses2.7%22.9%
Flats75.6%22.2%
Homes with four or more bedrooms10.8%21.1%
Households with no car or van51.1%23.5%

These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01000643 · how to read area figures

What homes cost nearby

Median sale price
£670,000583 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
Typical range
£455,000–£1,050,000the middle half of sales
England median
£300,000all sales over the same period
Detached (10)£1,732,500
Semi-detached (80)£1,187,500
Terraced (186)£1,000,000
Flat (307)£490,000

Homes around this school are among the dearest tenth of school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.

Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Roads around the school

Child pedestrian casualties
6an urban school averages 2.0
Collisions at school-run times
11an urban school averages 5.7
All reported collisions
58an urban school averages 30.5
Of those, serious or fatal
7an urban school averages 6.1

A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted

Nearby schools