Most sought-after schools in Islington

Ordered by how many families put the school first, for each place it gave out.

This list is sorted by one number: first preferences per place. For each school it is the number of families who named it first, divided by the number of offers it made, in the newest year we hold. A higher number means more families wanted a place than there were places.

This is not a list of the best schools. It does not measure how good a school is, how happy the children are, or how well they do. It also does not tell you whether a child would get a place: that depends on where you live, the year, and the council's rules. It only shows how many people applied.

#	School	First preferences per place	Newest intake	Latest Ofsted
1	St Mary Magdalene Academy London, all through	2.54	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
2	Gillespie Primary School London, primary	1.90	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
3	William Tyndale Primary School London, primary	1.88	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
4	Hugh Myddelton Primary School London, primary	1.68	2026	School remains Outstanding (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
5	Yerbury Primary School London, primary	1.45	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
6	Central Foundation Boys' School London, secondary	1.36	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
7	Ambler Primary School and Children's Centre London, primary	1.25	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
8	St Joseph's Catholic Primary School London, primary	1.25	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
9	Hargrave Park School London, primary	1.07	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
10	Newington Green Primary School London, primary	1.07	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
11	Canonbury Primary School London, primary	1.00	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
12	City of London Primary Academy, Islington London, primary	1.00	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
13	St Peter and St Paul Catholic Primary School London, primary	1.00	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
14	St Mark's CofE Primary School London, primary	0.97	2026	Improved significantly (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
15	St Luke's CofE Primary School London, primary	0.95	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
16	St John Evangelist Catholic Primary School London, primary	0.94	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
17	Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School London, secondary	0.93	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
18	Prior Weston Primary School and Children's Centre London, primary	0.93	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
19	St John's Highbury Vale CofE Primary School London, primary	0.93	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
20	Thornhill Primary School London, primary	0.92	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
21	Christ The King Catholic Primary School London, primary	0.90	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
22	Hanover Primary School London, primary	0.90	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
23	Pooles Park Primary School London, primary	0.90	2026	Inadequate (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
24	Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School London, primary	0.88	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
25	Drayton Park Primary School London, primary	0.87	2026	Improved significantly (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
26	Pakeman Primary School London, primary	0.87	2026	Expected standard (Ofsted report card (current framework))
27	Whitehall Park School London, primary	0.85	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
28	Rotherfield Primary School London, primary	0.83	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
29	City of London Academy Islington London, secondary	0.78	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
30	Moreland Primary School London, primary	0.78	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
31	Winton Primary School London, primary	0.77	2026	Outstanding (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
32	Laycock Primary School London, primary	0.76	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
33	Grafton Primary School London, primary	0.72	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
34	Highbury Fields School London, secondary	0.72	2026	School remains Outstanding (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
35	St Andrew's (Barnsbury) CofE Primary School London, primary	0.71	2026	Not judged (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
36	St John's Upper Holloway CofE Primary School London, primary	0.71	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
37	St Mary's CofE Primary School London, primary	0.70	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
38	City of London Academy, Highgate Hill London, secondary	0.68	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
39	St Joan of Arc RC Primary School London, primary	0.68	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
40	Tufnell Park Primary School London, primary	0.68	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
41	Robert Blair School and Children's Centre London, primary	0.67	2026	Standards maintained (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
42	Vittoria Primary School London, primary	0.67	2026	School remains Good (Ofsted ungraded inspection)
43	St Aloysius' College London, secondary	0.63	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
44	Arts and Media School Islington London, secondary	0.62	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
45	City of London Academy Highbury Grove London, secondary	0.56	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
46	Ashmount Primary School London, primary	0.48	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
47	Lift Beacon High London, secondary	0.46	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))
48	Duncombe Primary School London, primary	0.44	2026	Good (Ofsted graded inspection (previous framework))

Figures from the Department for Education, applications and offers. 48 schools in Islington have a published per-place figure. Schools with too few places for the figure to mean anything are left off. All schools in Islington · How we compare schools.