Find the best primary schools in Hackney. Compare Ofsted ratings, catchment areas and parent reviews.
Hackney has 50 primary schools, all in Hackney council's area. Most state schools here offer places by distance from home once children in care and siblings of current pupils have been admitted, so how close you live decides your chances at any school with more applicants than places. Some councils draw a fixed catchment boundary instead, and the distance at which the last place went changes every year. Of the 50, 13 are faith schools that can put children of their faith first, so distance counts for less there.
Use the distance checker to measure your home's straight-line distance to any Hackney primary school, and each school's page for its Ofsted report, results and admissions details. Check your distance to a school or try the admissions calculator.
| School | Type | Our rating |
|---|---|---|
| Hoxton Garden Primary | Mixed | 5.0 / 5 |
| William Patten Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| Betty Layward Primary School | Mixed | 4.8 / 5 |
| St. Paul's With St. Michael's CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.8 / 5 |
| Southwold Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Mossbourne Riverside Academy | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Grazebrook Primary School | Mixed | 4.7 / 5 |
| Gayhurst Community School | Mixed | 4.6 / 5 |
There are 50 primary schools in Hackney.
Apply by 15 January for a Reception place starting that September. Children start Reception in the September after their fourth birthday. You apply to the council where you live, even if the school is in another council's area, and can usually list between 3 and 6 schools in order of preference. Offers are sent on 16 April, or the next working day.
Of the 50 primary schools in Hackney, 13 have a religious character: 6 Church of England, 3 Roman Catholic, 2 Jewish, 1 Muslim and 1 Orthodox Jewish. When a faith school has more applicants than places, it can give priority to children of its faith. Many ask for a supplementary form, sometimes signed by a religious leader, so read the school's admissions policy before you apply.
Yes, Hackney has 1 girls' school and 1 boys' school. The other 48 are mixed.
On our star rating, the highest rated are Hoxton Garden Primary (5.0), William Patten Primary School (4.8), Betty Layward Primary School (4.8), St. Paul's With St. Michael's CofE Primary School (4.8) and Southwold Primary School (4.7). The rating is our own, out of 5. It combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and SATs results, with the parent survey carrying the most weight. All 50 schools here have a rating.
| Kingsmead Primary School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| The Olive School, Hackney | Muslim | 4.5 / 5 |
| Orchard Primary School | Mixed | 4.5 / 5 |
| St Monica's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.5 / 5 |
| Northwold Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| Springfield Community Primary School | Mixed | 4.4 / 5 |
| St John the Baptist Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.4 / 5 |
| Simon Marks Jewish Primary School | Jewish | 4.4 / 5 |
| Mandeville Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Daubeney Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Our Lady and St Joseph Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 4.3 / 5 |
| Rushmore Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Queensbridge Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Hackney New Primary School | Mixed | 4.3 / 5 |
| Jubilee Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Grasmere Primary School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Sebright School | Mixed | 4.2 / 5 |
| Benthal Primary School | Mixed | 4.1 / 5 |
| St John and St James CofE Primary School | Church of England | 4.1 / 5 |
| St Matthias Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 4.0 / 5 |
| London Fields Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Lubavitch Girls Primary School | Jewish, girls | 4.0 / 5 |
| Shacklewell Primary School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| Lauriston School | Mixed | 4.0 / 5 |
| St Scholastica's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 3.9 / 5 |
| Millfields Community School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Halley House School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Woodberry Down Community Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Morningside Primary School | Mixed | 3.9 / 5 |
| Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| St John of Jerusalem Church of England Primary School | Church of England | 3.8 / 5 |
| Shoreditch Park Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Princess May Primary School | Mixed | 3.7 / 5 |
| Nightingale Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Parkwood Primary School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Mossbourne Parkside Academy | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Thomas Fairchild Community School | Mixed | 3.6 / 5 |
| Holmleigh Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Harrington Hill Primary School | Mixed | 3.5 / 5 |
| Gainsborough Primary School | Mixed | 3.4 / 5 |
| Lubavitch Boys' Primary School | Orthodox Jewish, boys | 3.4 / 5 |
| Berger Primary School | Mixed | 3.0 / 5 |
Our rating is out of 5 and combines Parent View survey results, the latest Ofsted inspection and published results. Source: Department for Education (GIAS) and Ofsted.
Only when you qualify for more than one school. Each school ranks applicants against its own admission criteria without knowing where you placed it. If you qualify for several, the council offers the one you ranked highest, so putting a popular school first does not lower your chances at your second choice.
No. Distance only matters when a school has more applicants than places, and then it offers places in the order its admission criteria set out. Children in care or adopted from care come first by law. Most schools put brothers and sisters of current pupils next, then distance or catchment area. Faith schools and grammar schools use different criteria. How far away the last place went changes every year, depending on who applies.
The council offers a place at another school with room, which may be further from home. You can accept it and still join the waiting lists for the schools you preferred. Waiting lists are ranked by the admission criteria, not by how long a child has been on them. You can also appeal to an independent panel for any school that refused you. Appeals for Reception to Year 2 rarely succeed, because infant classes are limited to 30 pupils by law and a panel can only admit above that limit in narrow circumstances.