Ages 
A challenging and rigorous education with high personal and academic expectations. For the right child (and parent), Michaela creates a safe, supportive environment, which equips virtually all with the exams results and life skills they need to progress successfully in life.
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 745 ·
- Sixth form numbers
- 130 ·
- Religion
- None
- Local authority
- London Borough of Brent
Headteacher
Headmistress
Ms Katharine Birbalsingh
Since 2014, Katharine Birbalsingh, MA (Oxon), NPQH (UCL IOE). Katharine Birbalsingh , sometimes tagged ‘the world’s strictest head’, is one of England’s best-known headteachers. The daughter of an eminent Indo-Guyanese academic and a Jamaican nurse,
Entrance
Applications through Brent Council, with120 places available in year 7. The school is non-selective and oversubscribed, though not yet at maximum capacity. (Currently, you can still gain entry if you live up to five miles away.) Sixth-form applicants
- Open days
- September/October - check website for details.
Entry and exit data - year 7 entry (average 2020-2022)
Exit
Around 60 per cent leave post GCSE, often because they have not achieved the grades required for sixth form. (One girl we talked to was nervously awaiting the outcome of her exams.) Almost all, however, go onto further study or training. The small
% students progressing to higher education or training (2021 leavers)
What is this?
The proportion of 16-18 students that progressed to degrees, higher apprenticeships or other study at level 4 or above for at least 6 consecutive months in the 2 years after taking advanced level qualifications (level 3) at this school or college.
Latest results
In 2025, 80 per cent 9-7 at GCSE; 100 per cent 9-4 in maths and English. At A level, 70 per cent A*/A and (90 per cent A*/B)
GCSE - % of pupils achieving grade 5 or above (A* to C) in English and maths GCSE (2024)
What is this?
This tells you the percentage of pupils who achieved grade 5 or above in English and maths GCSEs.
A levels or equivalent - Average points score (2024)
What is this?
These figures tell you the average grade and average points that pupils achieved in their academic qualifications. A maximum of 60 points are available for a grade A* at A level.
Teaching & learning
Michaela is a ‘free school’ and, as such, is free to diverge from the National Curriculum, replacing the widespread state offering with a rigorous and demanding alternative, grounded in international standards of research. The intention is to furnish
- Qualifications taken in 2024
- A level
- GCSE
Learning support & SEN
About 10 per cent of pupils here are on the SEND register, with – according to Ofsted – ‘a robust system to identify and support pupils’. This support includes a regular reading seminar and an ‘extra-reading club’, providing reading aloud with a
Arts & extracurricular
Art – taught using the centuries-old ‘grid method’ – places a firm emphasis on the representational, and pupils are also taught art history. About 20 per cent take art and design GCSE (in photography), the only creative subject on offer. (On the day
Sport
You would not choose Michaela for the sport. Its only grounds are a concrete car park equipped with a handful of table-tennis tables, table football and basketball hoops. Curriculum sport takes place one afternoon a week in a nearby sports centre and
Ethos & heritage
Katharine Birbalsingh started teaching as a left-wing idealist – at university she was a member of the Socialist Workers Party – but her early years in the profession left her disillusioned with existing attempts to right the status quo. After a
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
Michaela has been regularly branded – and is happy to present itself as – ‘the strictest school in England’. ‘If you have a challenging intake you have to be stricter,’ says Birbalsingh. ‘When it comes to children, they need restrictions, but there’s
Mobile phone policy
A clear mobile phone policy is a really important part of modern schooling. This school has provided us with their policy.
Mobile phone policy
Provided by the school and not part of our review Strict policy against smartphones. We have a digital drop off for pupils to leave their electronic devices and we encourage families to purchase a brick phone so the pupils do not use/own a smartphone.
Pupils & parents
Most children live reasonably nearby – some walk, but most take public transport, including the tube to Wembley Park Station, just across the road. The majority of pupils are from inner-city ethnic minorities, about 30 per cent are eligible for free
Money matters
The school is a bit of a hot spot for educational tourism, with about 800 visitors a year paying for the privilege of a three-hour tour (with lunch). (On the day we visited there were educators from Canada, Zimbabwe and Croydon). The school uses its
The last word
A challenging and rigorous education with high personal and academic expectations. For the right child (and parent), Michaela creates a safe, supportive environment, which equips virtually all with the exams results and life skills they need to
Inspection reports
Ofsted reports
Short inspection: Outstanding
You can read full reports on the Ofsted website
| Leadership and management | Outstanding |
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