Top Greenwich and Lewisham Primary Schools Before 2026 Places Deadline

Key Points

• Government data from the Department for Education (DfE) shows that Greenwich has recorded the strongest primary school performance in south‑east London in the 2024–2025 academic year, with 72 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
• The same DfE dataset places Lewisham fourth in the south‑east London borough rankings, with 68 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard in the combined measure of reading, writing and maths.
• Greenwich is ranked ahead of Bromley, Southwark, Lewisham and Bexley in the primary performance tables, giving it the highest overall attainment of all south‑east London boroughs in the latest figures.
• Lewisham sits behind Bromley and Southwark in the borough table but ahead of Bexley, underlining a solid overall performance as families make final decisions on primary school applications.
• Deansfield Primary School in Greenwich is identified as the top‑performing primary in the borough, with 91 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard across reading, writing and maths in 2024–2025.
• St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School and Notre Dame Catholic Primary School, both in Greenwich, each record 88 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard, putting them among the highest‑scoring schools locally.
• In Lewisham, Haberdashers’ Hatcham Free School leads the borough, with 90 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
• Turnham Academy in Lewisham follows closely with 88 per cent of pupils achieving the expected standard, while Trinity Church of England School, Lewisham, reports 86 per cent of pupils at this benchmark.
• The published percentages for each school reflect the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in all three core subjects of reading, writing and maths during the 2024–2025 academic year.
• Schools listed with a zero per cent figure due to insufficient data have been removed from the rankings, so only schools with reliable data are included in the tables.
• A pupil is only counted as meeting the expected standard overall if they achieve the required level in all three subjects – reading, writing and maths – rather than just one or two.
• The expected standard in reading and maths is defined as a scaled score of 100 or above in the statutory assessments, while writing is assessed by teachers, who judge pupils as “working at the expected standard” or “working at greater depth”.
• The government’s approach means that writing outcomes rely on teacher assessment rather than test scores, which some headteachers argue gives a more rounded picture of pupils’ abilities, particularly in extended work.
• The deadline for parents and carers to apply for primary school places for entry in September 2026 is 15 January 2026, putting added urgency on families in Greenwich and Lewisham who are weighing up their options.
• Local authorities and schools are urging families to submit applications on time and to use all their preferences, warning that late applications may limit the chances of securing a place at preferred schools.

South London (Top primary schools in Greenwich and Lewisham as places deadline nears) January 14, 2026 – Government performance data for the 2024–2025 academic year has revealed that Greenwich primary schools are leading south‑east London in core attainment, while Lewisham schools also post strong results as the deadline to apply for September 2026 primary places approaches.

How have Greenwich and Lewisham primary schools performed in the latest rankings?

The latest figures from the Department for Education show that 72 per cent of pupils in Greenwich primary schools met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths during the 2024–2025 academic year, giving the borough the strongest overall performance in south‑east London. The same dataset records Lewisham with 68 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard, placing it fourth overall in the region.

As reported in the government’s performance tables for key stage 2, the borough rankings place Greenwich ahead of Bromley, Southwark, Lewisham and Bexley, underlining its status as the highest‑ranking south‑east London borough on this combined measure. Lewisham follows Bromley and Southwark but sits above Bexley, signalling a competitive but slightly lower overall performance compared with its near neighbour.

Which borough leads south‑east London and what does the data show?

According to the DfE’s published borough breakdown, Greenwich sits at the top of the south‑east London table with its 72 per cent attainment rate in the expected standard across reading, writing and maths. This means that, on average, nearly three in four pupils in Greenwich primary schools are reaching or exceeding national expectations in all three core subjects.

Lewisham’s 68 per cent figure, while a few percentage points lower than Greenwich’s, still places it ahead of Bexley and within touching distance of Bromley and Southwark, which adds important context for parents comparing areas. For families weighing up whether to move borough or stay put before the deadline, these percentages give a clear indication of relative performance between neighbouring authorities.

Which are the top‑performing primary schools in Greenwich?

Within Greenwich, the standout performer is Deansfield Primary School, which tops the borough table with 91 per cent of its pupils meeting the expected standard across reading, writing and maths during 2024–2025. That figure places the school significantly above both local and national averages, making it one of the most academically successful primaries in the area on this measure.

Deansfield’s performance is closely followed by St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School and Notre Dame Catholic Primary School, each recording 88 per cent of pupils achieving the expected standard. Together, these three schools form a cluster of high‑attaining primaries that many families in Greenwich are likely to consider when submitting their applications before the 15 January deadline.

Which schools are leading the way in Lewisham?

In Lewisham, the leading school in the latest data is Haberdashers’ Hatcham Free School, where 90 per cent of pupils are reported to have met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths for 2024–2025. This places Haberdashers’ Hatcham Free School among the best‑performing primaries in the borough and aligns it closely with the very highest performers in neighbouring Greenwich.

Turnham Academy follows with 88 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard, while Trinity Church of England School, Lewisham, records 86 per cent. Together, these schools illustrate the strength of provision within Lewisham for parents seeking high levels of academic attainment in the core subjects, even as the borough as a whole ranks just below Greenwich in the regional table.

How is the expected standard in reading, writing and maths defined?

The DfE figures are based on the proportion of pupils who meet a combined expected standard in reading, writing and maths, and the methodology behind that combined score is key to understanding the rankings. For reading and maths, the expected standard is set at a scaled score of 100 or above in the statutory end‑of‑key‑stage 2 assessments, which convert raw test marks into a scaled range to allow fair comparison across years.

Writing, by contrast, is not tested through a national exam but is assessed by teachers, who use nationally agreed frameworks to judge whether a pupil is “working at the expected standard” or “working at greater depth”. A pupil is counted as meeting the overall expected standard only if they reach the benchmark in all three subjects: a strong performance in reading and maths alone is not sufficient to be included in the combined percentage.

Why have some schools showing zero per cent been removed from the tables?

The report notes that schools showing a zero per cent outcome in the underlying dataset due to insufficient data have been removed from the published list to avoid misleading families. In practice, this usually occurs when a school has too few pupils in the relevant year group for meaningful statistics to be calculated, or where data has been suppressed for confidentiality reasons.

By removing these zero per cent entries, the tables focus only on schools with reliable and statistically robust results, which officials say provides a clearer picture of performance for parents. It also means that smaller schools or those with atypical cohorts may be under‑represented in headline lists, even if individual pupils there are achieving highly.

How should parents interpret these percentages when choosing a school?

Education specialists regularly caution that while attainment percentages offer valuable information, they are only one part of the picture when families are choosing a primary school. High scores in the combined reading, writing and maths measure indicate strong academic performance, but they do not capture factors such as pastoral care, extracurricular opportunities, school culture or support for pupils with special educational needs.

Parents are encouraged by local authorities and headteachers to use the performance tables alongside school visits, Ofsted inspection reports and conversations with staff and other families. In both Greenwich and Lewisham, schools with slightly lower percentages may nevertheless be the best fit for a particular child’s needs, especially where a school has a strong record of supporting pupils’ wellbeing or offers distinctive programmes in music, sport or languages.

What is the deadline for primary school place applications and why does it matter?

The deadline for applying for a primary school place for entry in September 2026 is 15 January 2026, a national cut‑off date that applies to families in both Greenwich and Lewisham. Local councils emphasise that applications submitted after this date are treated as late, which can significantly reduce the chances of securing a place at the most popular schools, even when a child meets the usual admissions criteria such as distance or sibling links.

Parents and carers are urged to list multiple preferences rather than relying on a single school, a message that is echoed in council guidance across London. Using all available preferences gives admission teams more flexibility to place children in suitable schools and can help avoid families being allocated places far from home if their first choice is heavily oversubscribed.

How do Greenwich and Lewisham compare with neighbouring boroughs?

Within south‑east London, Greenwich’s position at the top of the borough rankings means it currently outperforms Bromley, Southwark, Lewisham and Bexley on the combined expected standard measure. This places the borough in a strong position when viewed against neighbouring areas that are often compared by families considering where to live or send their children to school.

Lewisham’s fourth‑place ranking shows that, although it does not match Greenwich’s headline percentage, it remains competitive within the region and offers several schools with very high attainment scores. For some parents, the choice between boroughs may therefore depend less on the average figures and more on the performance and ethos of individual schools, as well as practical considerations such as transport links and housing.

What should families in Greenwich and Lewisham do next?

With the 15 January deadline imminent, families in both boroughs are advised to finalise their research and submit online applications promptly, ensuring that all details are accurate and all preferences are clearly listed. Schools and councils have been directing parents to official DfE performance tables and local authority guidance pages to help them interpret the latest data and understand admissions criteria.

Parents who still have questions are being encouraged to contact school offices or council admissions teams before the deadline, particularly if they need advice on catchment areas, oversubscription rules or supporting documents. For many households, the new performance figures offer reassurance that both Greenwich and Lewisham provide a broad range of strong primary schools, even as a small number of standout schools attract intense competition for places.