Ark Blake Academy, Croydon

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Ark Blake Academy and thank you for your interest in our school. We are a thriving school with huge ambition based in East Croydon. We are now becoming the school of choice for the community that we serve."

Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance and drama.

In 2026, pupils at Ark Blake Academy averaged an Attainment 8 score of 43.5, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.4 in Croydon and 47 across England.

46% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Croydon and 47% in England.

That is down from 45.6 in 2025.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 37.4, against 50.4 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 13 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 21 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, Geography and Spanish.

For September 2026 entry, 115 families put Ark Blake Academy as their first choice and 421 named it as one of their preferences, for 158 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Ark Blake Academy are St Mary's Catholic High School (0.6 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.7); Harris Federation Post 16 (0.7 miles); BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology (0.7 miles, Good, Attainment 8 48.5); and Archbishop Tenison's CofE High School (0.8 miles, Good, Attainment 8 43.5).

Each of them had higher 2026 results than Ark Blake Academy.

Ark Blake Academy is one of 48 schools run by ARK Schools, an academy trust.

Across the trust's secondary schools, pupils averaged an Attainment 8 score of 47.7 in 2024/25.

50.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 34.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are Black (29%), Mixed (19%) and White British (16%).

The nearest tram or metro stop is Lebanon Road Tram Stop, about 670 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).

15 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Gordon Crescent (->w), 80 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Ark Blake Academy stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 4th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 931 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Croydon (488), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, Ark Blake Academy issued 76 suspensions, 9.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Ark Blake Academy are John Wood School & Nursery (0.3 miles), Ark Oval Primary Academy (0.3 miles), Robert Fitzroy Academy (0.4 miles) and Woodside Primary School (0.5 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.