Forestdale Primary School, Croydon
Forestdale Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Croydon. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 34 schools in Croydon with published results, and 5,291st of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Croydon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Forestdale Primary School in detail
Forestdale Primary School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include multi-sports, drama, coding and cheerleading.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 4 November 2026, an open day on Tuesday 10 November 2026, an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026 and an open day on Friday 27 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Croydon
Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 84% of Year 6 pupils at Forestdale Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 78% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 80% and 80% in Croydon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (84% in reading, 83% in maths).
Getting a place at Forestdale Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 44 families put Forestdale Primary School as their first choice and 124 named it as one of their preferences, for 47 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Forestdale Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Forestdale Primary School are Courtwood Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 73% reading, 82% maths); Quest Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 63% reading, 52% maths); Applegarth Academy (0.7 miles, Good, 90% reading, 93% maths); and Selsdon Primary and Nursery School (0.7 miles, Good, 73% reading, 67% maths).
Forestdale Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Courtwood Primary SchoolQuest Primary SchoolApplegarth AcademySelsdon Primary and Nursery School
Who goes there
29.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (52%), Mixed (15%) and Black (14%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Gravel Hill Tram Stop, about 600 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Featherbed Lane, 200 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 132 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Croydon (488).
Suspensions and exclusions
Forestdale Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Forestdale Primary School are The Quest Academy (0.5 miles), Shirley High School Performing Arts College (1.5 miles) and Coloma Convent Girls' School (1.5 miles).
The Quest AcademyShirley High School Performing Arts CollegeColoma Convent Girls' School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from November 2012, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2012 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
18.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 84% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 78% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.9
Avg class size
29.3
Infant (KS1)
28.6
KS2
13
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Forestdale Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Forestdale Primary School.
- Bright Adventures Wrap around care540m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Forestdale Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Croydon. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
2027 to 2028
- Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027)
- Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028)
- Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028)
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Forestdale Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Forestdale Primary School is in Croydon; for families living there:
Apply to Croydon for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 32
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 9
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 22 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
8 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Croydon is 54.5 (the median across 156 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Forestdale Primary School
Will you get a place at Forestdale Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Forestdale Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Forestdale Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Forestdale Primary School.
- Croydon publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Forestdale Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Forestdale Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Croydon got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
416 pupils
420 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Croydon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Croydon
Across Croydon council
Places available
4,828
Applications
4,082
Got 1st preference
89.6%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Croydon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
65
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
19.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
405
Total Pupils
206
Boys
199
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
23
Teachers
17.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,205
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,589
Per pupil
£2562k
Total funding
£120k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
10.2%
Persistent absence
371
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Forestdale Primary School
Questions parents ask about Forestdale Primary School
What are SATs results like at Forestdale Primary School?
Of the pupils at Forestdale Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 84% reached the expected standard in reading and 78% did so in maths.
What is Forestdale Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Forestdale Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Forestdale Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Forestdale Primary School is oversubscribed, Croydon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Forestdale Primary School?
Forestdale Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 99% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Forestdale Primary School?
Classes at Forestdale Primary School average 28.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Forestdale Primary School?
Forestdale Primary School has around 405 pupils on roll. 18% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Forestdale Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at Forestdale Primary School in 2024/25. 10.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Forestdale Primary School?
Apply through Croydon's coordinated admissions process, naming Forestdale Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Forestdale Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Forestdale Primary School: Bright Adventures Wrap around care (540m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Forestdale Primary School's term dates?
Forestdale Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by Croydon. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Wednesday 2 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Thursday 22 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027). In 2027 to 2028: Autumn term: Wednesday 1 September to Friday 17 December 2027 (half term Monday 25 October to Friday 29 October 2027); Spring term: Tuesday 4 January to Friday 31 March 2028 (half term Monday 14 February to Friday 18 February 2028); Summer term: Tuesday 18 April to Friday 21 July 2028 (half term Monday 29 May to Friday 2 June 2028).
How many road collisions happen near Forestdale Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 32 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 9 serious and 22 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 8 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Croydon is 54.5 (the median across 156 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Forestdale Primary School?
Forestdale Primary School is at Pixton Way, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 9JE.
Sources: Croydon term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)