Howard Primary School, Croydon

Good
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~318m)Possible (~454m)Unlikely (~590m)Confidence: high

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Miss J Handley
Pupils:387 / 420 capacity
LA:Croydon
Phone:02086884216
Address:Dering Place, Croydon, CR0 1DT
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 4 years ago
-

Overall

Inspected 17 May 2022View full report
URN:101725
UKPRN:10079715
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Croydon West
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Howard Primary School excels at supporting all pupils to succeed, particularly those facing barriers to learning. The school celebrates its diverse community - with pupils speaking 46 different languages - and provides tailored support to help disadvantaged children catch up. Teachers are skilled at explaining how to improve writing and reading, helping even the youngest learners make real progress.

Key Strengths

  • Strong leadership that has successfully managed school expansion while maintaining quality
  • Excellent support for pupils learning English as an additional language, with 46 languages spoken in the school
  • Significant improvement in early reading skills and narrowing of gaps for disadvantaged children
  • Clear guidance on writing improvement that has boosted progress for boys and disadvantaged pupils
  • Effective support for pupils with special educational needs

Areas for Improvement

  • Strengthen questioning skills among teachers when working with the most able pupils
  • Continue developing middle leaders' skills in evaluating teaching quality and impact

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective with detailed high-quality records, well-understood arrangements consistently applied, and the curriculum providing pupils with skills to keep themselves safe.

Howard Primary School continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained educational quality while the school expanded to two classes per year group, and has successfully tackled previous areas for improvement.

At a Glance

34.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-4ppMaths-2ppWriting-13pp

Reading has declined from 75% to 71%. Maths has remained stable at around 73%. Writing has declined from 86% to 73%.

Class Sizes

29.1

Avg class size

29.2

Infant (KS1)

29.1

KS2

14

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

South Croydon Station (Entrance)
581m · 9 min walk
South Croydon Rail Station
597m · 10 min walk

Bus Stops

Warham Road / Brighton Road (Stop K)
174m · 3 min walk
Swan & Sugar Loaf (Stop M)
186m · 3 min walk
Croydon Bowling Club (->E)
215m · 3 min walk
Aberdeen Road South Croydon (Stop S)
235m · 4 min walk
Ruskin Parade / South Croydon Station (Stop F)
342m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

92%

Near capacity

387 pupils

420 capacity

33 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Croydon

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,822
Projected new pupils:456

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Croydon

Admissions Demand - Croydon

Low demand0.88x oversubscription

Places available

4,890

Applications

4,309

Got 1st preference

86.7%

Got preferred school

98.1%

Primary admissions across Croydon (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

17 May 2022
14 December 2016
1 December 2011
Leadership & ManagementGood

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.68474%

Overall absence

20.36082%

Persistent absence

388

Enrolments

Authorised4.03105%
Unauthorised2.65368%
Persistent (10%+)20.36082%
Severe (50%+)1.03093%

Absence trend

3.45151%
18/19
3.5807%
20/21
5.11829%
21/22
6.17067%
22/23
5.69747%
23/24
6.68474%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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