John Wood School & Nursery, Croydon
John Wood School & Nursery is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Croydon, part of Chancery Education Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 31st-highest of the 34 schools in Croydon with published results, and 11,625th of 14,452 across England. It was 69% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 27 Oct 2026
John Wood School & Nursery in detail
Results
In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils at John Wood School & Nursery reached the expected standard in reading and 72% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 80% and 80% in Croydon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 59% in reading and 59% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at John Wood School & Nursery
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put John Wood School & Nursery as their first choice and 116 named it as one of their preferences, for 35 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 John Wood School & Nursery
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to John Wood School & Nursery are Robert Fitzroy Academy (0.2 miles, Good, 71% reading, 75% maths); Woodside Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 77% reading, 80% maths); Broadmead Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 73% reading, 66% maths); and St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than John Wood School & Nursery.
Robert Fitzroy AcademyWoodside Primary SchoolBroadmead Primary SchoolSt Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School
The trust
John Wood School & Nursery is one of 4 schools run by Chancery Education Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
58.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (36%), Asian (22%) and White British (13%).
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Blackhorse Lane Tram Stop, about 670 metres away (roughly a 8-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Burnham Gardens (->sw), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 733 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.
Suspensions and exclusions
John Wood School & Nursery recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to John Wood School & Nursery are Ark Blake Academy (0.3 miles), BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology (0.7 miles), Oasis Academy Shirley Park (0.7 miles) and St Mary's Catholic High School (0.8 miles).
Ark Blake AcademyBRIT School for Performing Arts and TechnologyOasis Academy Shirley ParkSt Mary's Catholic High 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2019, 7 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
The school's values of 'kindness', 'respect' and 'ambition' are woven through all aspects of school life. Pupils flourish here because staff have high expectations of them.
Across the school, pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Pupils feel happy because teachers listen to them and help them to learn. Pupils are confident that if they feel sad they can speak to an adult or place a worry in the 'worry monster's pouch' and that staff will help them. This means they feel safe.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Reading takes priority here. Children start learning to read as soon as they join Reception. This is because the school wants pupils to read confidently and without delay.
Pupils have opportunities to visit the school library and are read aloud to daily. Children in the Nursery enthusiastically join in with familiar rhymes demonstrating their understanding by performing actions with delight. These opportunities develop a love for reading.
From Ofsted's July 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2019 inspection - up from Inadequate.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
28.4%
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 60% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 59% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 55% to 60% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
20.3
Avg class size
20.2
Infant (KS1)
23.4
KS2
15
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with John Wood School & Nursery
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near John Wood School & Nursery.
- ArisekidzAt the school · Not yet graded
- Simply Kids410m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
John Wood School & Nursery is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Croydon's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to John Wood School & Nursery from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. John Wood School & Nursery 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
- 29
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 29 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 25 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 John Wood School & Nursery
Will you get a place at John Wood School & Nursery? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against John Wood School & Nursery's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for John Wood School & Nursery:
- The straight-line distance from your home to John Wood School & Nursery.
- Croydon publishes last distance offered figures, but none for John Wood School & Nursery that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at John Wood School & Nursery for 2017 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
69%
Available places
290 pupils
420 places
130 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(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
66
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
26.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
310
Total Pupils
155
Boys
155
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
23.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,994
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,500
Per pupil
£2057k
Total funding
£114k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
18.1%
Persistent absence
265
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
Questions parents ask about John Wood School & Nursery
What are SATs results like at John Wood School & Nursery?
Of the pupils at John Wood School & Nursery who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 60% reached the expected standard in reading and 72% did so in maths.
What is John Wood School & Nursery's Ofsted rating?
John Wood School & Nursery's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for John Wood School & Nursery?
No fixed boundary. When John Wood School & Nursery is oversubscribed, Croydon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at John Wood School & Nursery?
John Wood School & Nursery was not full in 2025: it ran at 69% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at John Wood School & Nursery?
Classes at John Wood School & Nursery average 20.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to John Wood School & Nursery?
John Wood School & Nursery has around 310 pupils on roll. 28% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at John Wood School & Nursery?
6% of sessions were missed at John Wood School & Nursery in 2024/25. 18.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to John Wood School & Nursery?
Apply through Croydon's coordinated admissions process, naming John Wood School & Nursery 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 John Wood School & Nursery have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Arisekidz (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near John Wood School & Nursery?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 29 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 25 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot and 3 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 John Wood School & Nursery?
John Wood School & Nursery is at Dartnell Road, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 6JA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)