Purley Oaks Primary School, South Croydon
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Purley Oaks is a welcoming school where children are happy and feel safe. The school does excellent work celebrating the diverse community it serves and teaching pupils to respect different faiths and backgrounds. Teachers have received strong support to improve their practice, which has directly improved the quality of teaching and what pupils achieve.
Key Strengths
- Teaching is good with leaders providing effective guidance to help teachers improve their practice
- Pupils behave well and have excellent understanding of bullying prevention
- School keeps pupils safe exceptionally well with very thorough safeguarding procedures
- Strong focus on preparing pupils for modern Britain through celebrating diversity and teaching democratic values
- Early years provision is good with exciting teaching that meets children's needs well
Areas for Improvement
- Progress in reading and writing is not as rapid as in mathematics
- Pupils do not always get opportunities to respond to teacher feedback when marking their books
- Teachers do not always check pupils' work carefully enough during lessons
- Early years staff do not always make detailed notes about children's abilities
- Middle leaders do not monitor pupil achievement as carefully as senior leaders do
Safeguarding
The school keeps pupils safe exceptionally well with very thorough and robust safeguarding procedures, and staff have strong understanding of how to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Breakfast club, after-school club, sporting activities and clubs, visits to Houses of Parliament, library facilities
Purley Oaks Primary School is a good school that has made significant improvements since its last inspection. Pupils achieve well and reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
At a Glance
32.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
91 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 66% to 73%. Maths has improved from 67% to 73%. Writing has improved from 67% to 75%.
Class Sizes
28.3
Avg class size
29.1
Infant (KS1)
27.8
KS2
22
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
642 pupils
660 capacity
18 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - South Croydon
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for South Croydon
Admissions Demand - Croydon
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(109)
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.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.46343%
Overall absence
23.11828%
Persistent absence
558
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Purley Oaks Primary School
Nearby Schools
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