Riddlesdown Collegiate, Purley
Riddlesdown Collegiate is a secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 19 in Purley, part of The Collegiate Trust. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2023. Its 2026 GCSE results were the 2nd-highest of the 24 schools in Croydon with published results, and 472nd of 3,298 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.6 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 106% of capacity.
- GCSE results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2023)
- Demand
- 1.6 first choices per place
- Attendance
- Better than England average
- Progress (2024)
- Above average
Year 7 applications for September 2027 close in 5 days
Deadline Saturday 31 October 2026. Apply to Croydon (the council where you live). Offers on 1 March.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Riddlesdown Collegiate in detail
Results
In 2026, pupils at Riddlesdown Collegiate averaged an Attainment 8 score of 55.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 46.4 in Croydon and 47 across England.
63% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 46% in Croydon and 47% in England.
That is up from 50.7 in 2025.
Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was 0.14: pupils made above average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.
Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 49.3, against 56.6 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 7.3 points.
Pupils sat GCSEs in 29 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Religious Studies, Combined Science and Geography.
Getting a place at Riddlesdown Collegiate
For September 2026 entry, 480 families put Riddlesdown Collegiate as their first choice and 1321 named it as one of their preferences, for 299 places offered. That is 1.6 first choices for every place. 193 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Riddlesdown Collegiate
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state secondary schools to Riddlesdown Collegiate are Warlingham School (1 mile, Good, Attainment 8 46.8); Thomas More Catholic School (1.9 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46); Harris Academy Purley (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 52.2); and Oasis Academy Coulsdon (2.1 miles, Good, Attainment 8 50.5).
Riddlesdown Collegiate's 2026 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Warlingham SchoolThomas More Catholic SchoolHarris Academy PurleyOasis Academy Coulsdon
The trust
Riddlesdown Collegiate is one of 9 schools run by The Collegiate Trust, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 322 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 91% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 26% to a further education college, 1% to an apprenticeship and 1% into work.
Of the 217 students who left the sixth form in 2023/24, 71% went on to university or other higher education, 2% to apprenticeships and 16% into work. 26% went to one of the most selective third of universities.
Who goes there
12.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 11.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (42%), Mixed (16%) and Asian (15%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Kenley, about 890 metres away (roughly a 11-minute walk).
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Riddlesdown Collegiate stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 81 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Croydon (488).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Riddlesdown Collegiate issued 98 suspensions, 4.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Primary schools nearby
The primary schools closest to Riddlesdown Collegiate are Atwood Primary School (0.6 miles), Harris Primary Academy Kenley (0.7 miles), Kenley Primary School (0.7 miles) and Gresham Primary School (0.7 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.
Atwood Primary SchoolHarris Primary Academy KenleyKenley Primary SchoolGresham Primary School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Sixth Form
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its March 2023 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Sixth form.
About
Riddlesdown Collegiate is a secondary school with academy status located in the Riddlesdown area of the London Borough of Croydon, UK. It is a coeducational school, of between 1800 and 2000 students.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
12.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Secondary Performance (GCSE)
Academic year 2025/26GCSE Results
2025/26 academic year
Progress 8 has declined from 0.49 to 0.14 (2023 to 2024). Attainment 8 has declined from 56.3 to 55.3 (2023 to 2026). GCSE English & Maths 5+ has remained stable at around 63% (2023 to 2026).
Performance by Group
| Group | Progress 8 | Attainment 8 | Eng+Maths 5+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| All pupils | - | 55.3 | 63.1% |
| Disadvantaged(60) | - | 49.3 | 46.7% |
| Not known to be disadvantaged(265) | - | 56.6 | 66.8% |
| Boys(182) | - | 56.1 | 63.7% |
| Girls(143) | - | 54.2 | 62.2% |
Show more breakdowns (2)
| Known or believed to be other than English(44) | - | 59.3 | 70.5% |
| Non mobile(312) | - | 56.1 | 64.7% |
2025/26 academic year - DfE performance tables data
GCSE Subjects Offered
+ 9 more subjects
2025/26 academic year - entries by number of pupils
After GCSEs - Leaver Destinations
After GCSEs (Year 11) - 322 students
2023/24 data
Exclusions & Suspensions
2
Permanent exclusions
0.10%
Exclusion rate
98
Suspensions
4.74%
Suspension rate
68 pupils received one or more suspensions out of 2,067 pupils
2024/25 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby secondary schools
Keep up with Riddlesdown Collegiate
Term dates
Riddlesdown Collegiate 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Riddlesdown Collegiate from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Riddlesdown Collegiate 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
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt.
0 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 Riddlesdown Collegiate
Will you get a place at Riddlesdown Collegiate? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Riddlesdown Collegiate's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Riddlesdown Collegiate:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Riddlesdown Collegiate.
- Croydon publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Riddlesdown Collegiate that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Riddlesdown Collegiate 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
106%
Over capacity
2,068 pupils
1,942 places
126 pupils over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Purley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Purley
Across Croydon council
Places available
4,025
Applications
4,184
Got 1st preference
71.2%
Got preferred school
95.3%
All secondary applications across Croydon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: 1.6 first choices per place
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
359
SEN Support
80
EHC Plans
21.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
2,074
Total Pupils
1,123
Boys
951
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
124
Teachers
16.7:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£63,358
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£7,011
Per pupil
£12027k
Total funding
£313k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.4%
Overall absence
19.8%
Persistent absence
1,668
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Riddlesdown Collegiate
Showing 10 of 12 linked schools
Questions parents ask about Riddlesdown Collegiate
What are GCSE results like at Riddlesdown Collegiate?
In the 2026 results, pupils at Riddlesdown Collegiate achieved an Attainment 8 score of 55.3. 63% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is Riddlesdown Collegiate's Ofsted rating?
Riddlesdown Collegiate was rated Outstanding at its most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2023.
What is the catchment area for Riddlesdown Collegiate?
No fixed boundary. When Riddlesdown Collegiate is oversubscribed, Croydon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Riddlesdown Collegiate?
Riddlesdown Collegiate was full in 2025, at 106% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Riddlesdown Collegiate?
Classes at Riddlesdown Collegiate average 23.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Riddlesdown Collegiate?
Riddlesdown Collegiate has around 2074 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Riddlesdown Collegiate?
7.4% of sessions were missed at Riddlesdown Collegiate in 2024/25. 19.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Riddlesdown Collegiate?
Apply through Croydon's coordinated admissions process, naming Riddlesdown Collegiate on your application. Applications for Year 7 places starting in September 2027 close on Saturday 31 October 2026, and offers are made on Monday 1 March 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Riddlesdown Collegiate?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt. 0 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 Riddlesdown Collegiate?
Riddlesdown Collegiate is at Honister Heights, Purley, Surrey, CR8 1EX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)