Smitham Primary School, Coulsdon
Smitham Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Coulsdon. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in April 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 6 schools in Coulsdon with published results, and 6,591st of 14,452 across England. It was 94% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2017)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Croydon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Smitham Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at Smitham Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 80% and 80% in Croydon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 88% in reading and 80% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Smitham Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 76 families put Smitham Primary School as their first choice and 258 named it as one of their preferences, for 87 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Smitham Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Smitham Primary School are St Aidan's Catholic Primary School (0.1 miles, Good, 77% reading, 87% maths); Chipstead Valley Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 82% reading, 83% maths); Woodcote Primary School (0.8 miles, 88% reading, 76% maths); and Oasis Academy Byron (0.8 miles, Good, 93% reading, 93% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Smitham Primary School.
St Aidan's Catholic Primary SchoolChipstead Valley Primary SchoolWoodcote Primary SchoolOasis Academy Byron
Who goes there
14.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 81 pupils (12.4%) received SEN support and 16 (2.4%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Coulsdon South, about 490 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Portnalls Road (->w), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Smitham Primary School 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 123 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Croydon (488).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Smitham Primary School issued 1 suspension, 0.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Smitham Primary School are Woodcote High School (0.8 miles) and Oasis Academy Coulsdon (1.8 miles).
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
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 agoThis judgement is from March 2017, 9 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
From Ofsted's April 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Smitham Primary School creates a calm, respectful learning environment where children feel safe and develop a genuine love of reading. The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that helps children build deep understanding in subjects like maths and art, and provides extensive opportunities for enrichment through visits, concerts, and taking on meaningful responsibilities like school council roles.
Key Strengths
- Strong emphasis on reading from early years with consistent phonics teaching and a love of reading throughout the school
- Well-designed ambitious curriculum that helps pupils develop deep understanding over time, particularly in mathematics and art
- Swift identification and effective support for pupils with SEND, ensuring they access the planned curriculum
- Extensive enrichment opportunities including educational visits and singing events
- Calm, orderly school atmosphere where pupils demonstrate positive behaviour and take on meaningful responsibilities
Areas for Improvement
- In a few subjects, teachers do not consistently check that pupils have secured the most important knowledge, leading to gaps that are not routinely identified and corrected
- Need to ensure teachers focus on checking pupils have mastered the key ideas identified in the curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with all staff appropriately trained to identify and report concerns, awareness of local risks, and a curriculum designed to teach pupils about staying safe including online safety and age-appropriate consent.
Extracurricular Activities
School council, reading club, pupil librarians, reading champions, Young Voices concert, educational visits including British Museum, well-being garden, Christmas gift delivery programme, singing events
Smitham Primary School continues to be a good school with high ambitions for every pupil. Pupils feel safe, are respectful to one another, and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning across a carefully designed curriculum.
At a Glance
14.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 80% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 80% to 76% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.4
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
28.6
KS2
22
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Smitham Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Smitham Primary School.
- Kumon CoulsdonAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Smitham 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
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Smitham Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Smitham 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
- 42
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 7
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 42 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 35 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
7 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 Smitham Primary School
Will you get a place at Smitham Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Smitham Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Smitham Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Smitham Primary School.
- Croydon publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Smitham Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Smitham 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
94%
Near capacity
592 pupils
630 places
38 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Coulsdon
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Coulsdon
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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
81
SEN Support
16
EHC Plans
14.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
654
Total Pupils
322
Boys
332
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
27
Teachers
24.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,216
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,461
Per pupil
£3527k
Total funding
£130k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.3%
Overall absence
8.2%
Persistent absence
512
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
Smitham Primary School
Questions parents ask about Smitham Primary School
What are SATs results like at Smitham Primary School?
Of the pupils at Smitham Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is Smitham Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Smitham Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in April 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2017, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Smitham Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Smitham 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 Smitham Primary School?
Smitham Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 94% of its 630 places.
How big are the classes at Smitham Primary School?
Classes at Smitham Primary School average 28.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Smitham Primary School?
Smitham Primary School has around 654 pupils on roll. 15% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Smitham Primary School?
4.3% of sessions were missed at Smitham Primary School in 2024/25. 8.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Smitham Primary School?
Apply through Croydon's coordinated admissions process, naming Smitham 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 Smitham Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Kumon Coulsdon (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Smitham Primary School's term dates?
Smitham 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 Smitham Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 42 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 7 serious and 35 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 7 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 Smitham Primary School?
Smitham Primary School is at Portnalls Road, Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 3DE.
Sources: Croydon term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)