St Mary's Catholic Infant School, Croydon
St Mary's Catholic Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 7 in Croydon, part of Sancta Familia Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2022. It was 96% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
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 26 Oct 2026
St Mary's Catholic Infant School in detail
Getting a place at St Mary's Catholic Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 58 families put St Mary's Catholic Infant School as their first choice and 176 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Mary's Catholic Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary's Catholic Infant School are St. Mary's Catholic Junior School (under 0.1 miles, Good, 81% reading, 87% maths); Ark Oval Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 81% reading, 71% maths); Chestnut Park Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 57% reading, 60% maths); and Broadmead Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 73% reading, 66% maths).
St. Mary's Catholic Junior SchoolArk Oval Primary AcademyChestnut Park Primary SchoolBroadmead Primary School
The trust
St Mary's Catholic Infant School is one of 9 schools run by Sancta Familia Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
16.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 89.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (42%), Asian (31%) and Mixed (12%).
In 2026, 43 pupils (22.3%) received SEN support and 6 (3.1%) 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.
Staffing
St Mary's Catholic Infant School had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 16 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is East Croydon Rail Station, about 350 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
22 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Mary's Church / West Croydon, 290 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Mary's Catholic Infant School stands in is among the 20% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 2nd decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1285 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Croydon (488), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary's Catholic Infant School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Mary's Catholic Infant School are St Mary's Catholic High School (0.1 miles), Harris Federation Post 16 (0.3 miles), Harris Invictus Academy Croydon (0.4 miles) and Ark Blake Academy (0.5 miles).
St Mary's Catholic High SchoolHarris Federation Post 16Harris Invictus Academy CroydonArk Blake Academy
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2022 inspection.
Rated Outstanding for
Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
16.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
26.3
Avg class size
28.5
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Mary's Catholic Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Mary's Catholic Infant School.
- Wizkids Club (West Croydon)810m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Mary's Catholic Infant School 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
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary's Catholic Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary's Catholic Infant 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
- 189
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 30
- Children hurt
- 14
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 189 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 30 serious and 159 slight.
14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 12 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
28 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 St Mary's Catholic Infant School
Will you get a place at St Mary's Catholic Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary's Catholic Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary's Catholic Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary's Catholic Infant School.
- Croydon publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Mary's Catholic Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary's Catholic Infant School for 2016 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
96%
Near capacity
172 pupils
180 places
8 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: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
25.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
193
Total Pupils
80
Boys
113
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
17.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,038
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,789
Per pupil
£1356k
Total funding
£45k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.1%
Overall absence
4.2%
Persistent absence
120
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 St Mary's Catholic Infant School
What is St Mary's Catholic Infant School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary's Catholic Infant School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in October 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2007 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary's Catholic Infant 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 St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
St Mary's Catholic Infant School was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
Classes at St Mary's Catholic Infant School average 26.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
St Mary's Catholic Infant School has around 193 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
3.1% of sessions were missed at St Mary's Catholic Infant School in 2024/25. 4.2% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
Apply through Croydon's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary's Catholic Infant 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 St Mary's Catholic Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Mary's Catholic Infant School: Wizkids Club (West Croydon) (810m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 189 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 30 serious and 159 slight. 14 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 12 on foot and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 28 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 St Mary's Catholic Infant School?
St Mary's Catholic Infant School is at Bedford Park, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 2AQ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)