St Nicholas School, Purley
St Nicholas School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Purley. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Nicholas School in detail
St Nicholas School in its own words
In its own words: "Our school motto is ‘Shining Together - Embracing our Differences’ as this encompasses the collaborative approach to helping our special pupils achieve their full potential, regardless of their ability. The children at St Nicholas are given daily learning experiences than enable them to be equipped with the skills, knowledge, resilience and life experiences to becomes healthy, active and respectful learners."
From the headteacher's welcome: "St Nicholas School is a good school that caters for pupils with a wide range of special educational needs in the wonderfully diverse borough of Croydon and some from neighbouring boroughs if their SEN needs cannot be met locally."
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to St Nicholas School are Abingdon House School Purley (0.5 miles); St Giles School (2 miles, Good); Serenity School (2.3 miles, Outstanding); and Olympus (2.4 miles, Requires improvement).
Abingdon House School PurleySt Giles SchoolSerenity SchoolOlympus
Who goes there
43.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 26.7% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (30%), Mixed (18%) and Asian (15%).
Almost every pupil at St Nicholas School has an education, health and care plan (273 of 273 in 2026). The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
St Nicholas School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Reedham Station, about 300 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Beaumont Primary School, 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 190 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
St Nicholas School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: 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
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's October 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Nicholas School has built a strong, supportive environment for pupils with complex needs. The school has invested in specialist teams and partnerships with therapists to create resources tailored to individual pupils, helping them succeed. Leadership is committed to involving parents and carers in their child's learning journey.
Key Strengths
- Refined curriculum that clearly sets out skills, knowledge and vocabulary pupils should learn
- Strong partnership with speech and language therapists to create better adapted resources
- Improved behaviour support and communication systems leading to a more positive learning environment
- Motivated leadership at all levels committed to school improvement
- Increased parent engagement through workshops and events
Areas for Improvement
- Early stage curriculum improvements need embedding fully across all pathways and subjects
- Staff need stronger subject knowledge and confidence to deliver the refined curriculum effectively
- Progress checks against EHC plan targets need further refinement and better communication with parents
St Nicholas School has made progress improving provision for pupils with diverse needs by refining the curriculum and developing better support for behaviour and communication. However, further work is needed to fully embed these improvements and ensure consistent progress tracking.
At a Glance
43.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Speech and language, Autism, MLD +1
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from St Nicholas School
Elm Class go Fruit Picking
23 Jul 2026
A Visit from Singing Hands!!!
23 Jul 2026
St Nicholas is famous!
23 Jul 2026
Park trips
20 May 2026
Beech Class visit Deen City Farm
20 May 2026
Lion Class Trip to Natural History Museum!
4 May 2026
From St Nicholas School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Nicholas School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Nicholas School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Nicholas 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
- 31
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 6
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 25 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
6 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
103%
Over capacity
273 pupils
265 places
8 pupils over capacity
as recorded on GIAS
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.
Inspection History(8)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
273
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
St Nicholas School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
273
Total Pupils
195
Boys
78
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
40
Teachers
6.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,898
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
9.5%
Overall absence
33.6%
Persistent absence
247
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Linked Schools
Schools linked by geographic proximity
St Nicholas School
Questions parents ask about St Nicholas School
What are SATs results like at St Nicholas School?
Of the pupils at St Nicholas School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is St Nicholas School's Ofsted rating?
St Nicholas School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for St Nicholas School?
No fixed boundary. When St Nicholas School is oversubscribed, Croydon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to St Nicholas School?
St Nicholas School has around 273 pupils on roll. 44% are eligible for free school meals.
Does St Nicholas School have specialist SEN provision?
St Nicholas School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs, autism, moderate learning difficulties and severe learning difficulties.
What is attendance like at St Nicholas School?
9.5% of sessions were missed at St Nicholas School in 2024/25. 33.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Nicholas School?
Apply through Croydon's coordinated admissions process, naming St Nicholas School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near St Nicholas School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 6 serious and 25 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 6 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 Nicholas School?
St Nicholas School is at Reedham Drive, Purley, Surrey, CR8 4DS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)