Aerodrome Primary Academy

About Aerodrome Primary Academy

Aerodrome Primary Academy is clearly a popular choice among local families, with 211 applications chasing just 55 places for the 2025/26 academic year. That works out at nearly four applicants for every spot, and 54 of those 55 places went to first-preference families, suggesting strong local confidence. The school’s parentView data isn’t available here, but the sheer demand tells its own story. Headteacher Zoe Foulsham leads a school that is significantly oversubscribed — 3.84 children apply for each place — and the nursery provision means families can get a foot in the door early. With 466 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is running above its official number, which often indicates a school that local parents trust and want to get into.

Academically, Aerodrome is a solid performer but sits in the middle of the pack in Croydon. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 62% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined — just below the Croydon local authority average of 66%. That places the school 52nd out of 77 primary schools in the borough, and in the bottom half nationally. Where it does better is in individual subjects: 78% hit the expected standard in maths, and average scores in both reading and maths sit at 108, a point above the national benchmark of 100. Higher-attaining pupils are less common here — only 6% achieved the higher standard across all three subjects — but 37% reached that level in reading and maths individually. The school has held a Good rating from Ofsted since at least 2012, and its most recent ungraded inspection in 2021 confirmed it remains Good.

The school offers a practical, well-equipped environment for primary-aged children. Facilities include a sports hall, playing fields, a forest school area, a sensory room and a library, plus an ICT suite and a chapel. Sports on offer include athletics, gymnastics, rounders and swimming, and there are clubs such as eco club, drama, chess and film club. For families with children who have additional needs, the SEND provision is unusually broad: the school has a dedicated SEN unit and resourced provision, and supports pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, and social, emotional and mental health difficulties. This makes it a particularly strong option for families who want a mainstream setting with substantial specialist support built in. The high oversubscription ratio means you’ll need to apply early and put it first on your form.

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