Fairchildes Primary School

About Fairchildes Primary School

Fairchildes Primary School in Croydon received an Outstanding rating in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, with the top grade awarded across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, early years provision, and leadership and management. This is a school that has clearly sustained high standards over time, having also been rated Outstanding in its previous inspection in 2012. When it comes to academic outcomes at Key Stage 2, the school’s combined reading, writing and maths expected standard attainment sits at 72%, which is above the Croydon local authority average of 66%. That places Fairchildes 34th out of 88 primary schools in the borough, and in the top 50% nationally. The school’s ranking score of 72 reflects solid performance across the core subjects, and it is worth noting that 8% of pupils reached the higher standard in all three areas.

Drilling into the individual subjects, 85% of pupils met the expected standard in maths, with an average scaled score of 106, while 75% did so in reading (average score 105) and 79% in writing. Higher standard attainment was broadly similar across maths and reading at 18%, with writing at 15%. The school does not publish progress scores for these subjects, so it is not possible to compare how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. However, the Ofsted report from February 2024 confirms that the quality of education is Outstanding, and inspectors noted that pupils achieve well across the curriculum. With 42.6% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school is serving a community with above-average disadvantage, making these results particularly notable. The school has a nursery provision for children aged two and above, and its total capacity of 492 is nearly full with 486 pupils on roll.

Fairchildes is oversubscribed for Reception entry in 2025/26, with 119 applications for 60 places and 54 offers made to first-preference families, giving an oversubscription ratio of nearly 2:1. The school offers a wide range of facilities including a sensory room, gymnasium, music rooms, ICT suite, and even a chapel, alongside outdoor playground space. Sports provision covers athletics, cricket, football, tennis, gymnastics and swimming, while clubs include coding, choir, drama, gardening and science club. The SEND provision is extensive, with support for autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language needs, hearing impairment, physical disability, social and emotional mental health, dyslexia, and a resourced provision. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-regarded, inclusive primary with strong academic outcomes, particularly those who value a broad enrichment offer and specialist support for a range of additional needs.

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