Harris Primary Academy Croydon

About Harris Primary Academy Croydon

Harris Primary Academy Croydon has undergone a remarkable turnaround. In its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, the school received an overall rating of Outstanding, a dramatic improvement from its previous inspection in 2019 when it was rated Inadequate. Every single category inspected — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — was judged Outstanding. This is a school that has clearly been transformed under headteacher Zainab Ladak. However, the academic outcomes story is more nuanced. At Key Stage 2, 62% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Croydon local authority average of 66%. The school ranks 51st out of 77 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the bottom half locally. While the Ofsted rating suggests excellence across the board, the core academic measure tells a slightly different story.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 exam results, the picture is mixed. In writing, 88% of pupils reached the expected standard, which is strong, and 22% achieved the higher standard. Maths saw 80% at expected and 23% at the higher level, with an average scaled score of 104. Reading was weaker, with only 62% at the expected standard and an average score of 102, and just 15% reaching the higher standard. Only 5% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. Nationally, the school sits around the 52nd percentile, meaning it performs broadly in line with the national average. In London, it ranks 1,181st out of 1,592 primary schools. The school has no published progress scores for reading, writing or maths, so it is difficult to say how much value it adds relative to pupils' starting points. What is clear is that while behaviour and personal development are rated Outstanding, the academic results are more average than exceptional.

The school is heavily oversubscribed: for 60 places in 2025/26, there were 212 applications, a ratio of 3.53 applicants per place, with 79 first-preference applications for 58 offers. This suggests strong local demand. Harris Primary Academy Croydon has a nursery provision and caters for children aged 3 to 11. Facilities include art studios, music rooms, a forest school, a gymnasium and an ICT suite. Sports on offer include cricket, football, dance, athletics, netball, tennis and gymnastics, and there are clubs such as film, science and book club. The school has identified SEND provisions for social, emotional and mental health, speech, language and communication, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent views are overwhelmingly positive: 100% of the 40 respondents would recommend the school, and 97% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy. This is a school that families clearly value for its inclusive atmosphere and strong pastoral care, even if its academic results are not the strongest in Croydon.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Harris Primary Academy Croydon

Helpful Guides for Parents