Ark Blake Academy
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Ark Blake Academy is a free school in Croydon for boys and girls aged 11 to 18. It has 759 pupils and room for 1,200. About 50 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 50 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 64% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.
6 Morland Road, Croydon, CR0 6NA020 3443 9000arkblake.orgMr Sam Rispoli headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 February 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
154 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | Croydon | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 154 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 45.6 | – | – | 44.5 | 46.8 |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 51% | – | – | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 64% | – | – | 61% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 4.28 | – | – | 4.02 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 58% | – | – | 55% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 38.7 | – | – | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 55.2 | – | – | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 17 GCSE subjects in 2025. Each figure is the share of pupils who got a grade 5 or better, next to the average for state secondaries in England.
Strongest subjects
Subjects that did worse than the England average: Art and Design (39% here, 58% across England), French (47% here, 60% across England).
The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.
Every subject against England, 2025
| Subject | Entries | Grades 9 to 7 | Grades 9 to 5 | Grades 9 to 4 | England 9 to 5 | Rank in England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 151 | 28% | 55% | 69% | 53% | 1,277 of 3,211 |
| English Language | 151 | 15% | 51% | 65% | 54% | 1,702 of 3,210 |
| English Literature | 145 | 22% | 63% | 74% | 58% | 1,011 of 3,202 |
| Combined Science | 117 | 12% | 36% | 54% | 36% | 1,408 of 3,084 |
| Geography | 79 | 17% | 52% | 62% | 51% | 1,273 of 3,116 |
| History | 55 | 36% | 71% | 75% | 52% | 459 of 3,126 |
| Spanish | 48 | 29% | 60% | 67% | 54% | 785 of 1,941 |
| French | 45 | 13% | 47% | 69% | 60% | 1,472 of 1,974 |
| Social Studies | 41 | 22% | 46% | 51% | 54% | 668 of 1,043 |
| Art and Design | 33 | 15% | 39% | 76% | 58% | 2,241 of 2,818 |
| Chemistry | 31 | 58% | 94% | 94% | 81% | 876 of 2,537 |
| Biology | 31 | 48% | 90% | 94% | 82% | 1,097 of 2,570 |
| Economics | 29 | 21% | 72% | 83% | 70% | 63 of 142 |
| Physics | 29 | 52% | 100% | 100% | 82% | 337 of 2,546 |
| Music | 23 | 13% | 70% | 91% | 61% | 195 of 395 |
| Other Modern Languages | 18 | 33% | 39% | 39% | 49% | – |
| Drama | 12 | 17% | 33% | 75% | 60% | – |
In combined science each pupil gets two grades and we count the lower one. Rankings only include state secondaries where 20 or more pupils sat the subject.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. 1 of the 3 gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At GCSE, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
291 places were empty (27% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have grown by 129% since 2021/22.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Croydon council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (34), language and communications needs (32), Autistic spectrum disorder (21), Specific learning difficulty (14), Moderate learning difficulty (12), Physical disability (5).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 759 | 782 | 664 | 523 | 352 | 178 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 50% | 46% | 48% | 45% | 44% | 47% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 34% | 34% | 31% | 35% | 37% | 36% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 14% | 13% | 20% | 18% | 22% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 1% | 2% | 2% | 1% | 1% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 91.4%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.5% | 8.7% | 8.6% | 7.6% | 4.5% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.7% | 5.0% | 5.7% | 5.0% | 2.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.8% | 3.7% | 2.9% | 2.6% | 1.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 25.3% | 26.8% | 24.5% | 24.9% | 15.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 9.7 | 19.7 | 26.8 | 16.2 | 7.9 | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other secondary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest secondary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic High School | Roman Catholic | 990 m | 565 | Report card 2026 | 27 | Compare |
| Archbishop Tenison's CofE High School | Church of England | 0.8 miles | 833 | Report card 2026 | 35 | Compare |
| Harris Invictus Academy Croydon | Free school | 0.9 miles | 963 | Outstanding 2023 | 75 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy Shirley Park | Academy | 0.9 miles | 1,017 | No overall grade 2024 | 43 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy Arena | Academy | 1.2 miles | 310 | Report card 2026 | 18 | Compare |
| Coombe Wood School | Free school | 1.3 miles | 1,162 | Good 2023 | 80 | Compare |
| Harris Academy South Norwood | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,008 | Good 2022 | 69 | Compare |
| Coloma Convent Girls' School | Academy | 1.6 miles | 967 | Report card 2026 | 84 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Ark Blake Academy with the 47 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher
Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Ark Blake Academy, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Elms Academy | Academy | 5.8 miles | 865 | Good 2020 | 83 | Compare |
| Sacred Heart Catholic School | Academy | 6.5 miles | 950 | Outstanding 2023 | 96 | Compare |
| Harris Academy Battersea | Academy | 7.2 miles | 890 | Outstanding 2023 | 84 | Compare |
| Lilian Baylis Technology School | Council | 7.4 miles | 848 | Outstanding 2023 | 76 | Compare |
| The Hurlingham Academy | Academy | 7.7 miles | 728 | Outstanding 2024 | 92 | Compare |
| Chelsea Academy | Academy | 7.9 miles | 1,106 | Good 2023 | 57 | Compare |
| Oasis Academy South Bank | Free school | 8.2 miles | 691 | Outstanding 2024 | 95 | Compare |
| Ark Burlington Danes Academy | Academy | 11.4 miles | 778 | Good 2022 | 67 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 50 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 50% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 39 to 61. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 20% | in line | -0.02 | 2025 results; 154 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 19% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old) | in line | +0.02 | Ofsted grade, 3.6 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.15 | Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 154 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | well below | -0.24 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | in line | +0.00 | 2024/25; 811 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.07 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 154 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 0% | no data | – | |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is Ark Blake Academy a good school?
It is about average. Ark Blake Academy scores 50 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 64% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 39 to 61, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.
What is Ark Blake Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Ark Blake Academy good at its last full inspection on 22 February 2023.
How good are Ark Blake Academy's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 51% of pupils got a grade 5 or better in both English and maths. Across England it was 46%. Its Attainment 8 score, which is the average grade across a pupil's best eight subjects times ten, was 45.6, against 46.8 for England.
How many pupils does Ark Blake Academy have?
759 pupils aged 11 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 1,200 places, so it is 63% full.
Is Ark Blake Academy oversubscribed?
Probably not. 291 places were empty in 2024/25 (27% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Ark Blake Academy?
Pupils were in school 91.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 25% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Ark Blake Academy?
The average class had 25.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. 7% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- 6 Morland Road, Croydon, CR0 6NA
- Telephone
- 020 3443 9000
- Website
- www.arkblake.org
- Headteacher
- Mr Sam Rispoli
- Type of school
- Free school (Free schools, free schools)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- ARK Schools (48 schools)
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Ward
- Addiscombe West
- Constituency
- Croydon East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2020 (new provision)
- URN
- 147832 · LAESTAB 3064014 · UKPRN 10086486
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.