School Chooser

Atwood Primary School

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy447 pupilsNurserySouth CroydonCroydon
School Chooser Score
76
Above
similar schools
Likely range 60 to 87
Out of 100. Better than 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, November 2023
Reached the expected level at 1176%England 63%
Attendance95.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families5%Far fewer than most schools
Places25 spare447 pupils, 472 places
Pupils per teacher24.6School workforce census

Atwood Primary School is a converter academy in South Croydon for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 447 pupils and room for 472. About 5 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 76 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead, South Croydon, CR2 9EE020 8657 7374pegasusacademytrust.org/atwood-primary-schoolMr Paul Robins head teacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 7 November 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Early years
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

59 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1176%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level2%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score110.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 70%70%20172018: 83%83%20182019: 68%68%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 56%56%20242025: 76%76%2025
Since 2017: +6%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017CroydonEngland
Pupils tested595460606060
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths76%56%63%68%83%70%70%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths2%0%10%10%18%12%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score110.0108.0106.0106.0108.0105.0106.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0105.0106.0106.0109.0107.0105.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score106.0105.0105.0107.0109.0108.0106.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard95%87%82%78%87%78%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard90%83%75%83%90%88%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)76%57%77%77%88%82%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.8+0.1+2.0+1.3
Maths progressMaths progress score+1.3-0.5+3.7+2.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged40%50%50%60%30%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged84%65%70%88%78%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

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 the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
40%84%
Gap 44 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
88%63%
Gap 25 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%2%
Gap 2 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

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

Admissions policy not published.

Nearly full415 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
99% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same 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.

Pupils on roll447Census January 2026
Places47295% full
Pupils from low-income families5%5% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English9%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support9%38 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan4%19 pupils with a plan
Average class size27.815 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)5%£29,450 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls231 / 216
White British pupils54%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.3 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 29.9 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (16), emotional and mental health (13), Specific learning difficulty (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (10), Moderate learning difficulty (4), Hearing impairment (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll447437444457457453
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals5%5%6%7%6%6%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language9%8%8%7%6%6%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support12%13%13%9%10%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%4%3%2%4%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school8.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.5%4.6%4.7%5.0%3.6%3.3%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.6%3.3%3.8%4.4%3.2%2.7%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%1.2%0.9%0.6%0.4%0.6%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence8.5%7.5%8.8%10.6%8.9%2.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.20.4
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers18.2full-time equivalent, 21 people
Pupils per teacher24.6Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers95%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants14.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£51,838
Teachers who left in the year5%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.62024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£6,284England £7,128. Total £2.7m
Income per pupil£6,275England £7,587. Total £2.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,501England £3,405
Money in reserve23%A lot put by: £639k, £1,463 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out-£4,000it spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£6,284spent per pupil

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

Crimes within 500 m6512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate38 per 1,000 people59% lower than the England average
Typical house price£425,000Croydon
Nearest bus stop90 mSanderstead Methodist Church, 6 stops within 500 m

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 primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Gresham Primary SchoolCouncil630 m237Good 202387Compare
Hamsey Green PrimaryAcademy0.8 miles402Good 202041Compare
Kenley Primary SchoolAcademy1.0 miles143Requires improvement 202411Compare
Harris Primary Academy KenleyAcademy1.2 miles433No overall grade 202587Compare
Greenvale Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles216Good 202387Compare
Ridgeway Primary SchoolCouncil1.3 miles626Good 202473Compare
Whyteleafe Primary SchoolAcademy1.5 miles447Good 202266Compare
Selsdon Primary and Nursery SchoolFoundation1.5 miles325No overall grade 202522Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Atwood Primary School 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.

Beats36%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 76 is 7 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 35 · middle 83 · highest 99100

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 Atwood Primary School, 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.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Reigate Parish Church Primary SchoolChurch of England8.2 miles403Not inspected84Compare
Esher Church SchoolAcademy12.7 miles400Good 202491Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 76 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 76% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 60 to 87. 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 atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%above
+0.13
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 59 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 2.9 years old
Progress pupils make20%above
+0.09
DfE progress measure; 59 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.07
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%above
+0.06
2024/25; 366 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 59 pupils
What parents say0%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 Atwood Primary School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. Atwood Primary School scores 76 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 36% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 60 to 87, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is Atwood Primary School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Atwood Primary School good at its last full inspection on 7 November 2023.

How good are Atwood Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 76% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 2% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does Atwood Primary School have?

447 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 472 places, so it is 95% full.

Is Atwood Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

What is attendance like at Atwood Primary School?

Pupils were in school 95.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Atwood Primary School?

The average class had 27.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class 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
Limpsfield Road, Sanderstead, South Croydon, CR2 9EE
Telephone
020 8657 7374
Website
www.pegasusacademytrust.org/atwood-primary-school
Head Teacher
Mr Paul Robins
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The Pegasus Academy Trust (6 schools)
Local authority
Croydon
Ward
Sanderstead
Constituency
Croydon South
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2014 (academy converter)
URN
140517 · LAESTAB 3065202 · UKPRN 10044479
Formerly
Atwood Primary School

Where these figures come from