School Chooser

Beckmead College

Special · ages 14-19MixedAcademy87 pupilsSixth formLondonCroydon
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, April 2024
Strong pass in English and maths0%England 46%
Attendance73.1%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families55%Far more than most schools
Places25 spare87 pupils, 112 places
Pupils per teacher5.4School workforce census

Beckmead College is a special academy in London for boys and girls aged 14 to 19. It has 87 pupils and room for 112. About 55 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Tennison Road, London, SE25 5RR020 8289 4701beckmeadtrust.org/collegeMr Mark Allen headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 17 April 2024, 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”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Sixth formOfsted calls this “post-16”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (2)
DateTypeOutcomeInspected as
1 July 2025S5 InspectionNot judgedBeckmead Park Academy (predecessor)
17 May 2023UngradedSchool remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 NextBeckmead Park Academy (predecessor)

† These inspections are for Beckmead Park Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Results

GCSE results, summer 2025

23 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.

Average GCSE score7.1
England 46.8
Official name: Attainment 8
Strong pass in English and maths0%
England 46%
Official name: Grade 5+ in English and maths
Standard pass in English and maths9%
England 66%
Official name: Grade 4+ in English and maths
Progress from age 11-2.75In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level. (From 2023/24, the latest year there is. The government didn't work it out for the 2025 year group.)Official name: Progress 8
Trend
Average GCSE score
2018 to 2025
2018: 5.55.520182019: 3.93.920192022: 6.06.020222023: 6.16.120232024: 3.23.220242025: 7.17.12025
Since 2018: +1.6
All GCSE measures, year by year
Measure20252024202320222019†2018†CroydonEngland
Pupils at the end of Year 11232522204037
Average GCSE scoreAttainment 87.13.26.16.03.95.544.546.8
Progress from age 11Progress 8-2.75-1.69-2.60-2.67-2.47
Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%41%46%
Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths9%0%0%5%3%3%61%66%
Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score0.240.170.230.220.160.224.024.15
Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry0%0%0%0%0%0%55%41%
Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged3.24.36.0
Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged3.22.84.1
Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers3.16.35.53.13.9

† These results are for Beckmead Park Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Subjects

Results came out for 4 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.

Subjects that did worse than the England average: Biology (0% here, 82% across England), Mathematics (7% here, 53% across England).

What is taught here
SciencesBiology20

The small number is how many pupils sat each subject. Subjects with fewer than six pupils aren't published.

Every subject against England, 2025
Biology20 entries
0%England 82%
Mathematics15 entries
7%England 53%
17%England 54%
Social Studies11 entries
0%England 54%
SubjectEntriesGrades 9 to 7Grades 9 to 5Grades 9 to 4England 9 to 5Rank in England
Biology200%0%0%82%
Mathematics150%7%27%53%
English Language120%17%25%54%
Social Studies110%0%9%54%

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.

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

9 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way. These are the results of Beckmead Park Academy, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 110%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score97.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score88.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 0%0%20182019: 0%0%20192023: 0%0%20232024: 0%0%20242025: 0%0%2025
Since 2017: +0%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†CroydonEngland
Pupils tested91329281813
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%70%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%10%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score97.097.099.097.092.098.0106.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score88.096.095.096.094.096.0105.8104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score94.097.098.095.093.099.0106.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard11%15%34%18%11%15%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard0%15%21%14%6%23%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)22%0%3%0%0%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-5.8-7.3-9.0-8.3
Maths progressMaths progress score-7.3-7.8-8.3-8.4
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged0%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged0%0%

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.

† These results are for Beckmead Park Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

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 the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll87Census January 2026
Places11278% full
Pupils from low-income families51%55% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English0%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support3%3 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan97%84 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)67%£29,150 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls81 / 6
White British pupils35%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (47), Autistic spectrum disorder (13), Moderate learning difficulty (9), Other difficulty or disability (7), language and communications needs (7), Specific learning difficulty (4).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025202420232022
Pupils on roll8784777280
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals51%50%44%50%54%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language0%2%4%3%3%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support5%8%11%9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans95%92%89%91%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 73.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance73.1%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school81.6%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils32.12024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission13.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence26.9%28.7%34.4%28.2%11.1%12.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence13.5%12.6%16.5%12.5%4.2%6.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence13.4%16.1%17.9%15.8%6.8%6.7%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence81.6%76.5%87.2%76.1%30.3%36.4%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate32.141.658.322.5
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions1000

† These attendance figures are for Beckmead Park Academy, the school this one replaced in September 2021. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

What pupils do next

After GCSEs

Where the 22 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.

Still in education, work or training68%and stayed there for at least six months

Among pupils from low-income families it was 68%, compared with – for everyone else.

Earlier years
Destination2022/23 leavers2021/22 leavers
Still in education, work or training68%90%
Education68%85%
Apprenticeship0%0%
Work0%5%
Not in education, work or training23%10%

Staff and money

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

Teachers16.0full-time equivalent, 17 people
Pupils per teacher5.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers71%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants19.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£57,868
Teachers who left in the year9%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher9.32024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£35,345England £30,720. Total £3.0m
Income per pupil£42,298England £33,526. Total £3.6m
Spent on teachers per pupil£12,440England £11,966
Money in reserve-3%In the red: -£96k, -£1,147 per pupil. England 16%
Money in against money out+£584kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£35,345spent 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 m95512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate106 per 1,000 people16% higher than the England average
Typical house price£425,000Croydon
Nearest bus stop40 mSelhurst Road / Park Road, 18 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Harris Professional Skills Sixth FormFree schools 16 to 19280 m280Not inspectedCompare
Harris Aspire AcademyFree schools alternative provision280 m2Outstanding 2023Compare
Heavers Farm Primary SchoolCouncil370 m259Good 202310Compare
St Chad's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy380 m336Good 202486Compare
South Norwood PrimaryAcademy520 m356Good 202324Compare
Harris Academy South NorwoodAcademy600 m1,008Good 202269Compare
St Mark's Church of England Primary AcademyAcademy690 m146Good 202351Compare
Crosfield Nursery SchoolLocal authority nursery school740 m78Good 2024Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Beckmead College a good school?

Beckmead College doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in April 2024.

What is Beckmead College's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Beckmead College good at its last full inspection on 17 April 2024.

How good are Beckmead College's GCSE results?

In summer 2025, 0% 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 7.1, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished well over a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.

How good are Beckmead College's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 0% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Beckmead College have?

87 pupils aged 14 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 112 places, so it is 78% full.

What is attendance like at Beckmead College?

Pupils were in school 73.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 82% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does Beckmead College have a sixth form?

Yes.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Tennison Road, London, SE25 5RR
Telephone
020 8289 4701
Website
www.beckmeadtrust.org/college
Headteacher
Mr Mark Allen
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 14-19, with sixth form
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
None
Multi-academy trust
The Beckmead Trust (12 schools)
Local authority
Croydon
Ward
South Norwood
Constituency
Croydon West
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2021 (split school)
URN
148772 · LAESTAB 3065951 · UKPRN 10089411
Formerly
Beckmead Park Academy

Recent changes

  • New KS4 results for 2024/25

Where these figures come from