Carew Academy
Carew Academy is a special free school in Wallington for boys and girls aged 5 to 18. It has 272 pupils and room for 276. About 58 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2020.
33 Headley Avenue, Wallington, SM6 8NQ020 8647 8349Mr James Kearns headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 15 January 2020, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
39 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England. These are the results of Carew Academy, the school this one replaced.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2022† | 2019† | 2018† | Sutton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 39 | 33 | 39 | 33 | 33 | 22 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 62.2 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | – | – | – | -2.04 | -1.71 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 71% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 85% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 0.11 | 0.07 | 0.08 | 0.00 | 0.04 | 0.08 | 5.76 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 59% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 3.1 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 3.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 1.9 | 2.3 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 2.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 1.7 | 3.8 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 2.0 | – | – |
† These results are for Carew Academy, the school this one replaced in April 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
7 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 Carew Academy, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Sutton | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 7 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 15 | 8 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 71% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 18% | 8% |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -18.8 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -18.7 | – | – | – | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | 0% | – | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | 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 Carew Academy, the school this one replaced in April 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. Every gap at this school 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
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 Sutton council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (149), Moderate learning difficulty (68), language and communications needs (22), Specific learning difficulty (21), emotional and mental health (8), Multi-sensory impairment (1).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 90.1% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24† | 2022/23† | 2021/22† | 2020/21† | 2018/19† | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 9.9% | 14.2% | 12.9% | 12.8% | 21.7% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.3% | 9.6% | 8.4% | 9.1% | 20.3% | 3.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 3.6% | 4.6% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 1.4% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 29.2% | 39.8% | 45.8% | 44.0% | 88.6% | 11.7% | 12.8% |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
† These attendance figures are for Carew Academy, the school this one replaced in April 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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 special 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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High View Primary School | Foundation | 500 m | 438 | Report card 2026 | 66 | Compare |
| The Link School | Academy | 510 m | 167 | No overall grade 2025 | – | Compare |
| Harris Primary Academy Purley Way | Academy | 520 m | 577 | Not inspected | 79 | Compare |
| Wilson's School | Academy (grammar) | 730 m | 1,327 | Outstanding 2022 | 100 | Compare |
| St Elphege's RC Infants' School | Academy | 0.6 miles | 322 | Outstanding 2024 | – | Compare |
| St Elphege's RC Junior School | Academy | 0.6 miles | 382 | Outstanding 2021 | – | Compare |
| Sherwood Foundation School | Foundation special school | 0.7 miles | 204 | Good 2024 | – | Compare |
| The Write Time | Independent | 0.7 miles | 59 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Carew Academy a good school?
Carew Academy doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in January 2020.
What is Carew Academy's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Carew Academy outstanding at its last full inspection on 15 January 2020. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.
How good are Carew Academy'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 2.5, 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 Carew Academy'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 Carew Academy have?
272 pupils aged 5 to 18 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 276 places, so it is 99% full.
What is attendance like at Carew Academy?
Pupils were in school 90.1% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 29% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does Carew Academy 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
- 33 Headley Avenue, Wallington, SM6 8NQ
- Telephone
- 020 8647 8349
- Headteacher
- Mr James Kearns
- Type of school
- Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 5-18, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Orchard Hill College Academy Trust (13 schools)
- Local authority
- Sutton
- Ward
- Beddington
- Constituency
- Carshalton and Wallington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 22 April 2025 (academy free school)
- URN
- 143672 · LAESTAB 3197003 · UKPRN 10095862
- Formerly
- Carew Academy
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.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- 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.
- 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.