Oasis Academy Arena
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Oasis Academy Arena is a sponsored academy in London for boys and girls aged 11 to 16. It has 310 pupils and room for 900. About 54 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 18 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 38% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.
Albert Road, South Norwood, London, SE25 4QL020 8240 6700oasisacademyarena.orgMrs Jeanette Bell principalAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted visited on 14 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.
Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 November 2023 | Requires Improvement S5 Reinspection Visit 1 | Requires improvement |
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
80 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 | 2022 | Croydon | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 80 | 113 | 125 | 124 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | 37.6 | 35.2 | 34.6 | 37.1 | 44.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | -0.50 | -0.54 | -0.69 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | 29% | 32% | 28% | 27% | 41% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | 51% | 48% | 45% | 49% | 61% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | 3.59 | 3.32 | 3.37 | 3.48 | 4.02 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | 71% | 47% | 65% | 52% | 55% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | 28.9 | 30.9 | 29.9 | 33.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | 45.9 | 40.7 | 41.3 | 41.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | 26.0 | 21.2 | 24.1 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | 50.8 | 58.2 | 63.1 | – | – |
Subjects
Results came out for 11 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: Computer Science (14% here, 56% across England), Geography (18% here, 51% across England), History (25% here, 52% across England), French (37% 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 | 79 | 17% | 35% | 54% | 53% | 2,731 of 3,211 |
| English Literature | 79 | 20% | 48% | 66% | 58% | 2,163 of 3,202 |
| English Language | 79 | 11% | 35% | 53% | 54% | 2,814 of 3,210 |
| Combined Science | 78 | 8% | 30% | 41% | 36% | 1,908 of 3,084 |
| Business | 58 | 10% | 33% | 52% | 51% | 1,402 of 1,806 |
| French | 57 | 9% | 37% | 53% | 60% | 1,694 of 1,974 |
| Geography | 55 | 4% | 18% | 38% | 51% | 3,013 of 3,116 |
| Computer Science | 42 | 0% | 14% | 26% | 56% | 1,813 of 1,861 |
| History | 28 | 4% | 25% | 29% | 52% | 2,947 of 3,126 |
| Art and Design | 11 | 0% | 27% | 46% | 58% | – |
| Other Modern Languages | 9 | 0% | 0% | 0% | 49% | – |
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. None of the 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
Admissions policy not published.
528 places were empty (59% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 27% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.
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.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 7 pupils, for autism.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Croydon with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (27), Autistic spectrum disorder (22), Specific learning difficulty (16), Moderate learning difficulty (15), language and communications needs (15), Hearing impairment (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 310 | 369 | 416 | 471 | 498 | 497 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 54% | 52% | 55% | 50% | 49% | 47% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 51% | 48% | 41% | 41% | 36% | 31% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 22% | 20% | 17% | 14% | 10% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 5% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 4% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 89.5% 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 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 10.5% | 13.0% | 12.4% | 10.5% | 7.7% | 8.0% | 8.6% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 4.3% | 4.2% | 4.7% | 5.2% | 4.7% | 4.2% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 6.2% | 8.8% | 7.7% | 5.3% | 3.0% | 3.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 33.0% | 39.2% | 34.9% | 33.1% | 22.1% | 25.6% | 23.9% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 30.6 | 18.0 | 20.6 | 9.6 | 3.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 125 pupils who left in 2022/23 were a year later.
Among pupils from low-income families it was 78%, compared with 92% for everyone else.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2022/23 leavers | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 84% | 90% | 87% | 88% |
| Education | 81% | 87% | 82% | 87% |
| Apprenticeship | 2% | 0% | 3% | 0% |
| Work | 2% | 2% | 3% | 1% |
| Not in education, work or training | 10% | 5% | 10% | 11% |
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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oasis Academy Shirley Park | Academy | 0.7 miles | 1,017 | No overall grade 2024 | 43 | Compare |
| Harris Academy South Norwood | Academy | 0.8 miles | 1,008 | Good 2022 | 69 | Compare |
| Orion Eden Park | Free school | 1.0 miles | 1,148 | Report card 2026 | 31 | Compare |
| Orchard Park High School | Academy | 1.2 miles | 675 | Good 2024 | 60 | Compare |
| Ark Blake Academy | Free school | 1.2 miles | 759 | Good 2023 | 50 | Compare |
| Harris City Academy Crystal Palace | Academy | 1.4 miles | 1,191 | No overall grade 2025 | 85 | Compare |
| Harris Academy Beckenham | Academy | 1.6 miles | 1,302 | Outstanding 2023 | 85 | Compare |
| Coloma Convent Girls' School | Academy | 1.7 miles | 967 | Report card 2026 | 84 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares Oasis Academy Arena with the 45 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 45 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 45 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than Oasis Academy Arena, 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris Academy Peckham | Academy | 5.5 miles | 458 | No overall grade 2025 | 63 | Compare |
| Addey and Stanhope School | Voluntary | 5.8 miles | 589 | Good 2023 | 24 | Compare |
| St. Thomas More Language College | Academy | 8.1 miles | 489 | Good 2022 | 48 | Compare |
| Eastlea Community School | Academy | 9.5 miles | 593 | No overall grade 2025 | 31 | Compare |
| Waterside Academy | Free school | 10.1 miles | 351 | Report card 2026 | 79 | Compare |
| North Brent School | Free school | 13.6 miles | 521 | Good 2024 | 43 | Compare |
| Clarion | Academy | 14.2 miles | 689 | Good 2022 | 60 | Compare |
| King Solomon High School | Jewish | 15.3 miles | 636 | Requires improvement 2024 | 26 | Compare |
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 18 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 18% of secondary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 12 to 25. 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% | below | -0.19 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 80 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | below | -0.12 | Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | below | -0.16 | DfE progress measure; 80 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.04 | results and attendance falling year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | below | -0.08 | 2024/25; 391 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | below | -0.04 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 80 pupils |
| What pupils do next | 5% | well below | -0.07 | 125 pupils |
| 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 Oasis Academy Arena a good school?
The figures are weak. Oasis Academy Arena scores 18 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 38% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 12 to 25, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is Oasis Academy Arena's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 14 April 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as needs attention, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.
How good are Oasis Academy Arena's GCSE results?
In summer 2025, 29% 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 37.6, against 46.8 for England. In each subject, pupils here finished most of a grade behind children across England who started secondary school at the same level.
How many pupils does Oasis Academy Arena have?
310 pupils aged 11 to 16 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 900 places, so it is 34% full.
Is Oasis Academy Arena oversubscribed?
Probably not. 528 places were empty in 2024/25 (59% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.
What is attendance like at Oasis Academy Arena?
Pupils were in school 89.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 91.4%. 33% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Oasis Academy Arena?
The average class had 16.6 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 22.8. No class had more than 30 pupils.
Does Oasis Academy Arena have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for autism. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does Oasis Academy Arena have a sixth form?
No. Pupils leave after Year 11 for a sixth form elsewhere, a college or an apprenticeship; 84% of 2022/23 leavers were still in education, work or training six months on.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Albert Road, South Norwood, London, SE25 4QL
- Telephone
- 020 8240 6700
- Website
- www.oasisacademyarena.org
- Principal
- Mrs Jeanette Bell
- Type of school
- Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
- Phase
- Secondary school, ages 11-16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Oasis Community Learning (58 schools)
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Ward
- Woodside
- Constituency
- Croydon East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2015 (new provision)
- URN
- 140209 · LAESTAB 3062045 · UKPRN 10053389
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.