School Chooser

The Sherwood School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedCouncil263 pupilsNurseryMitchamMerton
School Chooser Score
38
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 21 to 60
Out of 100. Better than 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, July 2023
Reached the expected level at 1164%England 63%
Attendance94.0%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families37%Far more than most schools
Places49 spare263 pupils, 312 places
Pupils per teacher19.5School workforce census

The Sherwood School is a council school in Mitcham for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 263 pupils and room for 312. About 37 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 38 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2023.

Abbotts Road, Mitcham, CR4 1JP020 8764 5100thesherwoodschool.co.ukMrs Andriana Loizou-Samouel headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 12 July 2023 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

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

Reached the expected level at 1164%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level4%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score103.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 40%40%20172018: 66%66%20182019: 68%68%20192023: 48%48%20232024: 45%45%20242025: 64%64%2025
Since 2017: +24%Steady overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017MertonEngland
Pupils tested475144445853
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths64%45%48%68%66%40%71%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths4%10%14%9%17%2%11%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0103.0102.0105.0103.0102.0107.9105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score103.0101.0102.0105.0105.0103.0107.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score105.0105.0104.0108.0108.0105.0108.6105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard81%63%66%73%69%62%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard77%61%59%82%79%68%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)74%65%70%84%79%60%
Reading progressReading progress score-0.7+1.3-1.8-1.4
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.4+0.5+0.7-1.0
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged71%24%25%36%63%37%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged61%56%61%83%67%41%

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. 2 of the 4 gaps are 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
71%61%
Gap 10 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
59%67%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Pupils learning English vs all pupils
72%64%
Gap 8 ptsEngland 4 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%4%
Gap 4 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.

Plenty of spare places286 pupils for 420 places, 2024/25
68% full

134 places were empty (32% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 13% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Will my child get a place?

In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.

We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.

How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place.

EntryPlacesApplied at allHow far the last child livedSource
2026 Primary3057all offeredLA
2025 Primary6066all offeredLA
2024 Primary6076all offeredLA
2023 Primary6076all offeredLA
2022 Primary4573all offeredLA
2021 Primary6073all offeredLA

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 roll263Census January 2026
Places31284% full
Pupils from low-income families35%37% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English46%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support16%43 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%9 pupils with a plan
Average class size22.711 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)37%£142,600 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls135 / 128
White British pupils15%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.7 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 21.3 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (19), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (14), emotional and mental health (10), Other difficulty or disability (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll263307329329360371
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals35%30%30%32%29%25%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language46%46%41%42%40%40%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%15%17%20%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%2%2%3%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.0% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.0%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school18.9%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.8%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence6.1%6.9%8.6%7.0%4.5%4.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.3%4.9%5.8%5.0%3.3%3.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.8%2.1%2.8%2.1%1.2%1.0%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence18.9%23.2%33.0%22.5%13.6%11.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.70.91.20.61.1
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff and money

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

Teachers13.0full-time equivalent, 14 people
Pupils per teacher19.5Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants7.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£60,737
Teachers who left in the year33%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher6.62024/25

Money

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

Spend per pupil£8,912England £7,738. Total £2.6m
Income per pupil£9,151England £7,697. Total £2.7m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,235England £3,480
Money in reserve1%Very little put by: £36k, £123 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£70kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,912spent 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 m32312 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate74 per 1,000 people19% lower than the England average
Typical house price£550,000Merton
Nearest bus stop290 mSherwood Park Road (CR4), 5 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
Harris Primary Academy MertonAcademy560 m486Outstanding 202483Compare
William Morris Primary SchoolCouncil700 m270Good 202263Compare
Lonesome Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles273Not inspected27Compare
Gonville AcademyAcademy0.9 miles427Good 202388Compare
St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic0.9 miles408Good 202377Compare
Norbury Manor Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles406Good 202331Compare
Woodmansterne SchoolCouncil1.0 miles1,637No overall grade 202474Compare
Cranmer Primary SchoolCouncil1.0 miles430Good 202320Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares The Sherwood 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.

Beats45%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 38 is 4 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 42 · 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 The Sherwood 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
David Livingstone AcademyAcademy2.0 miles198Not inspected82Compare
Sudbourne Primary SchoolCouncil4.3 miles296Good 202372Compare
Ronald Ross Primary SchoolCouncil4.8 miles236Outstanding 202496Compare
Park Walk Primary SchoolCouncil6.1 miles192Report card 202664Compare
Millbank Gardens Primary AcademyAcademy6.5 miles260Not inspected99Compare
Brackenbury Primary SchoolCouncil8.1 miles296Good 202276Compare
St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England9.3 miles246Report card 202667Compare
Kenmont Primary SchoolCouncil10.1 miles213Good 202383Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 38 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 38% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 21 to 60. 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%below
-0.11
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 47 pupils
Ofsted inspection20% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.01
Ofsted grade, 3.2 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
+0.03
DfE progress measure; 47 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%above
+0.04
results and attendance rising year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.07
2024/25; 280 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.05
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 47 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 The Sherwood School a good school?

It is about average. The Sherwood School scores 38 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 45% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 21 to 60, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is The Sherwood School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Sherwood School good at its last full inspection on 12 July 2023.

How good are The Sherwood School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 64% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 4% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does The Sherwood School have?

263 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 312 places, so it is 84% full.

Is The Sherwood School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 134 places were empty in 2024/25 (32% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at The Sherwood School?

Pupils were in school 94.0% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at The Sherwood School?

The average class had 22.7 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
Abbotts Road, Mitcham, CR4 1JP
Telephone
020 8764 5100
Website
www.thesherwoodschool.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Andriana Loizou-Samouel
Type of school
Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Merton
Ward
Pollards Hill
Constituency
Mitcham and Morden
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
102646 · LAESTAB 3152074 · UKPRN 10080004

Where these figures come from