Thomas More Catholic School

Voluntary aided school·Secondary school Purley, Croydon·CR8 2XP
Composite score
52.6
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#2,204
National rank
#408
In London
#17
In Croydon
Top 70%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
42.1
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
38%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
55%
% EBacc grade 5+
21%
EBacc average points score
3.95

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
100%
60 first choices, 129 places
First choices per place
0.47
fewer first choices than places
Applications naming the school
346
any preference, for 129 places
Last place offered lived
4.62 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 7430 m
Applications from another council area
11%
First preferences per place, last five years▲ 0.07
00.511.5
1 per place
0.2520220.3820230.4420240.4020250.472026

Red dashed line = one first choice per place. How to read this

The cut-off distance is how far the last child offered a place lived, not a catchment boundary: it moves every year with the number of applicants. Published by the council in its 2026 allocation figures, and checked against that document before we show it.

Application figures: DfE, school level applications and offers (2026 intake).

School profile

Age range
11–18
Pupils on roll
631
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic
Admissions
Non-Selective

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
43.1%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
35.5%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
12.2%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
2.7%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
9.2%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
30.4%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
17.9
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£9,686
Typical secondary: £7,815

“Typical” = the median secondary school in England. What this means

What pupils do next

The share of this school's Year 11 leavers in education, training or employment for at least two terms afterwards.

In education, training or work
94%
106 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
92%
Apprenticeship
0%
Employment
2%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

School overview

Thomas More Catholic School is a secondary school serving Purley, Croydon, classified by the DfE as a voluntary aided school with a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 631 pupils aged 11 to 18 on roll. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 42.1 — below the national average (national average: 46). Performance is little changed year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the lower half of secondary schools nationally.

38% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, below the national average of about 45%. 55% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Getting a place is straightforward: for the September 2026 intake every family who made Thomas More Catholic School their first choice was offered one of its 129 Year 7 places. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 4.62 miles from the school in a straight line, according to the council's published allocation figures; the distance changes every year with demand. After Year 11, 94% of its leavers went on to education, an apprenticeship or work that they stayed in for at least two terms. Overall pupil absence was 9.2%. There are about 17.9 pupils per teacher. The school serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage: about 43% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals in the last six years, compared with roughly 24% nationally — useful context when reading the results above. Thomas More Catholic School does not currently have a recent graded Ofsted judgement on record (often the case for newer or recently converted schools), so it is worth asking when its next inspection is expected. This overview is generated automatically from the latest published DfE performance tables and Ofsted data; figures are rounded, and you can check the originals via the official links above.

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