Coombe Wood School

Free schools·Secondary school Croydon·CR2 7HY
Composite score
65.8
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#641
National rank
#189
In London
#2
In Croydon
Top 20%
Nationally

Performance (KS4 GCSE)

Attainment 8 score
52.6
National avg ≈ 46
Progress 8 score
—
% achieving 9–5 in English & Maths
55%
% achieving 9–4 in English & Maths
74%
% EBacc grade 5+
37%
EBacc average points score
4.94

Ofsted judgements

Legacy framework · Read full report ↗

Overall effectiveness
Good
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour and attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Safeguarding effective?
Yes
Sixth form provision
Good

Getting a place

Offered a place after putting it first
45%
321 first choices, 174 places
First choices per place
1.84
more first choices than places
Applications naming the school
1,239
any preference, for 174 places
Last place offered lived
1.10 mi
straight line, 2026 intake · 1778 m
Applications from another council area
3%
First preferences per place, last five years▼ 0.61
012345
1 per place
3.9620223.2720232.3520242.4620251.842026

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
1,136
Gender
Mixed

Pupil background

% FSM ever-6
31.6%
Typical secondary: 27.5%
% EAL
23.2%
Typical secondary: 12.0%

Special educational needs

% SEN support
8.3%
Typical secondary: 13.7%
% with an EHC plan
3.4%
Typical secondary: 2.9%

Attendance

Overall absence
7.4%
Typical secondary: 8.9%
Persistently absent
22.0%
Typical secondary: 25.7%

Staffing & funding

Pupils per teacher
17.2
Typical secondary: 16.7
Spend per pupil
£7,833
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%
179 pupils tracked
Stayed in education
91%
Apprenticeship
3%
Employment
1%

DfE, KS4 destination measures.

Nearby secondary schools

Location

Coombe Wood School at a glance

Located in Croydon, Coombe Wood School is a secondary school, classified by the DfE as a free school. The school educates roughly 1,136 pupils aged 11 to 18. Ofsted judged the school to be 'Good' at its most recent inspection. The school's average Attainment 8 score in the latest GCSE results was 52.6 — above the national average (national average: 46). Its Attainment 8 score has risen by 2.0 points year on year. On our composite score, which combines the DfE attainment measures above, this places it in the top 20% of secondary schools nationally.

55% of pupils achieved a grade 5 or above in both English and maths, above the national average of about 45%. 74% achieved a standard pass (grade 4+) in English and maths. Coombe Wood School is oversubscribed: about 4 in 10 of the families who made it their first choice were offered a Year 7 place for September 2026, with 321 first choices for 174 places. In 2026 the furthest child offered a place lived 1.10 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 7.4%. There are about 17.2 pupils per teacher. When comparing schools, it is still worth visiting in person to see whether the atmosphere and approach suit your child. 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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