Ark Oval Primary Academy
Primary · Academy sponsor led · Ages 4–11 · Croydon
Last distance offered · Reception 2026
3.833 miles
Published by Croydon Council · offers on 16 April 2026
2023–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Ark Oval Primary Academy is a primary school in Croydon for ages 4–11 (academy sponsor led). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Not judged, from the inspection on 17 June 2025. Croydon has published a last distance offered for this school for Reception 2023 to 2026 entry.
Ark Oval Primary Academy catchment area: last distance offered
Parents often call this the catchment area: it's how far from the school the last child offered a place lived. It changes every year.
| Entry | Last distance offered |
|---|---|
| Reception 2026 | 3.833 mi |
| Reception 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2024 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Reception 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Reception entry in 2026, the last child offered a place lived 3.833 miles away, 23rd longest of 64 Croydon primary schools with a published last distance.
- Reception last distances have swung sharply between some years, and the 2026 figure was the longest of the 4 years with a published distance.
- For Reception entry in 2026, there were 71 first-choice applications for 88 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 17 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- In 2024/25, 66% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of primary school (England 62%).
Worked out by Catchmently from the published figures on this page and those for other Croydon schools. Distances are as published; how they were measured differs between admission authorities.
Key facts
- Address
- 98 Cherry Orchard Road, Croydon, CR0 6BA
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Phase
- Primary
- Ages
- 4–11
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Croydon
- Pupils on roll
- 593 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 34.4% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 25.1
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Not judged Inspected 17 June 2025
Strengths
- “Pupils are happy at this welcoming and inclusive school.”
- “Pupils feel safe and are confident that staff will support them to resolve any worries that they may have.”
- “They ensure that those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are appropriately supported in their learning.”
To improve
- “In some wider subjects, the curriculum is not always presented in the most effective fashion.”
- “Some learning activities do not focus clearly on the important knowledge and skills the pupils need to learn.”
- “At times, the learning is not broken down to allow pupils to absorb new information in manageable amounts.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 21 July 2025 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| Key stage 2 · reading, writing and maths, expected standard (2024/25) | 66% | 62% |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Reception entry: 71 first-preference applications, 88 offers in total, 71 offers to first-preference applicants.
Department for Education, school-level applications and offers, figures on national offer day. Earlier years are in the pass.
Nearby primary schools
Straight-line distance, in Croydon.
- St Mary's Catholic Infant School 0.3 mi Good Last distance published
- St. Mary's Catholic Junior School 0.3 mi School remains Good
- Park Hill Infant School 0.5 mi Outstanding Last distance published
- Park Hill Junior School 0.5 mi Outstanding
- John Wood School & Nursery 0.6 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- Broadmead Primary School 0.7 mi Good Last distance published
- Robert Fitzroy Academy 0.7 mi School remains Good Last distance published
- The Crescent Primary School 0.8 mi Good Last distance published