Ark Blake Academy
Secondary · Free schools · Ages 11–18 · Croydon
Last distance offered · Year 7 2026
5.692 miles
Published by Croydon Council · offers on 2 March 2026
2021–2025 trend 🔒
Nearby schools' earlier years 🔒
Ark Blake Academy is a secondary school in Croydon for ages 11–18 (free schools). Its latest Ofsted outcome is Good, from the inspection on 22 February 2023. Croydon has published a last distance offered for this school for Year 7 2021 to 2026 entry.
Ark Blake 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 |
|---|---|
| Year 7 2026 | 5.692 mi |
| Year 7 2025 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2023 | 🔒 With a pass |
| Year 7 2021 | 🔒 With a pass |
What the pass includes · How to read it: one past year, not a catchment
What the figures show
- For Year 7 2026, the last child offered a place lived 5.692 miles away, the 6th longest of 15 Croydon secondary schools with a published last distance; the middle figure was 3.51 miles.
- The Year 7 2026 last distance was further than in 2025 and 2021, and the 2026 figure was the longest of the 4 years with a published distance.
- Year 7 2026 had 115 first-choice applications for 158 offers; every first-choice family was offered a place, and 43 offers went to families who ranked it second or lower.
- In 2024/25, 51% of pupils got grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths (England 45%), the 3rd highest of 9 schools: this one and the 8 nearest secondary schools in Croydon.
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
- 6 Morland Road, Croydon, CR0 6NA
- Type
- Free schools
- Phase
- Secondary
- Ages
- 11–18
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Council
- Croydon
- Pupils on roll
- 759 January 2026 school census
- Free school meals
- 50.2% of pupils eligible
- Pupils per teacher
- 16.4
Official record: Get Information about Schools · as at 15 September 2026
Ofsted
Good Inspected 22 February 2023
Strengths
- “Leaders provide a high-quality education at this growing school.”
- “Pupils understand the school’s values of bravery, leadership, aspiration, kindness and endeavour, and why they matter.”
- “They know that leaders are ambitious for all pupils.”
To improve
- “However, this is not as consistent as it should be.”
- “Pupils say that behaviour varies depending on the class they are in, and this is affecting learning in some subjects.”
- “While other pupils’ behaviour creates some anxiety, pupils are safe at this school.”
Safeguarding: Effective
Quoted from the Ofsted report published 27 April 2023 (read the report). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Exam results
| Measure | School | England |
|---|---|---|
| GCSE English and maths, grade 5 or above (2024/25) | 51% | 45% |
| Attainment 8 score (2024/25) | 45.6 | 46 |
Department for Education school performance data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Applications and offers
- 2026 Year 7 entry: 115 first-preference applications, 158 offers in total, 115 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 secondary schools
Straight-line distance, in Croydon.
- St Mary's Catholic High School 0.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Archbishop Tenison's CofE High School 0.8 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Harris Invictus Academy Croydon 0.9 mi School remains Outstanding Last distance published
- Oasis Academy Shirley Park 0.9 mi Not judged Last distance published
- Oasis Academy Arena 1.2 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published
- Coombe Wood School 1.3 mi Good Last distance published
- Harris Academy South Norwood 1.4 mi Good Last distance published
- Coloma Convent Girls' School 1.6 mi No Ofsted grade Last distance published