Side by side
Ark Blake Academy and St Mary's Catholic High School
The published facts for both schools, each with its source. Where a school or the government has not published something, the cell says so. We do not name a winner.
What differs
- Ark Blake Academy takes ages 11 to 18; St Mary's Catholic High School takes ages 11 to 19.
- Ark Blake Academy has 759 pupils; St Mary's Catholic High School has 565.
- The two schools are 0.6 miles apart in a straight line.
Facts side by side
| Fact | Ark Blake Academy | St Mary's Catholic High School |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Type | State-funded: Free school DfE register | State-funded: Voluntary aided school DfE register |
| Ages | 11 to 18 DfE register | 11 to 19 DfE register |
| Gender | Mixed DfE register | Mixed DfE register |
| Pupils | 759 DfE register | 565 DfE register |
| Religious character | Not published | Roman Catholic DfE register |
| Borough | Croydon DfE register | Croydon DfE register |
| Boarding | No DfE register | No DfE register |
| Admissions policy | Non-selective DfE register | Non-selective DfE register |
| Admissions for 2027 | ||
| Next deadline to apply or register | 31 October 2026 (closes in 17 days) school or council page | 31 October 2026 (closes in 17 days) school or council page |
| Applications and places, last round | 115 first preferences for 158 places DfE, September 2026 entry | 45 first preferences for 108 places DfE, September 2026 entry |
| Furthest distance offered, last round (changes every year) | 5.7 miles (Year 7, 2026) | Not published |
| Cost | ||
| Published day fees | No tuition fees (state-funded) | No tuition fees (state-funded) |
| Inspection | ||
| Latest inspection | Ofsted: Good (inspected February 2023) Ofsted | Ofsted report card (January 2026): Expected standard in 4 areas, Needs attention in 2 areas. No overall grade: Ofsted no longer gives one Ofsted |
| Parents who would recommend the school (Ofsted Parent View) | Not published | 70% said yes (10 responses, 10 November 2025 to 6 April 2026) |
| Results | ||
| GCSE: Attainment 8 | 45.6 (2024/25) DfE | 36.5 (2024/25) DfE |
| GCSE: grade 5+ in English and maths | 51% (2024/25) DfE | 23% (2024/25) DfE |
| Where leavers went | ||
| Stayed in education or work after GCSEs | Not published | 90% (left 2022/23) DfE |
| Pupils | ||
| Eligible for free school meals | 50.4% DfE register | 34.3% DfE register |
| English as an additional language | 33.9% school census 2024/25 | 61.3% school census 2024/25 |
Pupils with special educational needs getting extra help in school (SEN support, without an Education, Health and Care plan)What do these mean?Special educational needs (SEN) support is help a school gives from its own resources to a child who needs more help with learning than most children of the same age: for example extra teaching, work in a small group, or a teaching assistant. There is no legal plan. An Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) is a legal document written by the council for a child who needs more support than a school can usually give from its own resources. It says what help the child must get, and the council must make sure it is provided. A pupil is counted in one group or the other, not both. Both figures are a share of all pupils at the school, counted by the Department for Education in the January school census (January 2025, academic year 2024/25). To compare schools, look at the same two figures for other schools. Each is a share of that school's own pupils, so schools of different sizes can be set side by side. A higher figure is not better or worse: it says how many pupils get this help, not how good the help is. | 13.6% Department for Education school census, January 2025 | 11% Department for Education school census, January 2025 |
| Pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP: a legal plan for children with higher needs) | 1.4% Department for Education school census, January 2025 | 2.5% Department for Education school census, January 2025 |
| Pupils per teacher | 16.4 DfE workforce census | 18.2 DfE workforce census |
| Overall absence | 8.5% DfE, 2024/25 | 5.8% DfE, 2024/25 |
DfE register: Get Information About Schools, daily extract as at 7 October 2026. Other sources are named in each cell; every figure links to its source on the school's own page.
Shaded cells differ between the two schools. A blank is not a weakness: it means the figure has not been published, or does not apply to that type of school. Fees and results are not comparable between state and independent schools.