Side by side
Ark Oval Primary Academy and St. Mary's Catholic Junior 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 Oval Primary Academy takes ages 4 to 11; St. Mary's Catholic Junior School takes ages 7 to 11.
- Ark Oval Primary Academy has 593 pupils; St. Mary's Catholic Junior School has 216.
- We hold a dated 2027 deadline for Ark Oval Primary Academy (15 January 2027) but none for St. Mary's Catholic Junior School.
- The two schools are 0.3 miles apart in a straight line.
Facts side by side
| Fact | Ark Oval Primary Academy | St. Mary's Catholic Junior School |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Type | State-funded: Academy sponsor led DfE register | State-funded: Academy sponsor led DfE register |
| Ages | 4 to 11 DfE register | 7 to 11 DfE register |
| Gender | Mixed DfE register | Mixed DfE register |
| Pupils | 593 DfE register | 216 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 | Not published |
| Admissions for 2027 | ||
| Next deadline to apply or register | 15 January 2027 (open) school or council page | Not published |
| Applications and places, last round | 71 first preferences for 88 places DfE, September 2026 entry | Not published |
| Cost | ||
| Published day fees | No tuition fees (state-funded) | No tuition fees (state-funded) |
| Inspection | ||
| Latest inspection | Ofsted graded inspection, 17 June 2025 Ofsted | Ofsted ungraded inspection, 13 September 2023: School remains Good Ofsted |
| Results | ||
| Key stage 2: expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% (2024/25) DfE | 77% (2024/25) DfE |
| Pupils | ||
| Eligible for free school meals | 34.4% DfE register | 22.7% DfE register |
| English as an additional language | 53.7% school census 2024/25 | 71% school census 2024/25 |
| Receiving SEN support | 19.1% school census 2024/25 | 14.7% school census 2024/25 |
| Pupils per teacher | 25.1 DfE workforce census | 23.5 DfE workforce census |
| Overall absence | 5.7% DfE, 2024/25 | 3.7% DfE, 2024/25 |
DfE register: Get Information About Schools, daily extract as at 2026-10-07. 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.