Side by side
Harris Academy Purley and Wilson's 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
- Harris Academy Purley takes boys and girls; Wilson's School is a boys' school.
- Harris Academy Purley takes ages 11 to 19; Wilson's School takes ages 11 to 18.
- Harris Academy Purley has 1,013 pupils; Wilson's School has 1,327.
- The two schools are 0.9 miles apart in a straight line.
Facts side by side
| Fact | Harris Academy Purley | Wilson's School |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Type | State-funded: Academy sponsor led DfE register | State-funded: Academy converter DfE register |
| Ages | 11 to 19 DfE register | 11 to 18 DfE register |
| Gender | Mixed DfE register | Boys DfE register |
| Pupils | 1,013 DfE register | 1,327 DfE register |
| Religious character | Not published | Church of England DfE register |
| Borough | Croydon DfE register | Sutton DfE register |
| Boarding | No DfE register | No DfE register |
| Admissions policy | Non-selective DfE register | 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 | 109 first preferences for 178 places DfE, September 2026 entry | 413 first preferences for 215 places DfE, September 2026 entry |
| Cost | ||
| Published day fees | No tuition fees (state-funded) | No tuition fees (state-funded) |
| Inspection | ||
| Latest inspection | Ofsted: Good (inspected February 2023) Ofsted | Ofsted: Outstanding (inspected September 2022) Ofsted |
| Results | ||
| GCSE: Attainment 8 | 46.8 (2024/25) DfE | 86.9 (2024/25) DfE |
| GCSE: grade 5+ in English and maths | 50% (2024/25) DfE | 100% (2024/25) DfE |
| A level: average grade | C (2024/25) DfE | A (2024/25) DfE |
| A level: points per entry | 29.3 (2024/25) DfE | 50.6 (2024/25) DfE |
| Where leavers went | ||
| Stayed in education or work after GCSEs | 95% (left 2022/23) DfE | 100% (left 2022/23) DfE |
| Stayed in education or work after 16 to 18 | 82% (left 2022/23) DfE | 97% (left 2022/23) DfE |
| Pupils | ||
| Eligible for free school meals | 39.2% DfE register | 5.9% DfE register |
| English as an additional language | 40.1% school census 2024/25 | 47.3% 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. | 10.9% Department for Education school census, January 2025 | 1.4% Department for Education school census, January 2025 |
| Pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP: a legal plan for children with higher needs) | 1.6% Department for Education school census, January 2025 | 0.5% Department for Education school census, January 2025 |
| Pupils per teacher | 17.8 DfE workforce census | 16.4 DfE workforce census |
| Overall absence | 7.2% DfE, 2024/25 | 2.8% 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.