Side by side
St Nicholas School and The Link 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
- St Nicholas School takes ages 4 to 11; The Link School takes ages 4 to 19.
- St Nicholas School has 273 pupils; The Link School has 167.
- The two schools are 2.7 miles apart in a straight line.
Facts side by side
| Fact | St Nicholas School | The Link School |
|---|---|---|
| The basics | ||
| Type | State-funded: Community special school DfE register | State-funded: Academy special converter DfE register |
| Ages | 4 to 11 DfE register | 4 to 19 DfE register |
| Gender | Mixed DfE register | Mixed DfE register |
| Pupils | 273 DfE register | 167 DfE register |
| Borough | Croydon DfE register | Sutton DfE register |
| Boarding | No DfE register | No DfE register |
| Cost | ||
| Published day fees | No tuition fees (state-funded) | No tuition fees (state-funded) |
| Inspection | ||
| Latest inspection | Ofsted graded inspection, 8 May 2024: Requires improvement at that inspection Ofsted | Ofsted graded inspection, 24 June 2025 Ofsted |
| Where leavers went | ||
| Stayed in education or work after GCSEs | Not published | 100% (left 2022/23) DfE |
| Pupils | ||
| Eligible for free school meals | 43.6% DfE register | 43.2% DfE register |
| English as an additional language | 32.1% school census 2024/25 | 14% school census 2024/25 |
| Receiving SEN support | 1.1% school census 2024/25 | 0% school census 2024/25 |
| Pupils per teacher | 7.8 DfE workforce census | 5.5 DfE workforce census |
| Overall absence | 9.5% DfE, 2024/25 | 13.8% 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.