Ofsted: Outstanding trending_up Popular emoji_events #3 in Croydon public Top 10% UK

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personHead not listed

corporate_fareHARRIS FEDERATION

location_onLondon, SE19 2JH

language Visit Website phone 2087712261

verified

Ofsted

Outstanding

Inspected 2025

groups

Students

1,271

trending_up

Attainment 8

52.3

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GCSE Rank

#3 in Croydon

#685 of 3,216 nationally

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Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is a Academy sponsor led secondary school in London, serving ages 11-18. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted — the highest possible grade. Demand is above capacity (1.4×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is an academy sponsor led in London, Croydon, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. It is part of HARRIS FEDERATION. The school has approximately 1,162 pupils on roll, of whom 41% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 52.3, placing the school #3 in Croydon and #685 of 3,216 nationally. 57.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 21.6% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 17 A-level subjects. 42.0% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 16.3% at A*–A. A-level value added: -0.09 — sixth-form progress was broadly average.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2025. The school's current overall rating is Outstanding. Inspectors assessed quality of education as Outstanding, behaviour and attitudes Outstanding, personal development Outstanding, and leadership and management Outstanding.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.4× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 19.7:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were 3 permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 1.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

52.3

Grade 5+ E&M

57.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)21.6%

Entering EBacc79.10%

EBacc APS4.8

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.24

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc74.60%

EBacc APS4.79

2023

Progress 8 Score

-0.10

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

48.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc68%

EBacc APS4.47

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.26

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.4

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc87%

EBacc APS5.13

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc87%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.6

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc85%

EBacc APS5.25

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.46

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

56.2

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc82%

EBacc APS5.15

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

93%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)92%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)5%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)93%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)4%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)97%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)95%

Apprenticeships0%

Employment1%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)2%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

-0.09

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*6.1%

Achieving A*–A16.3%

Achieving A*–B42.0%

VA Banding Average

Retention rate94.0%

A-level subjects offered17

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.23

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make below-expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

Students

106

Retention rate100.00%

2023

Avg Grade

Students

123

Retention rate100.00%

2022

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate96.8%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

01 April 2025

Inspection Report

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16 October 2014

Inspection Report

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22 March 2011

Inspection Report

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07 October 2009

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2025-04-01

S5 Inspection EIF

Not Judged

info

Why no overall grade?

From autumn 2024, Ofsted stopped issuing a single headline grade (Outstanding / Good / RI / Inadequate). Instead, each inspection area is graded individually. This follows a major review after the death of headteacher Ruth Perry in 2023. The overall effectiveness field is left as "Not judged" in the published data.

Education

Outstanding

Behaviour

Outstanding

Development

Outstanding

Leadership

Outstanding

2014-10-16

Exempt School Inspection EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

2009-10-07

None EIF

Outstanding

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Outstanding

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

2.1%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

1.8%(21 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,162 pupils. During this period, there were 24 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 2.1%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,162	24	2.1%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,175	8	0.7%	7.8%	3
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,245	26	2.1%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,258	37	2.9%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,266	57	4.5%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,280	63	4.9%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,271	44	3.5%	6.4%	1
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,286	52	4.0%	5.9%	2
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,282	19	1.5%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,294	16	1.2%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,309	15	1.1%	4.4%	0
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,286	30	2.3%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,291	10	0.8%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,294	11	0.9%	3.9%	0
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,261	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,261	7	0.6%	3.2%	2
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,274	11	0.9%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,270	11	0.9%	3.1%	1
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,287	12	0.9%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,292	6	0.5%	3.8%	1
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,231	9	0.7%	3.4%	1
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,240	3	0.2%	3.0%	1
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,244	14	1.1%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,218	12	1.0%	3.0%	1
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,231	14	1.1%	3.3%	0
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,241	9	0.7%	3.1%	1

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 38 pupils

Specific Learning Difficulty 35 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 23 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 17 pupils

Hearing Impairment 5 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

Physical Disability 2 pupils

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Harris City Academy Crystal Palace

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in Croydon

Coloma Convent Girls' School

Coombe Wood School

Riddlesdown Collegiate

Harris Academy South Norwood

Norbury High School for Girls

Harris Academy Purley