Thomas More Catholic School
Russell Hill Road, Purley, CR8 2XP
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Head of School
- Mrs Maryssa Dako
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Southwark
- Constituency
- Croydon South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 850
- Pupils on roll
- 599
- URN
- 101821
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02086686251
About this school
Thomas More Catholic School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in Purley. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 599 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 16 October 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 106 | 114 | 113 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.1 | 42.5 | 42.1 |
| Progress 8 score | 0.00 -0.31 to +0.31 | -0.13 -0.41 to +0.15 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 42% | 37.7% | 38.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 58% | 60.5% | 54.9% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 43% | 49.1% | 65.5% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.0 | 3.8 | 4.0 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Thomas More Catholic School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Croydon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44.1 | 37.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 42.5 | 37 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 42.1 | 37 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 652 |
| 2023/24 | 627 |
| 2024/25 | 631 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Thomas More Catholic School compares
Thomas More Catholic School ranked 17th of 23 secondary schools in Croydon for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 46% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 42.1 | 8.7% | 43.1% | 599 | — |
| The John Fisher School | 55.6 | 6.4% | 15.9% | 1,116 | 0.6 miles |
| Harris Academy Purley | 46.8 | 7.2% | 43.4% | 1,013 | 0.8 miles |
| Wilson's School | 86.9 | 2.8% | 5.8% | 1,327 | 1.1 miles |
| Wallington High School for Girls | 80.5 | 4.9% | 12.5% | 1,548 | 1.3 miles |
| Woodcote High School | 46.1 | 9.8% | 25.9% | 1,250 | 1.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 43.11%
- English as an additional language
- 35.5%
- Overall absence
- 8.67%
- Persistent absence
- 25.04%
Location
Nearby schools
-
The John Fisher School0.6 miles
Secondary · Purley
-
Harris Academy Purley0.8 miles
Secondary · South Croydon
-
Wilson's School1.1 miles
Secondary · Wallington
-
Wallington High School for Girls1.3 miles
Secondary · Wallington
-
Woodcote High School1.3 miles
Secondary · Coulsdon
Other schools in Purley
- Riddlesdown Collegiate Secondary
- The John Fisher School Secondary
- Purley Nursery School Nursery
- Beaumont Primary School Primary
- Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley) Primary
- Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School Primary
- Abingdon House School Purley Special schools
- St Nicholas School Special schools
- Laleham Lea School Independent schools
- St David's School Independent schools
Common questions
- What year groups does Thomas More Catholic School teach?
- Thomas More Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Purley.
- Who is the head of school of Thomas More Catholic School?
- The head of school of Thomas More Catholic School is Mrs Maryssa Dako, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Thomas More Catholic School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Thomas More Catholic School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Thomas More Catholic School?
- Thomas More Catholic School has 599 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Thomas More Catholic School full?
- Thomas More Catholic School has capacity for 850 pupils and 599 on roll (70%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Thomas More Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. Thomas More Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
- Is Thomas More Catholic School a selective school?
- No. Thomas More Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Thomas More Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44.1 in 2022/23 and 42.1 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Thomas More Catholic School rank locally?
- Thomas More Catholic School ranked 17th of 23 secondary schools in Croydon for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 46% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 13% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Thomas More Catholic School's absence rate?
- Thomas More Catholic School's overall absence rate is 8.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Thomas More Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Thomas More Catholic School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.