Poplar Primary School
Poplar Road South, Merton Park, London, SW19 3JZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Elaine Spick
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Wimbledon
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 708
- Pupils on roll
- 598
- URN
- 102644
- Local authority
- Merton
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02085426989
About this school
Poplar Primary School is a community primary school in London. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 598 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 13 November 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 74 | 74 | 83 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 69% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 14% | 11% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 91% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 85% | 89% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 80% | 91% | 77% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 108.0 | 109.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 109.0 | 108.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +4.80 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Poplar Primary 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 | Merton average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66% | 61.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 69% | 62.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 69.1% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 651 |
| 2023/24 | 634 |
| 2024/25 | 626 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Poplar Primary School compares
Poplar Primary School ranked 22nd of 42 primary schools in Merton for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 3.8% | 21.6% | 598 | — |
| Merton Park Primary School | 93% | 3.4% | 9.6% | 230 | 0.4 miles |
| Park Academy | 94% | 4.6% | 34.7% | 160 | 0.5 miles |
| Abbotsbury Primary School | 58% | 5.9% | 42.2% | 352 | 0.6 miles |
| Hillcross Primary School | 68% | 3.8% | 13.4% | 437 | 0.6 miles |
| Joseph Hood Primary School | 63% | 4.7% | 19.7% | 314 | 0.7 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)
- 21.57%
- English as an additional language
- 46.8%
- Overall absence
- 3.84%
- Persistent absence
- 4.24%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Merton Park Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · London
-
Park Academy0.5 miles
Primary · London
-
Abbotsbury Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Morden
-
Hillcross Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Morden
-
Joseph Hood Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · London
Other schools in London
Poplar Primary School ranks 563rd of the 948 ranked primary schools in London.
- Abacus Belsize Primary School Primary
- Acton Gardens Primary School Primary
- Adamsrill Primary School Primary
- Addison Primary School Primary
- Ainslie Wood Primary School Primary
- Akiva School Primary
- Albemarle Primary School Primary
- Albion Primary School Primary
- Alderbrook Primary School Primary
- Aldersbrook Primary School Primary
- Alderwood Primary School Primary
- Alexander McLeod Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Poplar Primary School teach?
- Poplar Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of Poplar Primary School?
- The headteacher of Poplar Primary School is Mrs Elaine Spick, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Poplar Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Poplar Primary 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 Poplar Primary School?
- Poplar Primary School has 598 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Poplar Primary School full?
- Poplar Primary School has capacity for 708 pupils and 598 on roll (84%), 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 Poplar Primary School a faith school?
- No. Poplar Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Poplar Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Poplar Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Poplar Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 70% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Poplar Primary School rank locally?
- Poplar Primary School ranked 22nd of 42 primary schools in Merton for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 87% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Poplar Primary School's absence rate?
- Poplar Primary School's overall absence rate is 3.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Poplar Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Poplar Primary 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.