Harris Primary Academy Benson
West Way, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8RQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- HARRIS FEDERATION
- Head of Academy
- Mr Lee Searle
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Harris Federation
- Constituency
- Croydon East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 238
- URN
- 139905
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02087771572
About this school
Harris Primary Academy Benson is a primary academy in Croydon. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 238 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Early years
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 28 | 24 | 34 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 79% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 14% | 25% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 75% | 83% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 79% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 68% | 79% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 107.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.80 | - | - |
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 Harris Primary Academy Benson 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 | 71% | 60.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 79% | 62.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 67.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 199 |
| 2023/24 | 199 |
| 2024/25 | 238 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Harris Primary Academy Benson compares
Harris Primary Academy Benson ranked 32nd of 77 primary schools in Croydon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 5.8% | 33.8% | 238 | — |
| St John's CofE Primary School | 81% | 4.1% | 8.1% | 418 | 0.4 miles |
| Forest Academy | 73% | 5.4% | 61.1% | 180 | 0.5 miles |
| Orchard Way Primary School | 67% | 6.8% | 21.5% | 204 | 0.9 miles |
| Oak Lodge Primary School | 73% | 4.6% | 10.7% | 565 | 1.0 miles |
| Applegarth Academy | 88% | 6.1% | 52% | 396 | 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)
- 33.8%
- English as an additional language
- 19.7%
- Overall absence
- 5.82%
- Persistent absence
- 12.3%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St John's CofE Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Forest Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Orchard Way Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Oak Lodge Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · West Wickham
-
Applegarth Academy1.3 miles
Primary · Croydon
Other schools in Croydon
Harris Primary Academy Benson ranks 13th of the 33 ranked primary schools in Croydon.
- Aerodrome Primary Academy Primary
- Applegarth Academy Primary
- Ark Oval Primary Academy Primary
- Beddington Park Academy Primary
- Broadmead Primary School Primary
- Castle Hill Academy Primary
- Chestnut Park Primary School Primary
- Courtwood Primary School Primary
- Elmwood Infant School Primary
- Elmwood Junior School Primary
- Fairchildes Primary School Primary
- Forest Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Harris Primary Academy Benson teach?
- Harris Primary Academy Benson teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Croydon.
- Who is the head of academy of Harris Primary Academy Benson?
- The head of academy of Harris Primary Academy Benson is Mr Lee Searle, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Harris Primary Academy Benson last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Harris Primary Academy Benson, 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 Harris Primary Academy Benson?
- Harris Primary Academy Benson has 238 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Harris Primary Academy Benson full?
- Harris Primary Academy Benson has capacity for 420 pupils and 238 on roll (57%), 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 Harris Primary Academy Benson a faith school?
- No. Harris Primary Academy Benson has no designated religious character.
- Does Harris Primary Academy Benson have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Harris Primary Academy Benson as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Harris Primary Academy Benson?
- Harris Primary Academy Benson is part of HARRIS FEDERATION. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Harris Primary Academy Benson's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 71% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Harris Primary Academy Benson rank locally?
- Harris Primary Academy Benson ranked 32nd of 77 primary schools in Croydon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 41% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Harris Primary Academy Benson's absence rate?
- Harris Primary Academy Benson's overall absence rate is 5.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Harris Primary Academy Benson's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Harris Primary Academy Benson'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 1 July 2026.