Forest Academy
Bridle Road, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 8HQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP ACADEMY TRUST
- Principal
- Swabra Lloyd
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Inspire Partnership Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Croydon East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 656
- Pupils on roll
- 180
- URN
- 140113
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02087772808
About this school
Forest Academy is a primary academy in Croydon. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 180 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
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
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- 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 | 29 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 83% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 18% | 14% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 82% | 86% | 77% |
| Expected standard in maths | 86% | 93% | 77% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 90% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 106.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 108.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.10 | - | - |
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 Forest Academy 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 | 83% | 62.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 67.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 198 |
| 2023/24 | 192 |
| 2024/25 | 190 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Forest Academy compares
Forest Academy ranked 35th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 5.4% | 61.1% | 180 | — |
| Harris Primary Academy Benson | 74% | 5.8% | 33.8% | 238 | 0.5 miles |
| Oak Lodge Primary School | 73% | 4.6% | 10.7% | 565 | 0.7 miles |
| St John's CofE Primary School | 81% | 4.1% | 8.1% | 418 | 0.9 miles |
| Orchard Way Primary School | 67% | 6.8% | 21.5% | 204 | 1.0 miles |
| Applegarth Academy | 88% | 6.1% | 52% | 396 | 1.1 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)
- 61.05%
- English as an additional language
- 34.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.4%
- Persistent absence
- 12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Harris Primary Academy Benson0.5 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Oak Lodge Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · West Wickham
-
St John's CofE Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Orchard Way Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Applegarth Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Croydon
Other schools in Croydon
Forest Academy ranks 15th 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
- Forestdale Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Forest Academy teach?
- Forest Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Croydon.
- Who is the principal of Forest Academy?
- The principal of Forest Academy is Swabra Lloyd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Forest Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Forest Academy, 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 Forest Academy?
- Forest Academy has 180 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Forest Academy full?
- Forest Academy has capacity for 656 pupils and 180 on roll (27%), 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 Forest Academy a faith school?
- No. Forest Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Forest Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Forest Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Forest Academy?
- Forest Academy is part of INSPIRE PARTNERSHIP ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Forest Academy'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 73% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Forest Academy rank locally?
- Forest Academy ranked 35th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 49% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Forest Academy's absence rate?
- Forest Academy's overall absence rate is 5.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Forest Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Forest Academy'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.