Paxton Academy Sports And Science
843 London Road, Thornton Heath, CR7 6AW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Free schools
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- WANDLE LEARNING TRUST
- Principal
- Headteacher Theresa Moses
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Croydon West
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 630
- Pupils on roll
- 281
- URN
- 140967
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02086832308
About this school
Paxton Academy Sports And Science is a primary academy in Thornton Heath. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 281 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Paxton Academy Sports And Science, and its latest judgement is set out 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
- Outstanding
- 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 | 26 | 31 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 78% | 58% | 87% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 15% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 73% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 82% | 73% | 90% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 92% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 104.0 | 105.0 | 109.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.30 | - | - |
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 Paxton Academy Sports And Science 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 | 78% | 60.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 62.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 87% | 67.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 190 |
| 2023/24 | 212 |
| 2024/25 | 275 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Paxton Academy Sports And Science compares
Paxton Academy Sports And Science ranked 7th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 87% | 6.8% | 55.5% | 281 | — |
| Winterbourne Boys' Academy | 80% | 5.8% | 37.9% | 201 | 0.3 miles |
| Winterbourne Junior Girls' School | 89% | 4.6% | 40.8% | 260 | 0.3 miles |
| Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School | — | 6.7% | 31.9% | 372 | 0.3 miles |
| Gonville Academy | 80% | 5.2% | 27.9% | 427 | 0.3 miles |
| Ecclesbourne Primary School | 75% | 6.1% | 35.9% | 417 | 0.6 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)
- 55.47%
- English as an additional language
- 48.4%
- Overall absence
- 6.75%
- Persistent absence
- 26.15%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Winterbourne Boys' Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Thornton Heath
-
Winterbourne Junior Girls' School0.3 miles
Primary · Thornton Heath
-
Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School0.3 miles
Primary · Thornton Heath
-
Gonville Academy0.3 miles
Primary · Thornton Heath
-
Ecclesbourne Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Thornton Heath
Other schools in Thornton Heath
Paxton Academy Sports And Science ranks 3rd of the 11 ranked primary schools in Thornton Heath.
- Beulah Junior School Primary
- David Livingstone Academy Primary
- Ecclesbourne Primary School Primary
- Gonville Academy Primary
- Kensington Avenue Primary School Primary
- St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary Academy Primary
- St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Whitehorse Manor Infant School Primary
- Whitehorse Manor Junior School Primary
- Winterbourne Boys' Academy Primary
- Winterbourne Junior Girls' School Primary
- Winterbourne Nursery and Infants' School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Paxton Academy Sports And Science teach?
- Paxton Academy Sports And Science teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Thornton Heath.
- Who is the principal of Paxton Academy Sports And Science?
- The principal of Paxton Academy Sports And Science is Headteacher Theresa Moses, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Paxton Academy Sports And Science been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Paxton Academy Sports And Science, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Paxton Academy Sports And Science?
- Paxton Academy Sports And Science has 281 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is Paxton Academy Sports And Science full?
- Paxton Academy Sports And Science has capacity for 630 pupils and 281 on roll (45%), 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 Paxton Academy Sports And Science a faith school?
- No. Paxton Academy Sports And Science has no designated religious character.
- Is Paxton Academy Sports And Science a selective school?
- No. Paxton Academy Sports And Science is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Paxton Academy Sports And Science have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Paxton Academy Sports And Science as having nursery classes.
- Is Paxton Academy Sports And Science part of an academy trust?
- Paxton Academy Sports And Science is part of WANDLE LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Paxton Academy Sports And Science's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 78% in 2022/23 and 87% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Paxton Academy Sports And Science compare with other schools in Croydon?
- Paxton Academy Sports And Science ranked 7th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 28% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Paxton Academy Sports And Science's absence rate?
- Paxton Academy Sports And Science's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Paxton Academy Sports And Science's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Paxton Academy Sports And Science'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.