South Norwood Primary
34 Crowther Road, South Norwood, London, SE25 5QP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE PIONEER ACADEMY
- Headteacher
- Mr James Looker
- Religious ethos
- None
- Sponsor
- The Pioneer Academy
- SEN provision
- MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
- Constituency
- Croydon East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 420
- Pupils on roll
- 356
- URN
- 146543
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02086542983
About this school
South Norwood Primary is a primary academy in London. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 356 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected South Norwood Primary, 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
- 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 | 45 | 44 | 38 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 52% | 63% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 4% | 0% | 5% |
| Expected standard in reading | 60% | 66% | 68% |
| Expected standard in maths | 58% | 66% | 71% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 69% | 61% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 102.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 101.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.00 | - | - |
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 South Norwood Primary 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 | 47% | 60.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 52% | 62.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 63% | 67.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 331 |
| 2023/24 | 334 |
| 2024/25 | 326 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How South Norwood Primary compares
South Norwood Primary ranked 57th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% 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 | 63% | 6.7% | 42.3% | 356 | — |
| St Mark's Church of England Primary Academy | 56% | 5% | 38.2% | 146 | 0.3 miles |
| Heavers Farm Primary School | 48% | 8.3% | 38.2% | 259 | 0.4 miles |
| Oasis Academy Ryelands | 73% | 4.1% | 32.5% | 425 | 0.4 miles |
| St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School | 78% | 4.1% | 11.4% | 409 | 0.4 miles |
| St Chad's Catholic Primary School | 78% | 3.7% | 25% | 336 | 0.5 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)
- 42.33%
- English as an additional language
- 52.8%
- Overall absence
- 6.7%
- Persistent absence
- 16.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mark's Church of England Primary Academy0.3 miles
Primary · London
-
Heavers Farm Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · London
-
Oasis Academy Ryelands0.4 miles
Primary · London
-
St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · London
-
St Chad's Catholic Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · London
Other schools in London
South Norwood Primary ranks 736th 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 ages does South Norwood Primary teach?
- South Norwood Primary teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of South Norwood Primary?
- The headteacher of South Norwood Primary is Mr James Looker, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has South Norwood Primary been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected South Norwood Primary, 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 South Norwood Primary?
- South Norwood Primary has 356 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is South Norwood Primary full?
- South Norwood Primary has capacity for 420 pupils and 356 on roll (85%), 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 South Norwood Primary a faith school?
- No. South Norwood Primary has no designated religious character.
- Is South Norwood Primary part of an academy trust?
- South Norwood Primary is part of THE PIONEER ACADEMY. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does South Norwood Primary have?
- The schools register lists South Norwood Primary's special educational needs provision as: MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have South Norwood Primary's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 47% in 2022/23 and 63% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does South Norwood Primary compare with other schools in Croydon?
- South Norwood Primary ranked 57th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 47% 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 South Norwood Primary's absence rate?
- South Norwood Primary's overall absence rate is 6.7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are South Norwood Primary's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, South Norwood Primary'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 10 July 2026.