Orchard Way Primary School
Orchard Way, Shirley, Croydon, CR0 7NJ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- LUMERO EDUCATIONAL TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Andrew May
- Constituency
- Croydon East
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 204
- URN
- 148971
- Local authority
- Croydon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02087776111
About this school
Orchard Way Primary School is a primary academy in Croydon. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 204 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Orchard Way Primary School, 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 22 January 2025, 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 | 29 | 27 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 67% | 67% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 3% | 7% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 62% | 78% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 83% | 89% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 76% | 78% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | 0.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +1.10 | - | - |
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 Orchard Way 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 | Croydon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 60.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 67% | 62.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 67% | 67.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 198 |
| 2023/24 | 195 |
| 2024/25 | 200 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Orchard Way Primary School compares
Orchard Way Primary School ranked 48th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 67% | 6.8% | 21.5% | 204 | — |
| Monks Orchard Primary School | 73% | 6.9% | 37.2% | 203 | 0.7 miles |
| Oak Lodge Primary School | 73% | 4.6% | 10.7% | 565 | 0.7 miles |
| Marian Vian Primary School | 83% | 4.4% | 18.1% | 634 | 0.8 miles |
| St John's CofE Primary School | 81% | 4.1% | 8.1% | 418 | 0.8 miles |
| Harris Primary Academy Benson | 74% | 5.8% | 33.8% | 238 | 0.9 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)
- 21.5%
- English as an additional language
- 23.5%
- Overall absence
- 6.83%
- Persistent absence
- 18.13%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Monks Orchard Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Oak Lodge Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · West Wickham
-
Marian Vian Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Beckenham
-
St John's CofE Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Croydon
-
Harris Primary Academy Benson0.9 miles
Primary · Croydon
Other schools in Croydon
Orchard Way Primary School ranks 21st 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 ages does Orchard Way Primary School teach?
- Orchard Way Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Croydon.
- Who is the headteacher of Orchard Way Primary School?
- The headteacher of Orchard Way Primary School is Mr Andrew May, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Orchard Way Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Orchard Way 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 many pupils are at Orchard Way Primary School?
- Orchard Way Primary School has 204 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Orchard Way Primary School full?
- Orchard Way Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 204 on roll (97%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Orchard Way Primary School a faith school?
- No. Orchard Way Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Orchard Way Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Orchard Way Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Orchard Way Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Orchard Way Primary School is part of LUMERO EDUCATIONAL TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Orchard Way Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 67% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Orchard Way Primary School compare with other schools in Croydon?
- Orchard Way Primary School ranked 48th of 77 primary schools in Croydon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 57% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Orchard Way Primary School's absence rate?
- Orchard Way Primary School's overall absence rate is 6.8% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Orchard Way Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Orchard Way 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 3 July 2026.