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Ark Blake Academy[1]

Secondary · ages 11–18

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Headline results

Attainment 8
A8 44 43.5 2025/26[2]

Results

GCSE (key stage 4)

Attainment 8
43.5 2025/26[2]
Grade 5+ in English & maths
45.5% 2025/26[2]
Grade 7+ in English & maths
10.9% 2025/26[2]
Progress 8, 2025/26
Not calculated[3]
Progress 8, 2024/25
Not calculated[3]
Earlier years
Year Attainment 8 Grade 5+ in English & maths Grade 7+ in English & maths
2024/25 45.6[4] 50.6%[4]

Ofsted

Latest inspection
22 Feb 2023[5]
Type
S5 Inspection[5]
Report published
26 Apr 2023[5]
Personal development
Good[5]
Quality of education
Good[5]
Overall effectiveness
Good[5]
Behaviour and attitudes
Requires improvement[5]
Safeguarding is effective
Yes[5]
Effectiveness of leadership and management
Good[5]

Competition to get in

Applications and offers, Year 7

Applications per place
2.7 Entry Sept 2026[6]
Applications (any preference)
421 Entry Sept 2026[6]
First preferences
115 Entry Sept 2026[6]
Places offered
158 Entry Sept 2026[6]
First preferences per place
0.7 Entry Sept 2026[6]
Earlier years
Entry Applications First preferences Places offered Per place First preferences per place
Entry Sept 2025 416[6] 117[6] 157[6] 2.6[6] 0.7[6]
Entry Sept 2024 429[6] 107[6] 162[6] 2.6[6] 0.7[6]
Entry Sept 2023 581[6] 189[6] 178[6] 3.3[6] 1.1[6]
Entry Sept 2022 649[6] 188[6] 174[6] 3.7[6] 1.1[6]

Admissions

Application deadline, 11+ entry
31 Oct 2026 Entry Sept 2027[7]

Character & practicalities

Type
Free schools[1]
Ages
11–18[1]
Boys / girls
Mixed[1]
Admissions
Non-selective[1]
Boarding
No boarders[1]
Capacity
1200[1]
Trust
ARK SCHOOLS[1]
Local authority
Croydon[1]
Website
www.arkblake.org[1]
District
Croydon[8]
Postcode
CR0 6NA[1]
URN
147832[1]

School details as recorded in Get Information About Schools on 14 Oct 2026.

Pupils

Number on roll
782 2024/25[9]
English as an additional language
33.9% 2024/25[9]
SEN support
13.6% 2024/25[9]
EHC plan
1.4% 2024/25[9]
Free school meals in the last 6 years
52.8% 2024/25[9]

Pupils' ethnicity 2025/26

White
27.1%[10]
Mixed
19.1%[10]
Asian
9.1%[10]
Black
28.6%[10]
Any other ethnic group
5.7%[10]
Unclassified
10.4%[10]

The school census's major ethnic groups as shares of the school's pupils, summed by us from the published counts. For information only: never used to rank, filter or colour schools.

Sources

  1. Department for Education: Get Information About Schools: all establishments. Period 2026-10-14, published 2026-10-14. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  2. Department for Education: Performance tables schools data (explore education statistics). Period 2025/26, provisional, published 2026-10-15. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  3. Department for Education: Key stage 4 performance 2024/25: data guidance. Period 2024/25. Archived copy; original. Licence: OGL-3.0.
    Quote
    It is not possible to calculate Progress 8 for academic years 2024/25 and 2025/26 due to gaps in the baseline caused by COVID-19 disruption.
  4. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: KS4 final. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  5. Ofsted: State-funded schools inspections and outcomes. Period 2022/23. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  6. Department for Education: Primary and secondary school applications and offers: school level. Period Entry Sept 2026, final, published 2026-06-29. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  7. arkblake.org: arkblake.org — Ark Blake Academy Admission Policy 2027-28 (PDF). Period 2026-03-20. Archived copy; original. Licence: copyright-quoted.
    Quote
    September-October 2026: The academy provides opportunities for prospective pupils and their parents/carers to visit the academy. 31st October 2026: National closing date for Secondary applications. (p. 4)
  8. Office for National Statistics: Parish to Ward to Local Authority District (May 2026) Lookup in EW. Period 2026-05-01. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  9. Department for Education: Compare School Performance download: School census. Period 2024/25, final. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.
  10. Department for Education: Schools, pupils and their characteristics: school level underlying data. Period 2025/26, published 2026-06-04. Publication page. Data file. Licence: OGL-3.0.