School admissions in South Croydon
How heavily each school was applied to for September 2026 entry, from the applications and offers every admissions authority reports to the DfE. 7 of these schools also have a published admissions cutoff distance. Sorted by first preferences per place. We don't invent rankings: the order is arithmetic on a published figure, not a view about which school is better.
South Croydon in figures
For Reception places in September 2026, families named the 9 schools in South Croydon first 425 times for 444 places: 0.96 first choices per place, against 1.00 across the Croydon authority's 78 schools. 2 of the 9 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, 3 schools here gave their last places on distance, from 0.53 miles (Greenvale Primary School) to 1.62 miles (Gresham Primary School).
For Year 7 places in September 2026, families named the 3 schools in South Croydon first 496 times for 456 places: 1.09 first choices per place, against 0.86 across the Croydon authority's 23 schools. One of the 3 had more first choices than places. For 2026 entry, one school here gave its last places on distance: Coombe Wood School, to 1.10 miles.
Totals for the schools listed on this page. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE; last-offer distances as the council published them.
Reception places, September 2026
9 schools. 2 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenvale Primary School | 1.21 | 29 | 0.525 miles |
| St Peter's Primary School | 1.12 | 60 | 0.603 miles |
| Quest Primary School | 0.95 | 22 | not published |
| Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School | 0.95 | 59 | not published |
| Gresham Primary School | 0.93 | 30 | 1.622 miles |
| Atwood Primary School | 0.90 | 60 | 1.3 miles |
| Ridgeway Primary School | 0.90 | 80 | 0.947 miles |
| Purley Oaks Primary School | 0.88 | 78 | not published |
| Selsdon Primary and Nursery School | 0.88 | 26 | not published |
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.
Year 7 places, September 2026
3 schools. 1 received more first preferences than they had places.
| School | First preferences per place | Places | Cutoff distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coombe Wood School | 1.84 | 174 | 1.105 miles |
| The Quest Academy | 0.63 | 104 | 2.143 miles |
| Harris Academy Purley | 0.61 | 178 | not published |
First preferences per place is the number of families naming the school first, divided by its published admission number. Above 1.00 means more first choices than places. It is not a ranking and not a measure of quality: a popular school can be easy to get into and a quiet one hard, because places are allocated by each school's own criteria, siblings and faith and banding first, with distance often the last tie-breaker. Applications and offers on national offer day, DfE.