Aerodrome Primary Academy

Croydon · CR0 4EJ

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 447 pupils, 30.5% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted report card

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN SEN unit + resourced provision · 16.3% on SEN support Behaviour 6.1% absence rate Staff 7.3% turnover Financials £8,412 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Aerodrome Primary Academy

General Information

Address: Goodwin Road, Croydon, CR0 4EJ – View on map
Phone: 02086884975
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Zoe Foulsham
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 50 families put it first for 55 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 1 of the 55 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 12 · 2025 12 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

447 pupils out of 420 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 129
% eligible for free school meals: 30.5%
Pupil mix: 9 in 10 (more mixed than the Croydon average)
English as an additional language: 33% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 7.3% a year (Croydon 18.6%, typical in England 13.9%) Low turnover
Where they went: about 36% moved to another school, 64% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. "Low turnover" means it's among the quarter of similar schools in England where teachers are most likely to stay.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Croydon: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 6 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 0 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Croydon, not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.1%
Persistently absent pupils: 18.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

SEN unit for Speech, language and communication 20 places · 20 pupils at the last count
Resourced provision for Speech, language and communication 20 places · 20 pupils at the last count

Places are usually for children with an EHC Plan and are arranged through the council, not the normal school application.

Pupils on SEN Support: 16.3%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 7.4%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 49 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 8 pupils
Physical disability: 3 pupils
Hearing impairment: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 27 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 3 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Ofsted report card November 2025

Ofsted's new report cards grade each part of school life separately, instead of giving one overall word.

Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard
Early years Expected standard
Leadership and governance Expected standard

Before this, under the old system, Ofsted rated the school Good (2021). The report card above replaces that grade.

How Ofsted report cards work

Since November 2025, Ofsted grades each area of a school on its own five-point scale, and no longer gives a single word like “Good” or “Outstanding”. Safeguarding (keeping children safe) is simply met or not met.

Exceptional The very best practice nationally
Strong standard Above what Ofsted expects
Expected standard What Ofsted expects of every school
Needs attention Some weaknesses the school needs to fix
Urgent improvement Serious weaknesses needing urgent action

“Expected standard” is a sound result – it's what Ofsted expects a good school to do. Report cards aren't directly comparable with the old single grades, which is why we don't turn them into one.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 66% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 18% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: in line with the Croydon average (68%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 66% against an expected 59%)
3-year average (expected standard): 66%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 82% · Writing 70% · Maths 80% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 74%
Average test scores: reading 109, maths 109
Based on: 61 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolCroydon averageEngland↘ Falling Down 7 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was in line with the Croydon average (68%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 51st of 77 junior and primary schools in the area

=47Orchard Way Primary School67%
=47St Joseph's RC Junior School67%
=51Aerodrome Primary Academy66%
=51Ark Oval Primary Academy66%
=51Elmwood Junior School66%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

=1Beaumont Primary School90%
=1Heathfield Academy90%
=3Oasis Academy Byron89%
=3Winterbourne Junior Girls' School89%
=5Applegarth Academy88%
=5David Livingstone Academy88%
#7Paxton Academy Sports And Science87%
#8Gresham Primary School86%
#9Coulsdon CofE Primary School85%
#10Krishna Avanti Primary School84%
=11Kenley Primary School82%
=11Park Hill Junior School82%
=11Rockmount Primary School82%
=14Downsview Primary and Nursery School81%
=14St John's CofE Primary School81%
=16Gonville Academy80%
=16Winterbourne Boys' Academy80%
=18Harris Primary Academy Croydon79%
=18Harris Primary Academy Haling Park79%
=18Harris Primary Academy Purley Way79%
=21St Chad's Catholic Primary School78%
=21St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School78%
=23St Aidan's Catholic Primary School77%
=23St Peter's Primary School77%
=23St. Mary's Catholic Junior School77%
=23Woodside Primary School77%
#27Atwood Primary School76%
=28Ecclesbourne Primary School75%
=28Greenvale Primary School75%
=28The Hayes Primary School75%
=31Harris Primary Academy Benson74%
=31West Thornton Primary School74%
=33Forest Academy73%
=33Monks Orchard Primary School73%
=33Oasis Academy Ryelands73%
=33Tudor Academy73%
#37Harris Primary Academy Kenley72%
=38Howard Primary School71%
=38St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School71%
=40Fairchildes Primary School70%
=40Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School70%
=40Ridgeway Primary School70%
=40The Minster Junior School70%
=40Woodcote Primary School70%
=45Forestdale Primary School69%
=45Whitehorse Manor Junior School69%
=47Chipstead Valley Primary School67%
=47Courtwood Primary School67%
=47Orchard Way Primary School67%
=47St Joseph's RC Junior School67%
=51Aerodrome Primary Academy66%
=51Ark Oval Primary Academy66%
=51Elmwood Junior School66%
=54Kensington Avenue Primary School64%
=54Robert Fitzroy Academy64%
=56Broadmead Primary School63%
=56South Norwood Primary63%
=58Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley)62%
=58Keston Primary School62%
=58Smitham Primary School62%
#61Selsdon Primary and Nursery School61%
#62Purley Oaks Primary School60%
#63Beulah Junior School59%
#64Castle Hill Academy58%
#65Cypress Primary School57%
=66John Wood School & Nursery56%
=66New Valley Primary School56%
=66St Mark's Church of England Primary Academy56%
=69Norbury Manor Primary School55%
=69The Crescent Primary School55%
#71Rowdown Primary School53%
#72Good Shepherd Catholic Primary and Nursery School52%
#73St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary Academy51%
#74Heavers Farm Primary School48%
=75Chestnut Park Primary School44%
=75Quest Primary School44%
#77All Saints CofE Primary School43%

View full Ofsted inspection report

Financials

Spending per pupil: £8,412 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

11th of 68 primary schools in Croydon for spending per pupil

#9Monks Orchard Primary School£8,567
#10Rowdown Primary School£8,453
#11Aerodrome Primary Academy£8,412
#12Selsdon Primary and Nursery School£8,345
#13Good Shepherd Catholic Primary and Nursery School£8,329

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Castle Hill Academy£11,487
#2All Saints CofE Primary School£10,280
#3Quest Primary School£10,039
#4Heavers Farm Primary School£9,850
#5Broadmead Primary School£9,479
#6South Norwood Primary£9,181
#7Courtwood Primary School£8,928
#8Forest Academy£8,654
#9Monks Orchard Primary School£8,567
#10Rowdown Primary School£8,453
#11Aerodrome Primary Academy£8,412
#12Selsdon Primary and Nursery School£8,345
#13Good Shepherd Catholic Primary and Nursery School£8,329
#14Fairchildes Primary School£8,317
#15The Crescent Primary School£8,317
#16Harris Primary Academy Croydon£8,307
#17Coulsdon CofE Primary School£8,057
#18Norbury Manor Primary School£8,056
#19St Cyprian's Greek Orthodox Primary Academy£8,018
#20Paxton Academy Sports And Science£8,000
#21Kenley Primary School£7,928
#22Rockmount Primary School£7,923
#23Beaumont Primary School£7,800
#24Oasis Academy Byron£7,800
#25Greenvale Primary School£7,762
#26St Chad's Catholic Primary School£7,628
#27St James the Great RC Primary and Nursery School£7,556
#28Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School£7,545
#29Woodside Primary School£7,544
#30St Mark's Church of England Primary Academy£7,520
#31Chestnut Park Primary School£7,474
#32Gresham Primary School£7,381
#33Christ Church CofE Primary School (Purley)£7,376
#34New Valley Primary School£7,330
#35Forestdale Primary School£7,290
#36Harris Primary Academy Purley Way£7,265
#37Howard Primary School£7,223
#38Harris Primary Academy Benson£7,213
#39Ridgeway Primary School£7,193
#40Ark Oval Primary Academy£7,150
#41St Aidan's Catholic Primary School£7,037
#42Chipstead Valley Primary School£7,001
#43Purley Oaks Primary School£6,976
#44West Thornton Primary School£6,948
#45St John's CofE Primary School£6,939
#46Downsview Primary and Nursery School£6,900
#47St Thomas Becket Catholic Primary School£6,878
#48Ecclesbourne Primary School£6,857
#49Robert Fitzroy Academy£6,806
#50The Hayes Primary School£6,760
#51Harris Primary Academy Kenley£6,744
#52John Wood School & Nursery£6,739
#53Keston Primary School£6,650
#54Harris Primary Academy Haling Park£6,584
#55Krishna Avanti Primary School£6,530
#56St Peter's Primary School£6,528
#57Cypress Primary School£6,519
#58Atwood Primary School£6,291
#59Woodcote Primary School£6,269
#60Oasis Academy Ryelands£5,553
#61Applegarth Academy£5,249
#62David Livingstone Academy£4,643
#63Tudor Academy£4,316
#64Regina Coeli Catholic Primary School£4,102
#65Gonville Academy£4,065
#66Heathfield Academy£3,962
#67Orchard Way Primary School£2,935
#68Kensington Avenue Primary School£644

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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