OFSTED
10 January 2023
Latest graded inspection
Latest published outcome
Good
OEIF
Quality of education
Good
Behaviour & attitudes
Good
Personal development
Good
Leadership & management
Good
SCHOOL DETAILS
About this school
School type
Academy sponsor led
Phase
Primary
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
—
Local authority
Croydon
Trust
THE PIONEER ACADEMY
Census date
15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE
2025/26
School community
Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.
Total pupils
356
356 full-time ·
0 part-time
Female pupils
165
46.3% of pupils
Male pupils
191
53.7% of pupils
Free school meals
Pupils eligible for free school meals.
14.2 pts
above England
School
39.0%
Croydon
27.2%
London
26.3%
England
24.8%
English as an additional language
Pupils whose first language is not English.
33.9 pts
above England
School
54.2%
Croydon
29.6%
London
39.2%
England
20.3%
Young carers
Pupils recorded as young carers.
1.0 pts
below England
School
0.0%
Croydon
0.4%
London
0.5%
England
1.0%
Ethnicity
Largest recorded pupil groups.
African
21.1%
75
White British
13.8%
49
Any other Mixed background
11.5%
41
Any other White background
11.2%
40
Any other Black background
10.7%
38
Any other ethnic group
10.1%
36
Council, regional and national comparisons
are pupil-weighted using published school
census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS
2025/26
Special educational needs
Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.
Pupils with SEN
22.5%
80 of
356 pupils
1.6 pts
above England
England:
20.8%
England
14.8%
0.5 pts
below
England
6.0%
2.1 pts
above
PRIMARY NEEDS
Pupils
Most common identified needs
SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
2024/25
Key stage 2 outcomes
Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.
EXPECTED STANDARD
Reading, writing & maths
63.0%
2.6 pts
above England
EXPECTED STANDARD
68.0%
Reading
5.8 pts below England
School
68.0%
Croydon
76.3%
London
78.2%
England
73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD
71.0%
Writing
0.7 pts above England
School
71.0%
Croydon
75.0%
London
75.1%
England
70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD
71.0%
Maths
1.0 pts below England
School
71.0%
Croydon
76.3%
London
77.7%
England
72.0%
School results show the percentage of
pupils meeting the expected standard.
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages and are not
pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE
2024/25
Attendance profile
Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.
ABSENCE RATE
6.70%
Overall absence
Percentage of possible sessions missed.
0.49 pts
higher than
England
School
6.70%
Croydon
6.77%
London
6.38%
England
6.22%
ABSENCE RATE
16.67%
Persistent absence
Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.
0.85 pts
higher than
England
School
16.67%
Croydon
19.05%
London
17.60%
England
15.82%
ABSENCE RATE
2.00%
Severe absence
Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.
0.20 pts
higher than
England
School
2.00%
Croydon
2.11%
London
1.67%
England
1.80%
Council, regional and national
comparisons are averages of published
school-level percentages rather than
pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
School context
Comparison with open primary schools.
CAPACITY
Capacity utilisation
84.8%
3.4 pts
below England
South Norwood Primary
84.8%
Croydon
83.9%
London
85.9%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the
same phase. Capacity utilisation is
calculated from published pupil and
capacity figures.