Harris City Academy Crystal Palace

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is performing at an exceptionally high level, with inspectors finding consistently high quality across the curriculum, teaching, behaviour, personal development, leadership and sixth form. Pupils experience an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum and expert teaching that helps all groups, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, achieve well. Reading is a strong feature, and support for pupils with SEND is accurately identified and personalised. Pupils behave responsibly and lessons are rarely disrupted; bullying is rare and dealt with promptly. Personal development is a high priority, supported by a strong PSHE programme, extensive trips and experiences, sport, and careers education from Year 7. Governance is effective, staff workload and wellbeing are considered, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. There are no identified areas of concern in the report. The inspection was the school’s first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014. It is part of the Harris Federation, has a headteacher appointed in September 2024, and, under the current framework, did not receive an overall effectiveness grade.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum across subjects
• Expert teaching that adapts to pupils’ needs, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Strong emphasis on reading and effective personalised SEND support
• Pupils behave responsibly and lessons are rarely disrupted
• Bullying is rare and the school does not tolerate it
• Personal development is prioritised through an effective PSHE programme
• Extensive trips, experiences and sport opportunities, many free or reduced cost
• Strong careers education from Year 7, including work experience and provider events
• Effective governance and positive staff workload and wellbeing
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace attended 94.4% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 14.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 4.5% of pupils at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Harris City Academy Crystal Palace had 16.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 40.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 8.5% of pupils at Harris City Academy Crystal Palace were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Harris City Academy Crystal Palace received £9,193 and spent £9,263 for each of its 1,166 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £667,000 (£572 per pupil).

Across all 58 schools of Harris Federation, income was £8,891 and spending £8,882 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Croydon · Croydon local authority: places and applications

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is part of Harris Federation, which runs 58 schools. The nearest others:

• Harris Academy South Norwood London
• Harris Academy Beulah Hill London
• Harris Primary Academy Crystal Palace London
• Harris Professional Skills Sixth Form London
• Harris Primary Academy Kent House London
• Harris Girls Academy Bromley Beckenham
• Harris Primary Academy Beckenham Beckenham
• Harris Primary Academy Beckenham Green Beckenham
• Harris Academy Beckenham Beckenham
• Harris Invictus Academy Croydon Croydon

What is Harris City Academy Crystal Palace's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is Outstanding, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Harris City Academy Crystal Palace last inspected by Ofsted?

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Harris City Academy Crystal Palace have?

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace has 1,191 pupils on roll.

What age range does Harris City Academy Crystal Palace cover?

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Harris City Academy Crystal Palace's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 52.9, and 61% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Harris City Academy Crystal Palace?

Harris City Academy Crystal Palace is at Maberley Road, Upper Norwood, London, SE19 2JH.